Chapter 213 Julian’s Apology

Chapter 213 Julian’s Apology
~Julian’s POV~

I stood outside the penthouse door for almost five minutes before I knocked. My hands were shaking. I had practiced what I wanted to say a hundred times in the car, but now that I was here, I felt lost. The last time I was in this building, things were already falling apart. After the video and everything that happened, I wasn’t even sure why I was here. But I had to try.

The door opened. It was one of the staff members. She looked surprised to see me. “Mr. Julian,” she said carefully. “I’ll let them know you’re here.” I nodded and stepped inside. The familiar smell of the penthouse hit me. Clean, expensive, and cold. I used to feel at home here, but now it felt like I was walking into a battlefield.

A few minutes later, Lora appeared at the top of the stairs. She wore a simple black dress, her hair pulled back. When she saw me, her face didn’t change. She just stared at me like I was a stranger. Chard came out of the living room behind her. His eyes were cold. That was enough of a read.

I swallowed hard. “I need to talk to both of you,” I said. Lora didn’t move for a moment. Then she walked down the stairs slowly. Chard stayed where he was, watching me. When Lora reached the bottom, she crossed her arms. “What do you want, Julian?” she asked, her voice icy.

I looked at both of them, my throat tight. “I came to apologize,” I said. “For everything.” Before they could respond, I dropped to my knees right there on the marble floor. Lora’s eyes widened. Chard didn’t move.

“I’m sorry,” I said, looking up at them. “For everything. For lying. For keeping secrets. For buying the shares behind your back. For knowing about Chris and saying nothing. For all of it.” The room was silent. Lora stared at me for a long moment, then walked closer. She raised her hand and slapped me hard across the face. The sound echoed in the living room. My head snapped to the side, and the sting spread across my cheek.

I didn’t move. I stayed on my knees.

“You sat at our table.” She stopped. Pressed her lips together. “You smiled at our children, Julian.” Her voice cracked on the last word but she kept going. “And the whole time…”

She turned away. Came back. Like she couldn’t stay still with this much anger in her body.

“You knew someone attacked me. You knew. And you said nothing.”

She took another step closer, her eyes burning. “Chard deserves a better brother. Not someone who pretends to care while stabbing him in the back. Not someone who claims to love me while helping the people who wanted to destroy me.”

I looked at the floor. There was nothing left to say.

Lora’s voice cracked slightly but she didn’t stop. “Do you have any idea what it felt like?” she asked. “Finding out that someone I trusted knew who tried to hurt me and did nothing? Do you know how it feels to look at someone you once called family and realize they were never really on your side?”

I looked up at her, my cheek still burning from the slap.

Lora let out a short, bitter laugh. “Sorry doesn’t fix this, Julian. Sorry doesn’t erase the fact that you chose power over your own brother. Sorry doesn’t change the fact that you watched me suffer and stayed silent.”

Chard walked down slowly. He didn’t look at me when he reached the bottom. He just put his hand on Lora’s back. Quiet. Steady. Like he was reminding her he was there without saying a word to me at all.

Then he looked up.

“You heard her,” he said quietly.

I stayed on my knees for a moment, then slowly stood up. My knees ached from the marble floor. Lora turned her back to me. “Get out,” she said. I looked at Chard one last time. He didn’t say anything else. He just stood beside Lora, his hand resting on her back. I nodded once. Then I turned and walked toward the door. No one stopped me.

As I stepped outside and the cold night air hit my face, I didn’t feel anything dramatic. Just empty. The door clicked shut behind me. No one stopped me.