Chapter 19
Julian was an impatient man.
Zara shot him a glare, feigning irritation. “Go back to the room.”
He blinked, clearly taken aback by her sudden attitude. But, after a long exhale, he let out at helpless sigh.
Taking her hand, Julian muttered, “Alright, alright. I’ll listen to you. Let’s go.”
The guy was just too good to her. So good, in fact, that she could throw a tantrum, and he’d still bend over backward for her.
Once they were in the room, Julian, about to pull her into a kiss, heard her voice, cutting through the moment. “Go take a shower. You stink.”
Julian froze, staring at her in disbelief. ‘Where did that sweet, cute side of hers go?”
He just stood there, dumbfounded, before mumbling under his breath, “…Really?”
But, like a whipped puppy, he did as she asked. He took a quick shower and was drying his hair when he came out to find her sitting on the edge of the bed, totally absorbed in her phone.
The soft glow from the lamp lit her up, giving her an almost ethereal quality, making her look like she was glowing.
“Julian,” she said without looking up, her fingers still scrolling. “In a couple of days, I want to go on a trip. Get ready.”
Julian stretched out on the bed, propping himself up on one elbow, and gave a low hum of acknowledgment. “Hmm. Where to?”
“Willow Town,” she said with a grin. “I’ve been wanting to go for a while.”
Julian smiled. “Okay. If you want to go, we’ll go.”
She beamed, her face lighting up even more as she tilted her head and met his eyes.
Her smile was radiant, and her eyes crinkled with the sheer happiness in the moment. “When we come back… let’s get married, okay?”
His voice hitched slightly, rising in pitch as he processed her words. “You want to get married? I thought you were gonna make me wait a few more days?”
Zara rolled her eyes and turned her face away, her voice laced with feigned annoyance. “Who’s making you wait?”
“No one,” Julian mumbled, “I’m going to sleep.”
With a grin, he pulled her into his arms, both of them lying back as the moonlight poured through the window, casting a soft glow on them.
Julian looked out into the night, feeling a sense of calm settle in. It was as if the world had slowed down, waiting for something more. Waiting for the clouds to part and the moon to shine through.
But just as they were about to settle in for the night, an unexpected bombshell exploded
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online.
And the person at the center of the storm was none other than Zara,
She was in that half–awake, half–asleep state when Julian suddenly jolted awake.
Zara, blinking groggily, wrapped her arms around his neck, her voice thick with sleep. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you sleeping?”
The coldness in Julian’s body was palpable, like a wave of tension crashing over him.
He didn’t say it, but his fear was clear–he was afraid Zara might run again.
“I’ll take a look,” he said, his voice low and tense.
Zara, still drowsy, noticed his sudden shift in energy. When she kissed him, he didn’t respond.
“That was unusual.’
Julian’s brow furrowed in frustration as he scanned the phone in his hand.
Zara, still in a fog, glanced at her phone, only to see her name flashing on the trending list.
The headline hit her like a punch to the gut:
#Julian Hayes, Heir to Multibillionaire Hayes Industries, Girlfriend Terminated Seven Pregnancies Over Seven Years
#Zara Sullivan: The Ultimate Simp
#The Rich Hayes Heir’s Girlfriend Who Blew His Fortune
She couldn’t stop herself from clicking on the link, and as the words loaded on her screen, they felt like blades cutting into her skin. Each headline was more vicious than the last.
Her face drained of color as she scrolled through the onslaught of cruel comments.
Her heart pounded. She couldn’t breathe. ‘This… this is too much.”
“Zara, don’t let it get to you. The rumors can’t hurt you,” Julian said softly, his voice full of concern. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, his voice low and soothing. “With me here, you’ll be okay. You can sleep. I got you.”
But despite his reassurance, Zara couldn’t calm her mind. The storm of gossip and hate swirling around her kept her awake the rest of the night, thoughts racing.
By morning, the tension hadn’t let up.
Zara saw Julian coming
Out of his study, his face as grim as it had been the night before. Despite all the efforts of the company’s PR team to clean up the mess, whispers still circulated in the air. The damage had been done, and Julian could feel it–Zara was being dragged through the mud.
He didn’t want anyone talking about her like that. Not on his watch.
Zara walked up to him, her hand reaching for his. She gave it a gentle squeeze, meeting his eyes. “Don’t be mad. Just tell your family to hold a press conference.”
Julian turned to face her, his jaw tight, but Zara pressed on, her voice steady and calm. “If
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they want to come after me like this, I’m not afraid to fight back. And hey, we can use that press conference to announce our engagement. Two birds, one stone, right?” Julian nodded, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He knew she was right.
And the public?
They didn’t care about hollow apologies. They wanted something real. Something.
concrete.
And this… this press conference would do the trick.
Zara was right about another thing. Wealthy women might look down on her, but none of that mattered.
The person who was with Zara was him. And that was all that counted.
When the press conference finally rolled around, the skies had cleared. The sun was bright,
and Zara stood at the podium, wearing a sharp, formal white suit. She looked every bi
