Chapter 31 To the next step
The morning light came slipping through the wide windows of Julian’s dining area, settling over the table where Adeline and Julian sat across from each other. Adeline sat with one leg crossed over the other, her hair loosely tied back, a cup of coffee in her hand, as she looked far more put together than she felt. Julian, on the other hand, looked completely at ease, like this was just another morning, like nothing had happened between them at all.
The breakfast in front of them was simple but well made. Toast, eggs, and sliced fruit sat neatly arranged on their plates, and the faint smell of coffee filled the room. It was calm, almost too calm, considering the kind of decisions they were about to make. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence wasn’t awkward, but it wasn’t comfortable either. It was the kind of silence that came before something important.
Julian broke it first. “So,” he said, setting his fork down as his eyes settled on her, “how exactly do you plan on announcing that you’re marrying me?”
Adeline didn’t look surprised by the question. If anything, she had been expecting it. She took a slow sip of her coffee before answering, using the moment to gather her thoughts, though her eyes stayed on him the entire time.
“Do you have a plan?” she asked instead, her tone calm but slightly curious. “Because I have a feeling you already planned everything the moment you proposed. So why don’t you tell me what you came up with, and I’ll decide if I like it.”
Julian’s lips curved into a faint smile, like he had expected that response. He leaned back slightly in his chair, his posture relaxed, but his eyes sharp. There was something about the way he looked at her that made it clear he had already thought this through.
“Well,” he began, “first things first, you need to finalize your divorce with Patrick. The sooner, the better. If we’re going to do this, then we need him completely out of the picture.”
Adeline nodded once, her expression unchanged. “That’s already in motion,” she said simply. “It won’t take long.”
Julian seemed satisfied with that. “Good,” he replied. “Because we can’t afford to have anything tying you back to him once our plans to get married go public.”
Adeline didn’t respond to that part, but the slight tightening of her fingers around her mug showed that she understood exactly what he meant. She had no intention of letting Patrick remain any kind of factor in her life, not after everything that had happened.
“And as for the announcement,” Julian continued, picking up his coffee again, “I don’t think releasing a statement is the right move.”
Adeline raised a brow slightly. “No?”
He shook his head. “No. A statement is too distant, and it feels controlled in the wrong way. People will read it, pick it apart, and still come up with their own version of the story. We need something stronger than that.”
She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms loosely as she watched him. “I’m listening,” she said.
“I think you should call for a press conference,” he said.
Adeline’s brows drew together slightly, but she didn’t interrupt him. She simply waited for him to explain.
“We stand in front of them,” Julian continued, “together. We don’t hide, we don’t avoid questions, and we don’t act like we have something to be ashamed of. That’s the message we need to send from the start.”
Adeline tapped her finger lightly against the side of her mug, thinking. “You want to face them head-on," she said slowly.
“Yes,” Julian replied. “Because if we don’t, they’ll assume we’re hiding something, and that will only make things worse.”
He leaned forward slightly now, his tone steady, almost calculated. “The press will be aggressive. They’ll ask the worst questions they can think of, and they’ll try to trip you up, but if we’re both there, we control the situation. We answer what we want, ignore what we don’t, and stay consistent.”
Adeline nodded faintly, still considering.
“And more importantly,” Julian added, “a press conference gives us the chance to shape the story. Not just explain it, but guide how people see it.”
Her eyes sharpened slightly at that. “What kind of story are we telling?”
Julian held her gaze without hesitation. “That we’re in love.”
The words sat between them, simple but loaded.
He didn’t give her time to react before continuing. “We tell them that this didn’t just happen overnight. That we’ve liked each other for years, but because of our families, we kept our distance. We say that eventually, we couldn’t ignore it anymore, and that’s why things unfolded the way they did.”
Adeline stayed quiet for a moment, letting his words sink in. Still, she wasn’t someone who agreed easily. After a moment, she leaned forward slightly, her eyes locking on his.
“And you’re confident you can pull this off?” she asked. “Because we can’t afford to slip up, not even once. If we look fake for even a second, they’ll tear us apart.”
Julian’s mouth curved into a small, confident smile. “You’re worried about me?” he asked, amused.
“I’m asking if you can act like a man who is so in love that he’s willing to ruin his reputation for it,” she replied evenly.
He let out a quiet chuckle. “You’d be surprised,” he said. “If my father hadn’t forced me into business, I probably would have been an actor.”
Adeline rolled her eyes slightly at that. “Of course you would have.”
Julian ignored the comment, still smiling faintly. “I’m not worried about my performance,” he added. “I’m worried about yours.”
Her eyes narrowed just a fraction. “Mine?”
He nodded. “You’ve never been good at hiding what you’re thinking. You’re too straightforward. It works in business, but this isn’t business. This is performance, and you might struggle with that.”
Adeline leaned back again, completely unbothered by his words. “I’ll manage,” she said simply. “As long as you do your part, I’ll do mine.”
Julian studied her for a moment, like he was trying to decide whether he believed her or not. In the end, he didn’t argue. He simply reached for his coffee and lifted it slightly in her direction.
Adeline glanced at the mug, then back at him. “What’s that for?” she asked, though she already had an idea.
Julian’s eyes met hers, calm and unreadable. “A toast,” he said.
She raised her brow slightly. “To what?”
His lips curved into a faint smile. “To pretending.”
Adeline stared at him for a second, then let out a small, quiet laugh as she picked up her own mug. She raised it to meet his, the clink of ceramic filling the space between them.
“Cheers,” he said.
“To pretending to be in love,” she finished, her tone light but carrying something deeper underneath.
They both took a sip at the same time, and for a moment, neither of them spoke again. The silence that followed felt different this time, heavier, and more aware. It wasn’t just a plan anymore, it was something they were actually going to do.
Adeline set her mug down first, her fingers lingering against it for a second before she pulled her hand away. Her gaze drifted briefly to the window, then back to Julian.
“This only works if we commit fully,” she said. “There should be no hesitation and no second-guessing in front of anyone.”
Julian nodded once. “We won’t hesitate.”
“And once we start,” she added, “there’s no backing out halfway. We either do this properly or not at all.”
His eyes stayed on hers, steady and certain. “We’ll do it properly.”
Adeline held his gaze for a moment longer, searching for something she couldn’t quite name. Whatever she was looking for, she didn’t find it, or maybe she chose not to.
Finally, she leaned back slightly, letting out a breath. “Then I guess we’re really doing this.”
Julian didn’t answer right away. He watched her for a second, like he was taking in what she had just said.
“Yes,” he said after a moment. “We are.”