Chapter 28 Surprise!
By the time Julian finally pulled his car into the long driveway of his estate, the tight knot in his chest had already been there for hours. The drive home had done nothing to improve his mood. In fact, the silence of the car had only given his thoughts more room to circle around the same two problems that had been irritating him all day. When he stepped out of the car and walked toward the front door, he already felt exhausted, and the night had barely begun.
The house was quiet when he entered. The staff had long since finished their work for the evening, leaving the large space feeling calm and empty. Normally Julian appreciated the silence of his home. It gave him space to think and work without interruption, but tonight, however, the silence only made his frustration feel louder.
He ran a hand through his hair and walked straight toward the staircase without bothering to turn on many lights. His footsteps echoed softly as he climbed the stairs and headed to his bedroom. Saying that he was in a bad mood would have been a serious understatement. The day had been long, and it had been filled with two things he hated more than almost anything else: pressure and uncertainty.
The first problem had been his father.
Edward Hale had spent most of the afternoon breathing down his neck like an angry storm cloud. Every conversation between them had turned into the same argument, repeated over and over again until Julian had started to feel like he might lose his patience entirely. His father had made it very clear that the scandal with Adeline Carter had already caused enough damage to the Hale name. According to him, Julian had either lost his mind or completely underestimated the consequences of involving himself with the daughter of their family’s oldest rival.
The second problem, however, was the one that bothered him even more.
Adeline.
She still had not given him an answer.
Julian stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower, letting the hot water run as he leaned against the counter and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He had told himself several times that he was not in a hurry, that he could give her time, and that pushing her too hard would only make her suspicious. But the truth was, he hated waiting.
Waiting meant uncertainty, and uncertainty meant he could not move forward with his plans. If Adeline agreed to marry him, then everything would continue exactly the way he had imagined. He would marry her publicly, play the role of the supportive partner, and slowly dismantle her position from the inside. Destroying the most capable Carter sibling while being tied to her by marriage would make the rest of the family far easier to deal with afterward.
If she refused, however, then the situation changed completely.
If Adeline said no, then Julian had absolutely no reason to continue carrying the burden of her scandal on his shoulders. The entire mess had technically started with her, and he had already prepared a way to walk away from it cleanly if necessary. Hidden safely on one of his secured drives was video evidence from the night of the party, a footage of Adeline’s husband and her assistant together in the bathroom. The recording alone would be enough to shift public sympathy in a completely different direction.
On top of that, he had a separate recording of Adeline herself that made it clear that he had simply been pulled into her drama. If he released both pieces of evidence, he could easily step away from the situation while leaving her to face the fallout alone.
It would be simple, efficient, and completely ruthless.
Julian stepped under the hot water and let it run over his shoulders, hoping it might wash away some of the tension that had built up throughout the day. The warmth helped a little, but it didn’t change the fact that he still didn’t know what Adeline’s decision was going to be.
That uncertainty annoyed him more than anything else.
He finished the shower quickly and changed into comfortable clothes before heading toward his home office. If he couldn’t relax, then he might as well work. A few hours of paperwork might at least distract his mind long enough for the night to pass.
He had just stepped into the hallway when his phone rang. The sound made him stop mid-step.
Julian glanced down at the screen before answering. “Yes?”
The voice on the other end belonged to the head of his estate security. “Sir,” the man said, sounding slightly uncertain, “Miss Adeline Carter is here at the main gate. She is requesting entry.”
Julian blinked, and for a moment he thought he had misheard the words.
“Say that again,” he said slowly.
“Miss Adeline Carter is at the gate, sir.”
The surprise hit him instantly. Of all the things he had expected tonight, Adeline Carter showing up at his estate had not been one of them. The idea that she had driven all the way here instead was something he had not even considered.
“Let her in,” he said immediately.
“Yes, sir.”
The call ended, and Julian lowered the phone slowly. He didn’t want to let his mind jump to conclusions too quickly, but the timing was difficult to ignore. If Adeline had come to see him this late at night, then there was a strong chance she had already made a decision, and if she had made a decision, there was a strong chance it was the one he wanted.
It wouldn’t make much sense for her to show up here just to reject his proposal. If she wanted to refuse him, she could easily have done that with a phone call or a simple message. Coming here in person suggested something else entirely.
Julian let out a quiet breath.
He could only hope his guess was correct.
At the same time, another thought slipped into his mind, one that made the corner of his mouth lift slightly. Even if Adeline had come here to talk about marriage, he doubted that conversation would be the very first thing they did tonight, and honestly, he didn’t mind that at all.
As much as he despised the Carter family and everything they represented, there was one thing about Adeline that he could not deny. She was incredibly attractive. In fact, she was easily one of the most striking women he had ever met.
And Julian Hale had met plenty of beautiful women.
The memory of the nights they had already spent together crossed his mind briefly. The chemistry between them had been intense in a way that surprised even him. It was the kind of attraction that could easily make someone forget the reasons they were supposed to hate each other.
Julian shook the thought away almost immediately. He refused to let himself forget who she was.
Adeline Carter was still his enemy, and the plan he had built around her had not changed simply because she was attractive or because their nights together had been enjoyable.
He headed downstairs toward the main living room, knowing that by now the security team would have already escorted her through the gates and into the house.
When he stepped into the room, he saw her immediately. Adeline stood near the center of the living room, exactly where he expected she would be, but the moment his eyes landed on her, Julian stopped walking.
Because what he saw was not what he had expected.
Adeline Carter was standing there wearing nothing but sheer lingerie and a pair of high heels. The delicate fabric left very little to the imagination, and under the soft lighting of the room, the entire scene looked almost unreal.
For a moment, Julian simply stared.
Adeline noticed his reaction instantly, and a slow, playful smile spread across her face as she lifted one hand slightly in greeting.
“Surprise,” she said calmly.