Chapter 41 Uninvited Warmth
The news about Damien Thorne’s interview had traveled fast and people were eating it up. Thanks to his secret presenter girlfriend- Vanessa Dale.
“Heiress or Homewrecker? Seraphina Moreau Tied to Thorne Scandal.”
“Julian Thorne still mentally disturbed? Why would he take in a woman who lied to his twin and was rumored to already have a child?”
“She faked her death to dupe a twin, now back to ruin the other. The Thorne brothers must be under her spell.”
“No wonder her father hid her when he was alive, she’s no good news. I hope for Julian’s sake that he cancels the engagement and chases her away as soon as possible!”
Different comments were all over blogs and the tech communities at large.
Nobody knew what had really transpired, but that didn’t stop the world from writing its own story. Damien and Talia had managed to win their hearts through the interview.
And somewhere in the chaos of speculation, Joanne Reyes, Julian’s secretary, adjusted her cardigan, fixed her hair in the mirror of her compact, and rang the doorbell of Julian’s penthouse that evening.
The door opened a few moments later, and there he was- Julian—clad in black round neck and track pants, his hair slightly mussed, as if he’d run his hand through it too many times in thought.
He looked at her as if trying to place her outside the context of the office.
“Joanne?”
“I saw the blogs,” she said quickly, a bit too quickly. “And the way the media is spinning things... I just thought I’d check on you.”
Julian leaned slightly against the doorframe, his brows pulling together. “That wasn’t necessary. But thank you.”
“I figured you’d say that.” She smiled, stepping forward slightly, but not pushing. “But I remembered you don’t like your househelps doing your cooking. And I know… back in college, you used to brag about how good you were in the kitchen, but let’s be honest- your meals were not always that good.” She made a funny facial expression.
That earned a small chuckle from him.
“I manage,” Julian said. “It’s not a warzone in here.”
“No,” she replied, eyes glinting. “But I didn’t want you stressing yourself today. You’ve probably had enough fists flying around you for one day. And couldn’t imagine you cooking after that.”
He hesitated, then stepped back and gestured toward the open kitchen. “Alright. Just don’t burn anything. I still like breathing.” With Joanne, it was easy to be himself, and not wear the mean mafia mask he had always had to put on outside.
Joanne didn’t hesitate as she moved past him, slipping off her coat like she belonged there.
The kitchen was pristine. A sharp opposite to the man who now sat on the marble counter, arms folded, watching her move with casual familiarity.
“What have you had since morning, boss?”
Julian scoffed. “Pancakes.”
“Typical you,” she chuckled.
“You still remember where I keep the pans,” he said dryly.
“I remember a lot more than that,” she said without looking at him, pulling out ingredients from a brown paper bag she had clearly planned in advance.
There was comfort in her rhythm- too comfortable, too natural. She chopped onions like it was a memory, stirred pasta like she’d done it here before. She hadn’t. But Julian didn’t say anything.
“You used to make garlic shrimp when we studied for finals,” she said. “But only when you weren’t being insufferably competitive.”
“I never asked you to compete,” he replied with a mild smile.
“You didn’t have to. You liked being chased.”
He paused, then looked at her more closely. “That’s not fair.”
Joanne shrugged. “Wasn’t trying to be.”
A small silence passed between them, neither of them looking away. It wasn’t uncomfortable. But it wasn’t quite right either.
Finally, she broke it. “So… was it because of her?”
He blinked. “Who?”
“Seraphina.” She stirred the sauce slower. “Was that what the fight with your twin was about? Because everyone’s saying you both wanted her and things went messy.”
Julian sighed. “It wasn’t about her. Not like that.”
“Then what was it like?” she asked gently. “You can talk to me, you know. I don’t mind being your confidant for the rest of today. No pressure. Just… someone who listens.”
He studied her face, then ran a hand down his jaw. “Damien hurt her.”
Joanne’s brow lifted. “Physically?”
Julian didn’t answer.
“Or emotionally?” she pressed.
He still didn’t answer.
Joanne exhaled and turned back to the gas cooker. “What if she’s not innocent, Julian? What if she did something to him, and you’re only seeing one side?”
He straightened slightly. “Don’t do that.”
She glanced at him, surprised by the sudden tension in his voice.
“Don’t be that person,” Julian said, more firmly. “The one who guesses at truths they don’t carry.”
Joanne turned off the burner, slowly. “I wasn’t trying to judge her. I just… I hadn’t seen you lose yourself in a woman before, and…sorry to say…this kinda looks like you are losing yourself.”
“I didn’t lose myself,” he said. “I found someone who didn’t deserve what happened to her. That’s all.”
She didn’t respond for a moment.
Then, softly, she said, “Can I ask you something?”
Julian looked at her. “Go ahead.”
She faced him fully now, her fingers wrapping around the edge of the counter. “Is the engagement with her real?”
His eyes narrowed just slightly. “Why are you asking me that?”
“Because I’ve known you for years. I’ve seen you lie when you had to. I just want to know—this thing with Seraphina… is it real? I mean…she had barely known you a few weeks ago…I thought it was all business when you talked about the Moreau daughter to me, but then came the news that you were both engaged the next day. It’s…fishy if you ask me.”
Julian didn’t get the chance to answer.
Because at that moment, the building’s intercom chimed softly, echoing into the quiet.
He turned, a frown on his face. “Stay here,” he said as he walked to the front door.
Joanne stood still, biting her lip, suddenly uncertain whether she should have asked at all.
Julian opened the door.
His breath caught, if only briefly.
Seraphina stood on the other side.
A black coat wrapped her body, her eyes lined in soft fatigue, her hair tied loosely behind her ears. She didn’t speak at first. Neither did he.
She just looked at him with that same impossible mix of defiance and vulnerability that he hadn’t been able to shake since the day she walked back into his life.
Julian suddenly forgot what Joanne had asked. Or that she was still in the kitchen. “Phine? How did you discover this part of my building?”
Seraphina’s eyes flicked over his face, then darted to his chest- as if searching for bruises, to see if he had been outside conquering missions again.
“I saw the blogs. People were saying…They said I’m coming between you two.”
Julian’s jaw clenched, hating the thick worry in her voice. “You have nothing…nothing to worry about. Did Joye give you her phone again?”
Sera shrugged. “Well, don’t you think it’s high time you return my own pho…”
“Do you have a guest?” Joanne said from inside as she approached the entrance from inside the house, making Seraphina pause mid-words. That was when Julian remembered he had a guest.
Just then, Joanne’s face came to view and she stilled as she saw Seraphina standing at the doorstep. She composed quickly. Seraphina didn’t look pleased to see her either.
“Hi,” Joanne greeted with a grin that formed with ease. “I believe we’ve met before? I’m Joanne.”