He Gave Me Hearing, Then Taught Me What Silence Really Means novel Chapter 24

When it came to being a playboy, Julian Sterling was unmatched. If he was second, no one dared claim first. Over the years, his scandalous affairs had been endless, each one more outrageous than the last. Because he had an older brother, the Sterling family's empire was never going to fall into his hands. But the family dynamics were relatively healthy, and as long as his brother was in charge, Julian could comfortably slack off for the rest of his life.

Knowing his upcoming marriage was a massive bombshell, Julian sighed and downed his drink. "My mom favors my brother, but she's terrified I'm going to ruin the family reputation. She wants to find a woman to keep me on a tight leash. But she didn't want some high-society heiress, terrified that a powerful marriage might tempt me to fight my brother for control. So, she found some corporate drone who works at our company to marry me. A total tomboy. I couldn't exactly fight it. It's not like getting married is going to stop me from playing around anyway."

The marriage was essentially meaningless to him, just a temporary submission to his mother's iron will.

He stared mockingly at his empty glass. "Besides, with my garbage reputation, any woman eager to marry me can't exactly be a saint. God knows what kind of payoff my mom offered her."

Nelson frowned in disgust. "At least you're self-aware about your garbage reputation. I'm sure she's marrying you holding her nose."

"Fuck you! You wanna throw hands, Nelson? Fine. Who was the one who came back from the middle of nowhere acting completely lovesick, swearing he met his soulmate and waiting for her to grow up? Turns out she never gave a damn about you. Planning a grand introduction—it was a joke! You even tutored her. I've gotta say, you raised someone else's wife beautifully. Let's drink to that!"

Crash!

Nelson violently kicked the heavy coffee table, sending it flipping over.

Miles reflexively stabilized his own drink, avoiding the catastrophe.

Julian rubbed his nose. "Struck a nerve? Since when are you such a sore loser?"

Nelson's face was terrifyingly dark, but his eyes were unnervingly calm. "Just a knee-jerk reflex."

Julian's expression practically screamed: Do you think I'm an idiot?

Nelson simply deadpanned, "I'm going out for a smoke."

This corner was deeply shadowed, and he stood perfectly still, melting into the darkness.

Two men strolled out from the lit hallway, chatting with arrogant ease.

"I'm telling you, this chick is top-tier. Juniper something... Juniper Lane? She looks ridiculously innocent. One look at her photo and I was practically sweating. Probably doesn't even have a boyfriend yet. So, I'm passing on your party tonight. I'm bored of the usual club girls anyway. I like them pure."

"How pure can she be? Bullshit. Let me see the picture."

"Heh, pictures don't do it justice. Once I drug her tonight, no matter how pure she is, she'll be begging for it. That kind of contrast is what makes it fun."

Nelson held his cigarette between his fingers, his eyes locking onto the man speaking. It was Corbin Xavier from the Xavier family.