Chapter 58 Suspicious
Adeline had only texted Julian because she was irritated.
That was it.
She had been sitting alone in her office after Yuna left earlier, staring at wedding articles and fashion blogs until she finally became so annoyed that she grabbed her phone and texted him the simple words, "I hate weddings."
Honestly, she had only expected one of two things from him. Either he would call her so she could complain for a while and get the frustration out of her system, or he would tell her to suck it up because the wedding would be over in a week anyway. Both responses sounded like something Julian Hale would say, especially lately since he had somehow become annoyingly calm whenever she got worked up.
Instead, he had replied by saying that he had something he wanted to give her. Then he had simply told her to come over to his house after work.
Of course, Adeline had rejected the idea immediately. She had replied that she was busy even though she really was not as busy as she was pretending to be. Unfortunately for her, Julian had then casually informed her that if she refused to come over, he would simply come to her instead, and that alone had been enough to make her give in.
The last thing she wanted was for Julian Hale to suddenly appear at Carter Global Holdings again and create another scene in front of employees and whoever else happened to be nearby. He already acted dramatic enough lately without encouragement.
So now, after work, she found herself driving toward Julian’s estate with mild annoyance sitting heavily in her chest.
The closer she got to the house, the more she started questioning why she even agreed to come in the first place. Julian had become impossible to predict lately. One minute he was teasing her, the next he was dragging her to beaches at night, and now he was mysteriously summoning her to his house because apparently he had “something” for her.
She sighed quietly while driving through the familiar streets.
Soon enough, she arrived at the massive gates of Julian’s estate. Before she even fully stopped the car, the gates immediately began to open for her. The guards no longer questioned her arrival or called Julian for confirmation anymore. At this point, everyone in the estate already recognized her as the future Mrs. Hale, whether she liked it or not.
That thought still felt strange.
‘The future Mrs. Hale.’
Even now, she still was not fully used to hearing it. She drove into the estate slowly before parking her car in front of the mansion. Very soon, this place would technically become her home too since she would be moving in after the wedding, and that alone had already caused arguments between herself and Julian.
She had suggested that they buy another house together instead because she did not feel comfortable moving fully into a place that belonged completely to him. The idea of entering a marriage while living inside a house owned entirely by her husband made her deeply uncomfortable.
Unfortunately, Julian had ruined her argument almost immediately. He had calmly reminded her that they fully intended to get divorced in the future anyway, so buying a house together would only complicate things unnecessarily when it was time to separate assets later. She had hated how annoyingly logical that response had been.
Letting out a sigh, she grabbed her bag before stepping out of the car. The evening air was cool against her skin as she walked toward the entrance of the house. The moment she stepped inside, she immediately called out loudly.
“Julian!”
Her voice echoed slightly through the mansion. A few seconds later, she heard movement upstairs before Julian finally appeared at the top of the staircase. He looked down at her with clear annoyance already on his face.
“Did you really think I didn’t already know you were here?” he asked while walking down the stairs. “The guards literally informed me the second you drove in, so you didn't need to shout.”
Adeline scoffed immediately. “Good for them,” she replied dryly.
Julian rolled his eyes as he continued descending the stairs while Adeline crossed her arms impatiently.
“So,” she said, “why exactly did you invite me here? Because you better have a good reason. I’m already having a terrible day, and I genuinely do not need you making it worse.”
Julian stared at her for a second before shaking his head slowly like he was already exhausted by her attitude. “You complain too much,” he muttered.
“And you’re irritating,” she shot back instantly.
He finally reached the bottom of the stairs before walking directly toward her. Instead of answering her question, he simply grabbed her by the arm. “Come with me,” he said.
Before she could properly react, he was already dragging her toward the staircase again. “Julian,” Adeline complained while trying to keep up with him. “Where are we going?”
He ignored her completely and continued pulling her upstairs in a hurry. Adeline narrowed her eyes suspiciously as they climbed the stairs together. The moment she realized they were heading toward the direction of his bedroom, she stopped abruptly.
Julian turned back toward her with annoyance when he felt her stop walking. “What now?” he asked.
Adeline stared at him in disbelief. “Are you serious right now?” she asked slowly. “You called me all the way here because you want to have sex?”
Julian blinked at her before looking completely unimpressed. “Please be serious for one second,” he said flatly. “Do you really think that low of me?”
Adeline shrugged carelessly. “You never know,” she replied.
Julian rolled his eyes so hard it almost made her laugh despite her mood. Without another word, he resumed dragging her toward the room. Adeline allowed herself to be pulled along this time, though she still looked deeply suspicious of him.
The moment they entered the bedroom, Julian finally let go of her arm before shutting the door behind them.
Adeline immediately crossed her arms again. “What exactly are you up to?” she asked unenthusiastically. “Because just so you know, I’m not in the mood to be fucked today, so sex is definitely off the table.”
Julian stared at her for a long second like he genuinely could not believe the words coming out of her mouth. “I did not bring you here to have sex with you,” he said slowly.
Adeline looked unconvinced. “Sure.”
That earned another eye roll from him. He walked further into the room while Adeline stayed near the door watching him suspiciously. She noticed him glance briefly toward something inside the room before looking back at her.
Then he spoke again. “I know you’ve been struggling to find something to wear to the wedding,” he said calmly.
Adeline immediately frowned. “And?”
Julian folded his arms loosely before continuing. “So,” he said, “I have a solution.”
Adeline narrowed her eyes instantly. The fact that he sounded calm about it already made her suspicious.
“A solution?” she repeated carefully.
Julian nodded once. “Yes.”
She stared at him for a few seconds before speaking again. “Why do I suddenly feel like I’m about to hate whatever comes out of your mouth next?”
A small smile appeared on Julian’s face, and somehow that only made her more nervous. “Because you’re a pessimist,” he answered casually.
Adeline scoffed loudly. “No, it’s because every time you say you have a ‘solution,’ my life somehow becomes more stressful.”
Julian chuckled lightly at that before shaking his head. Adeline opened her mouth to argue again before stopping herself with visible irritation. Julian watched her carefully for a moment before his expression softened slightly.
“Relax,” he said. “I’m trying to help.”
“That sentence alone is already making me nervous,” Adeline muttered.
Julian ignored the comment completely before walking closer toward her again. “I’m serious,” he said calmly. “I actually think I’ve done something to solve this whole outfit issue.”
Adeline crossed her arms tighter. “And what exactly is this magical solution?”
Julian looked at her for a few seconds before speaking carefully. “I’ll tell you,” he said, “but first you need to promise not to get upset with me.”