Page 31 of Julian's Curse

“Yes, Lucie?” His deep voice was as comforting as it always had been.

“I don’t want to lose our friendship over this,” I said firmly. “You’ve been there for me through my hardest times, and I don’t want to let this get in the way of everything we’ve shared.”

There was a pause on the other end, and I could almost hear him processing my words, the weight of the situation settling in. Finally, his voice softened, carrying a hint of reassurance. “I had no intention of that anyway.”

Ispent the following day dodging overzealous reporters while trying to be a highly functioning wreck. Without a shadow of a doubt, Julian had been ignoring my attempts to explain everything. And it hurt. Because two people who loved each other and had trust did not need to go through such an estrangement in the first place. But I also understood that he needed time to process it all. He shut down on me, withdrawing into himself as he often did when confronted with vulnerability. I knew, deep down, that a large part of his reaction was rooted in insecurity, and Bradley, despite being just a friend to me, was an unspoken threat in his mind. It wasn’t just about trust—it was about fear. Fear of losing me to someone who had undoubtedly shared a deep history with me.

So, I chose to wait until I could talk to him in person. I worked around the clock, instead of fixating on the scandal.After all, I didn’t have time to procrastinate if I was truly committed to revamping Amanda’s publishing business.

To my relief, Kali was handling her tasks remarkably well. She surprised me by asking for more work, even though I thought she already had more than enough on her plate as a new hire.

“You’re doing an incredible job! I’ll definitely pass that on to Amanda,” I remarked about her progress with the offline access. But it was still difficult to look cheerful, as I had made headlines in even more tabloids. I’d developed a hard shell, but even with my newfound strength, I still felt really low.

The chatter of people in the office became unmistakably about me, and Kali began to show concern. “Glad to hear, Lucie. By the way, I saw the news online, and even though it’s none of my business, I do hope you are hanging in there.” For the first time, she acknowledged my personal life from a friend’s perspective.

I leaned into my chair, the aroma of my third coffee lingering in the air, and sighed. “Yeah, a friendly dinner turned into hurtful gossip. Bradley and I are close, but not in that way.” I sulked.

The whispering of people outside faded as I focused on my thoughts, feeling the weight of the rumors pressing down but determined not to let them define me. “It’s best to ignore it. If they don’t write this, they’ll write something else.”

“Well, if you ever feel like you need to talk, Amanda had me sign documents, so I’m officially a great person to confide in,” she remarked with a playful grin.

“Is that so?” I hummed with quiet amusement.

“And for many more reasons, considering I’ve taken some serious hits in life more than once.” She flashed a wry smile, her eyes sparkling with that familiar mischief, turning a tough situation into something a little lighter. “I have never dated abillionaire, but all men seem to follow relatable patterns.” She winced.

I liked how down-to-earth she was. However, she’d have to truly meet Julian to know that he was short of predictable. “You know, she mentioned that you had a tough time before coming toApogee. I didn’t want to pry, but I feel the same way. You always have a friend in me.”

She let out a sharp breath. “It’s not a secret. They let me go from my last job after I had my son. My maternity leave morphed into unemployment. After almost 10 years at my company.”

“Isn’t that pretty much illegal?” I frowned.

She shook her head. “Not really, they said it was because of restructuring. Then they gave my work to a new colleague. But, who would want to take legal action against a former employer, right? At that point, you’re basically bound to never find a job again.”

She had a valid point. Still, the image of her alone with a newborn tugged at my heart. She didn’t have a ring, so I was almost certain she was a single mom. “That’s rough, did you have any support?”

“Not really, I got through it mostly on my own.” She admitted. “My son’s father walked away the moment he discovered I was pregnant. Unfortunately, I have myself to blame for choosing him in the first place.”

“That’s harsh, Kali, I am sorry. We all fall in love picturing the best outcome.”

“I didn’t exactly have the best taste in men, Lucie. It always started out as strong relationships, but it ended with broken promises. I found myself in a tough spot, suddenly unable to pay the rent. I mean, taking a newborn to a homeless shelter just didn’t seem acceptable, you know?” Her eyes glistened, the weight of those memories still heavy on her shoulders.

“Do you have close friends or family?”

“A sister. She lives in Atlanta. Let’s just say she wasn’t available to help. Her husband has never liked me.” Her voice cracked, a hint of vulnerability breaking through the facade she usually maintained. “I started looking into government housing options when my savings ran out. It got so scary.”

“Amanda stepped in, didn’t she?”

She nodded vigorously. “I wrote her an email out of desperation since we used to be great friends. We’d lost touch for almost a decade, though.”

I knew the rest of the story. Amanda offered her a job. But it wasn’t just a charitable move on her end. Kali was incredible at what she did.

“I am glad you are here now. Honestly, you’ve been of great help in a short amount of time. I think your prior employer made a huge mistake, but it’s to our benefit.” I winked, my mood now much better after chatting with a friend.

She smiled brightly. “That’s exactly my intention, Lucie. I know you have a lot on your plate, so I’m here to make things easier for you. As for the app, I’m ready to take on anything you hand over.”

This cheered me up because I’d been drowning in tasks, and also bogged down by Julian’s silence. “Great, if you really don’t mind…”

“I don’t.” She reiterated.

---