Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Louis wiggled closer. “Daddy, can I have some?”
Patrick didn’t move.
Juliette grabbed a cookie and brought it to his mouth, and Louis it up like it was the best treat ever, a huge grin spreading
across his small face.
“Cookies are ready, but I have to head out. I’ll see you next time Juliette.said.
Louis‘ smile immediately faded as he clutched Juliette’s arm, looking up at Patrick like he was pleading for her to stay.
But Patrick turned to Juliette and said. “I’ll give you a ride.”
He gently pried Louis off Juliette, set him on the couch, and sat down with a serious look. “If you make a scene, Mommy might not come back. Just like you need to go to kindergarten, Mommy has her own things to do.”
Louis‘ lips formed a pout at that. But even though he was still bummed to see Juliette leaving, he tried to force a smile.
Juliette couldn’t help but chuckle at his reluctant expression that read, “Mommy, please don’t be mad at me.”
She pinched his cheeks playfully. “How about I give you my number? You can call me if you need anything, and I’ll definitely come over.”
Louis‘ eyes lit up, and his forced smile turned genuine as he eagerly exchanged numbers with her. He clutched his phone like it was the best thing ever, ready for his first call.
Patrick walked Juliette to the door.
“It’s not safe for Louis to be home alone. You stay here and keep an eye on him while I grab a cab around the neighborhood, Juliette said, noting that her car was still in the Golden Breeze parking lot after Patrick had driven her over last night.
She needed to pick it up and drop off the hair sample at the hospital–no more waiting around. She was dying to find out her connection to Louis.
“Henry’s coming over. He should be here in three minutes. Are you going to Golden Breeze? I can drop you off,” Patrick offered, opening the car door and gesturing for her to get in while shielding her head.
Juliette climbed in with a smile as he slid into the driver’s seat. “Look at you, Mr. Clarke, being all considerate. You’re going to make me misunderstand our friendship,” she joked, raising an eyebrow with a playful grin.
Patrick’s grip on the steering wheel was tense, his knuckles pale,
“Misunderstand what exactly? Are you afraid that I want you to be my wife? My son adores you. And like I said last night, if you are on board, on the day of your wedding to Finn, I might just crash the party,” he said.
Patrick suddenly looked at her, his gaze intense. “I get that marrying an actor doesn’t have the same appeal as marrying into money. So, maybe you won’t give it a chance?”
Before Juliette could respond, her phone rang. She glanced at Patrick for a moment before answering. It was Daphne.
Juliette, where are you? Your brother called me, asking if you were at my place, and he mentioned you never came home last night. You didn’t go to Patrick’s, did you?” Daphne asked on the phone.
Chapter 15
Juliette didn’t hold back. “Uh–huh. But I’m safe and got a good night’s sleep.”
As she said this, she noticed the car suddenly sped up before slowing down again, and she shot Patrick another look. That was quite a reaction.
“Aren’t you worried Patrick’s just a pervert? I mean, you’re a girl in his house, and there’s a pretty big power imbalance here.” Daphne said, still concerned.
“Am I not chatting with you all safe and sound right now? That shows Ms. Clarke isn’t just a pretty face but a true gentleman.
Remembering that kiss from the other night, Patrick tightened his grip on the wheel and kept his lips pressed together.
“You do have a point. Speaking of which, there’s a sandalwood auction this evening. Want to tag along? You love learning about perfumes, and real sandalwood is super rare. I’ll go with you, and I’ll buy it a
a wedding gift for you. What do you
say?
The essence of sandalwood comes from the heart of the trees that are at least 60 years old. It’s been in use for centuries and is now endangered because of strict export controls.
Due to its rarity, people often use substitutes for sandalwood. Genuine stuff is incredibly valuable and hard to find. The best sandalwood has to be auctioned off.
Before she was thrown back in time, Finn auctioned the sandalwood at tonight’s auction. But in the end, it was given to
Bianca
In the Vaughn family, Bianca had a nose for scents, so the sandalwood Finn bought for Juliette was given to Bianca. They even asked for it to be handed over in front of Finn.
Finn said, “Juliette, sandalwood doesn’t seem all that useful to you right now, so why not give it to Bianca? I’ll make sure to get you something even better next time, Whatever you want, okay?”
All Juliette really wanted was that nice piece of sandalwood
Sensitive to scents, she could identify key ingredients in different perfumes and knew exactly how to mix them to perfection. The perfume she made outshone Bianca’s in both reputation and sales.
Nobody knew she was behind those perfumes, and she was too wary to let anyone find out, fearing it would cut her off from what she liked.
That night, wanting to impress her family and win Finn’s approval, she handed over the sandalwood to Bianca, the one she coveted the most.
The thought made her chuckle, albeit with a cold, unsettling edge. Patrick noticed her reaction.
“Let’s go together tonight. I’ll meet you in front of the auction hal at six, Juliette said.
She was determined to get her hands on that top–quality sandalwood this time and wasn’t about to let it slip away again
“Alright, see you tonight, Juliette, Daphne replied cheerfully as she hung up.
The car rolled up to Golden Breeze, where the parking lot was suprisingly quiet Patrick didn’t mind getting out to open door for Juliette since they were less likely to be spotted.
Just as she was about to step out, she noticed Patrick had blocked the door. “Excuse me?” Juliette asked, curious,
the
Wed, Jan
Chapter 15
“Heading out for the night?” Patrick replied, his tone hinting at semething Juliette couldn’t quite grasp.
“Just meeting a friend for the auction to see if there’s anything good,” she explained.
Patrick hesitated for a moment, his gaze fixed on her. “Do you still want to stay at my place tonight?”
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“Wait, what?‘ Juliette was slightly shocked. That sounded almost flirtatious, like they were picking up where they left off the night before.
“You said I was a true gentleman,” Patrick said.
Based on what he’d just heard from her conversation with Daphne, he figured Juliette had no clue about her “sleepwalking” tendencies or how risky her actions could be.
He couldn’t imagine what could happen to her if she lived somewhere else. Her family didn’t seem like they’d have her back.
And then there was Finn. Patrick’s grip on the car door tightened “I won’t push you unless you want me to,” he said.
Juliette responded firmly, “I’m engaged to Finn, and I want our wedding to go ahead as planned. If I stay at your place, he might want to call off the wedding
And she was determined not to let that happen.
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