Broken Vows and Buried Twins novel Chapter 77

Guests mingled around them, their laughter blending with the background music.

The massive chandelier overhead cast fractured light down onto Julian's sharp, impossibly cold features. His eyes were like bottomless pools.

He completely ignored Chiara's question. Instead, a slow, cynical smirk touched the corner of his mouth. "So there is someone in the Carrington family who actually cares about her."

Chiara was stunned by the deflection.

"Mr. Weston! It's an absolute honor. I'm from Keystone Holdings..."

Another eager businessman descended on Julian, glass raised in a toast. Within seconds, a swarm of executives had completely encircled him.

Chiara took a step back, quietly observing as Julian navigated the sharks with terrifying, effortless grace.

Most of these men would never get the chance to speak to him on a normal day; this birthday gala was a rare golden ticket.

Chiara watched as he held court. Tall, striking, and dressed in an immaculate dark suit, he radiated a kind of effortless, lethal dominance that made everyone else in the room look small.

He was no longer the discarded, exiled son of the Weston family. Julian was now the undisputed king of Northwood City. He wore his power like a second skin, and his deep, assessing gaze gave absolutely nothing away.

Looking at him, Chiara couldn't help but picture Hester upstairs—curled in on herself, crying silently. She genuinely couldn't understand it. They had clawed their way out of hell together. They had survived when the world wanted them dead. How had they ended up in this broken, toxic nightmare?

Perhaps the old saying was true: Falling in love is easy; staying in love is war.

...

By nine o'clock, the party was finally winding down.

Hester waited until the driveway was mostly clear before making her way downstairs.

The first floor was a flurry of activity as the household staff rushed to clean up. In the grand living room, only the Carringtons and Julian remained. Everyone was seated around the massive marble coffee table.

Charles personally poured the coffee, handing the very first cup to Julian.

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