Chapter 118

Chapter 118
Violet's POV

In Julian's broad embrace, breathing in the familiar cedarwood scent from his coat, my racing heart finally began to calm.

He showed not the slightest trace of impatience, only stroking my back with those warm, large hands, soothing me like a startled cat.

"Come on, let's eat." He released me and took my hand naturally, lacing our fingers together.

We didn't return to the window seat.

Julian led me to a secluded corner booth on the other side of the restaurant.

Before sitting down, I instinctively turned and looked out through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Outside the hotel entrance, Niamh was stepping into a black Bentley in her high heels.

Her wine-red dress billowed in the early winter wind. Even from this distance, I could feel the arrogance and obsession that came with being an elite socialite radiating from her.

The Bentley pulled away and soon disappeared from view.

I withdrew my gaze, but cold sweat had begun seeping into my palms.

Niamh's aggressive interrogation in the restaurant earlier stuck in my throat like a thorn.

She'd seen the marks on my neck. She knew Julian was at this hotel.

With her relentless personality, she definitely wouldn't let this go.

I was afraid she'd use the Gray family's influence to trace my identity and then cause a scene at the Manhattan Conservatory.

I didn't want to create trouble for Julian.

He was the head of Hall Group—his every move was watched by Wall Street.

If he got dragged into some petty campus scandal because of me, or if paparazzi ran some damaging headline, it would absolutely tarnish his reputation.

More importantly, I didn't want him to think I was a weak burden who only knew how to hide when things got difficult.

Julian seated me in the booth and got up to get fresh food from the buffet.

Watching his retreating figure, I pulled out my phone and opened my conversation with Lily.

My finger hovered over the screen for a few seconds before I quickly typed out what had just happened.

[Lily, Niamh is at the hotel too. She came right up and sat across from me at the table, trying to figure out who Julian's girlfriend is. I panicked and hid in the bathroom. I'm terrified she'll expose everything at school.]

Less than half a minute after I hit send, Lily's reply popped up. I could feel her explosive temper even through the screen.

[Violet, snap out of it! Why are you running?]

[Julian Hall is unmarried, you're unmarried—you're in a legal, consensual relationship! Completely legitimate! You could kiss in the hotel lobby and it wouldn't be illegal. Who the hell does Niamh think she is?]

[She's just a bitter woman who can't have what she wants, going crazy with jealousy over you. If you dare back down, I'm flying over there to knock some sense into you! Going public would be even better—let it piss off all those snobs at school!]

Looking at the string of exclamation marks on the screen, I bit my lower lip and gave a bitter smile.

Lily wasn't wrong. I understood the logic.

But when faced with the prospect of gossip crashing down on me like a tidal wave, when faced with the judgmental, malicious stares at school—my instinct was still to retreat into my shell.

I was afraid of losing the concertmaster position I'd worked so hard for, afraid of people saying I'd slept my way to the top.

I turned my phone facedown on the table, eyes stinging.

I hated myself for this.

Julian had given me so much favor and confidence, yet I still acted like some shameful thief, unable to even voice a proper defense.

This bone-deep cowardice made me despise myself intensely.

"What are you thinking about?"

His low voice sounded above me. Julian returned carrying two plates and sat down beside me.

He pushed the strawberry pancakes in front of me and picked up a knife and fork, patiently cutting the pancakes into bite-sized pieces.

I ducked my head in confusion and picked up my fork. "Nothing."

Julian's cutting motion paused.

He set down the utensils and turned to look at me. Those deep gray eyes were sharp and clear—he'd obviously noticed my distress and self-loathing, but he didn't call out my cowardice or pressure me to be brave.

He reached out, his long arm extending past the chair back to pull me into his embrace.

"Violet." His jaw rested atop my head, voice low and steady, carrying a strange soothing power. "Don't think about those irrelevant people. To me, you're the best girl in the world."

I froze and looked up at him.

Julian's gaze settled on my face, his fingertips gently brushing my cheek. "Before I met you, my life was nothing but boring spreadsheets, endless meetings, and cold merger cases. I was used to calculation, used to Wall Street's cutthroat games. But because of you, every day feels alive. You don't need to change anything. The way you are now is enough to captivate me completely."

His words were like a scalding current rushing straight into my heart, melting away the dark self-loathing bit by bit.

He accepted my retreat. He embraced my imperfections.

After lunch, Julian didn't take me back to Manhattan. Instead, he drove to the Long Island Aquarium.

The weekend aquarium was fairly crowded, mostly families with children.

Julian held my hand, steering us away from the congested areas and into the massive underwater tunnel.

Above us stretched deep blue water. Sunlight penetrated the surface, refracting shimmering ripples of light across the glass corridor.

A huge manta ray glided slowly overhead. Schools of silver fish swirled like a storm.

The aquarium lighting was dim—only the blue luminescence from the water played across Julian's face, softening his usually sharp features.

Looking at him, my heart felt ready to overflow with love.

"Why are you staring at me?" Julian noticed my gaze, stopped walking, and looked down at me.

"You're beautiful." The words slipped out before I could stop them. My cheeks warmed.

Julian chuckled softly. Without any hesitation, right there in the crowded underwater tunnel, he cupped my face and kissed me.

It was a kiss that tasted of seawater—gentle and lingering.

Tourists passed by. A child even let out an exclamation of surprise. But he didn't let me go.

I closed my eyes too, casting aside all reservations, wrapping my arms around his waist and kissing him back fervently.

When the kiss ended, he pulled out his phone and opened the camera.

He aimed it at the reflective glass of the tunnel and captured a silhouette of us embracing.

Against the deep blue background, our two figures overlapped tightly, indistinguishable from each other.

"Sent it to you. Save it." He slipped his phone back into his coat pocket and ruffled my hair.

We wandered the aquarium for over two hours.

When we reached the rest area up ahead, I felt my ankles beginning to ache.