Page 28 of Julian's Curse

“A deal?”

“His son will be taken care off, financially, as well as otherwise.”

I didn’t really care to ask thatotherwiseentailed. Was that how Julian managed to finally make it go away?

“And even if I told you that he was still a threat, would you walk away from your marriage?” She glanced at me. “After all, we cannot read the minds of criminals. We can only come close to it, which was my job here.”

It didn’t surprise me she knew that we were engaged.

“No, I’ll never walk away from Julian,” I affirmed.

“Have his team worry about it then. He’s doing everything possible to keep you safe. Also, because of who he is, he’ll always attract a certain amount of danger to himself. And you know that. You’ve accepted that.”

“Yeah,” my voice wavered. Maybe I needed to become more mindful of my surroundings and learn how to protect myself, too. It had been many years since I went to karate classes and resuming could potentially be a valuable step.

It didn’t feel right to keep this chapter open any longer. My main purpose for visiting Evy was to say thank you anyway. So, for the rest of our conversation, we kept things light as she shared that she was expecting her first baby—and most likely her only one, given her age. She planned to retire from fieldwork and start a mentoring program focused on body language once her maternity leave was over.

As I walked out that evening, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d gained a solid lifelong friend. It eased the sting of knowing she wouldn’t be continuing with the case. Honestly, it made sense; there wasn’t much left to worry about now. We were all moving on.

“Lucie, I’d still love to hear how you and Julian are doing,” she let me know, walking me to the door. “Stay in touch.”

“I will,” I promised, suddenly realizing that with her pregnancy, it was probably best for her to keep some distancefrom me. Hanging out in public wasn’t going to be an option anytime soon. “I’ll write updates.”

“And congrats on the engagement. I hope to see a wedding invitation.” She winked, now fearless.

If anyone deserved to be there on our special day, it was her. “You’ll be the first to receive it,” I promised.

Then, Will opened the door for me, and soon enough, we were headed back to our empty three-story apartment. Without Julian around, it felt lonely, almost too much space for just me. Only a few more days, I reminded myself.

I decided to make the most of the solitude, so I spent the rest of the evening brainstorming ways to turn my ideas into real income—around 13 million, to be exact.

“You could publish a book,Tell It All,” Sophie suggested during a catch-up phone conversation.

“At 25?” Even though some artists have achieved enough milestones to make that work, I certainly wasn’t one of them. “I am just a generic corporate girl, remember?”

“Absolutely not. You’re the modern Cinderella,” she objected, her voice rising with excitement. “Babe, there’s probably a whole readership of girls out there who would love to know how you managed to lock down a serial billionaire playboy like Julian.”

“I’ve never been a fan of the trope where the poor girl marries the prince,” I sulked. Besides, my life definitely didn’t feel like Cinderella. It felt like the combination ofFast and Furious(due to Julian’s driving style) andHitman(thanks to Tarnakis).Maybe also a bit likeFifty Shades of Grey,without the kinkiness.Except for the one time we’d gotten a purple feathered whip as we cruised around a sex shop for fun…

“A biography like that would be a hit. Everyone would want to know who Julian’s future wife is. You’ll make your dream money, guaranteed.” Her ideas flowed.

I rolled my eyes, though she couldn’t see me over the phone. “It’s a hard no.” It still involved monetizing my relationship with Julian. I could have as well ask him for the funds directly.

“What are your other ideas then?” She let out a frustrated sigh.

Sitting on the third floor in what was mostly my office, I had Amanda’s folder in front of me. In her letter, she’d asked me to examine the numbers from her publishing business and reverse them. I glanced at it for the millionth time.

“I got a preliminary plan, but first have to research it before it turns into reality,” I volunteered.

I heard a giggle, then a male voice. She was most definitely making out with Mark during our conversation. I didn’t mind she was so distracted. Seeing Sophie in love soothed my soul.

“Why don’t we meet this weekend, and talk about it?” I proposed, now giving her a way out so she could focus on him.

“Yeah,” she rejoiced. “Let’s do a proper girl’s night out. Just me and you.” It sounded almost like a moan.

We ended the call quickly, and after laughing it off, the silence of the apartment closed in around me once more. I sank into my thoughts, pondering whether this was truly the right move. I didn’t have much time to decide, though—the IPO was coming up too fast to hesitate.

So, I made up my mind to send Amanda a bold email, one that would definitely make her think. I was certain that my offer would benefit her, and I trusted that she’d seriously consider it.

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