Page 23 of Julian's Curse

Lucie?

It was never good when he sent a message with my name and a question mark. Had he fallen back into his melancholy again? Julian could be one of the most sensitive people I knew. Not a character trait that the general public associated with becoming a billionaire. But it was the character trait of my best friend for sure. We both had our share of family issues to process—his family was nonexistent, mine problematic.

Julian?I raised my eyebrow subconsciously.Is everything alright?

Yes, I love you endlessly, he typed suddenly.

It never felt like a mere formality to me; I cherished his words every time he said them. Still, my intuition told me that there was more to this. He wanted to say something but he wasn’t ready to say it yet.

I feel the same way. Get home soon, or I’ll blow a fuse. My body gets so hot without you, and only you can put out the fire. I replied with a playful tone, then sent him an emoji of a kiss and an eggplant.

I am instructing my team to fuel the jet now.

Oh no, don’t miss your grand opening. I laughed.The entire city of Dubai will weep.

Meet you halfway in Paris then. Julian daydreamed.Maybe I can even make it back on time if we’re quick. Usually, we are. He teased.

If only I could take off and just go to Paris for a few days… I’d get one of those chocolate croissants at my favorite bakery in Montparnasse, then wonder mindlessly through the city, hand in hand with him, peeking into libraries, and admiring the art sold on the street.

Love, just have a good time, okay?I turned the conversation back to serious.And call me after it’s over. I can’t wait to hear how everything goes.

Will do, baby. Have a good day at work! XOXO, Julian ended the conversation.

Starting my morning by talking to him put me already in a great mood. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, I received a screenshot from Valentina.

James disclosed to a reporter the identity of the mystery girl: her name is Andrea.

I gasped. Had James really resorted to that? After everything he’d told me about their relationship? The truth was, he probably hadn’t dated many people, given that our relationship had spanned nearly all of college. It left him with few options. She was a logical choice.

It’s a lie?Val followed up.You are still the girl he is writing his songs about, aren’t you?

I sent her back a smiley face. All I cared about was that the situation got diffused.

She didn’t seem to share my sense of relief.Damn, Lucie, he has to be into you to create such a PR disaster. Andrea’s posted a flashback picture of them on Instagram, and now everyone’s speculating about a potential reunion. I almost feel sorry for him, and I never thought I’d say that.

I am just glad that Julian’s name will stay out of it. Especially now, because he has the opening today and I don’t want gossip to overshadow it in headlines.

Julian could handle the truth, she remarked. I still felt that keeping him out of this was the best for his mental state. James was the one who had created this problem in the first place. How he’d chosen to end things with the mystery girl wasn’t my fault.

You know I’m on your side, but if a guy throws himself under the bus like this, he’s not over you. Not at all. And he wants you to know that, she sent a new text.

Yeah… I realize that, Val. A sudden tightness formed in my stomach. But it was time to start work, and I couldn’t let myselflose focus. Amanda had once again sent an announcement that she was traveling for personal matters. She’d left me with Kali to help, but it would still be a lot to manage. Let’s just hope it ends here. I wrapped up our girly conversation.

I gave myself one last moment to breathe, then pushed any lingering thoughts aside. It wasn’t the time to dwell on unresolved feelings or complications with James. The day ahead demanded my attention, and there was no room for distractions.

Despite everything happening with James,walking intoApogeealways brought a sense of genuine joy. It was where I spent most of my days, sitting in front of my computer, my desk now adorned with photos of Julian and me.

“Hey,” Kali welcomed me. She wore a pretty green dress, her hair styled in braids. I noticed she’d put pictures of what seemed to be her kids next to her computer.

I greeted her, then slid into my chair, throwing my purse on the seat divider between us.

“Amanda left you some documents to review,” she briefed me. “All she said is that it’s related to her publishing business.”

Curious, I glanced at the thick folder in front of me forHart & Quill.

“What can I do to help today, Lucie?” She followed up with a question.

I wasn’t great at giving orders. Being a control freak, I preferred to handle most tasks myself. But at this point, delegating was prudent. A necessity.

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