Second Marriage The Billionaire's Planned Love (Quinn and Julian) novel Chapter 125

Chapter 125 A Quiet Distance

Julian noticed which dishes Quinn had been eating the most, so he casually turned one of them toward her side of the table.

Only then did he glance at Lucy. “I was worried you wouldn’t get enough to eat.”

Lucy rolled her eyes immediately. “Julian, I’m not a pig.”

Julian gave her a brief look, the kind that clearly suggested she was not that far off.

But when he turned back to Quinn, his tone softened.

“If you like the food here, I can bring you back next time. Just slow down a little. No need to rush.”

Lucy had been hungry, so she had been eating a little fast.

Compared to her, Quinn ate slowly. Her movements were gentle and composed as she chewed.

Yet she was completely focused on the food in front of her. Watching her eat somehow made the meal feel more enjoyable.

The simple way she appreciated the food made people feel strangely content, as if their own appetite improved just by sitting across from her.

Just watching her eat felt pleasant.

Lucy looked up, and what she saw nearly made her choke on her drink.

Her cousin, the same man who used to act like nothing in the world interested him, was looking at Quinn with a quiet smile in his eyes.

Julian was usually distant and cold toward strangers, the kind of man who would barely say a word at the table.

Yet tonight he had been talking far more than usual.

Honestly, Lucy had known Julian for more than twenty years, and she had never seen him smile like that before.

Why does this feel a little creepy?

Her eyes shifted thoughtfully.

“You two keep eating,” Lucy said as she stood up. “I’m going to the restroom.”

There was a private restroom inside the dining room, so she walked in with her phone.

Her plan was simple. She would stay in there for twenty minutes and scroll through videos.

Once Lucy left, only Quinn and Julian remained at the table.

Quinn’s eating slowed down even more.

Chapter 125 A Quiet Distance

“If you like the food here, I can bring you… bring both of you back again next time.”

Now that Lucy was gone, the words clearly felt directed at Quinn.

Quinn quickly set down her fork.

“It is very good,” she said politely. “But places like this probably aren’t somewhere I’ll come again.”

She smiled faintly.

“The food is great, but for me it’s too expensive to make a habit of.”

Julian looked at her quietly, his gaze deep.

There was meaning behind her words. Taking advantage of Lucy’s absence, Quinn continued, “Mr. Sterling, I’m really grateful for the way you’ve helped me these past weeks. I know you’ve only been kind to me because of Lucy, and I truly appreciate that.”

Her voice remained gentle.

“But friendships like this feel a lot like restaurants like this one.”

She paused. “They’re simply not something I can afford.”

Julian understood the message immediately. After tonight, there would be no more contact between them.

She had also emphasized that he only treated her well because of Lucy. Perhaps she had already sensed something.

She kept resisting him, rejecting every attempt he made and doing everything she could to keep him at a distance.

Julian spoke calmly, “Then what about Lucy? Haven’t you been friends with her for years?”

“That’s different,” Quinn replied. “When I met Lucy, I didn’t know anything about her background.”

She lowered her eyes. “If I had known, I probably would have kept my distance from the beginning.”

Julian said quietly, “I don’t think status or background should determine who you’re friends with. Besides, what status do I really have? We’re just people sitting at the same table.”

Quinn smiled politely. “You’re right, Mr. Sterling.”

Her tone was clearly just courtesy.

Julian could almost predict what would happen next. After tonight, she might disappear from his life

completely.

For the first time in years, Julian felt a strange sense of helplessness. She wasn’t divorced yet.

That meant there was nothing he could do.

Suppressing the feelings he had been holding back, he asked quietly, “How is the divorce case going?”

Chapter 125 A Quiet Distance

“We’re waiting for the hearing date,” Quinn replied.

Then she added gently, “You’re very busy, Mr. Sterling. Something this small really isn’t worth your concern.”

Julian picked up his cup and took a sip.

The fingers holding the cup tightened slightly. His knuckles turned pale.

Quinn looked away. She stopped eating entirely, and silence slowly filled the table.

She didn’t know exactly what Julian wanted from her.

But she could feel that he was interested. Maybe he was curious. Maybe he wanted to conquer something

new.

Whatever the reason, Quinn only knew one thing.

She needed to stay far away from it.

* Over the next few days, Quinn neither saw Julian nor heard any news about him.

Time passed quietly. Until the night before New Year’s Eve.

Before this dinner, Lucy had warned her.

Julian had been unhappy about the night they went to the bar, so Lucy suggested saying something nice to smooth things over.

Quinn hadn’t done that.

She didn’t know how to coax people, and she had never planned to start with a man who had nothing to do with her life.

Not only had she failed to make things better, it seemed she had made him even more unhappy.

Lucy walked out of the restroom and immediately sensed that something at the table felt wrong.

In her mind, Julian had always been powerful and unshakable.

If something felt off, her first instinct was that Quinn had been treated badly.

“Quinn, are you okay?” Lucy asked as she sat down beside her, her voice full of concern. “Why did you stop eating?”

“I’m full,” Quinn replied.

Now Lucy was even more certain that Julian must have said something unpleasant.

But sh

xed and pleasant. By the end, the atmosphere had turned awkward.

19:55 Tue, Jun 2

Chapter 125 A Quiet Distance

When the bill arrived, Julian spoke first, “Put it on my account.”

Finished

“No, that’s not necessary,” Quinn said firmly. “Thank you, Mr. Sterling, but I invited everyone tonight. I’ll take care of it.”

take

Her tone was calm but determined.

There was no smile left on her pale face. A wave of irritation rose quietly in Julian’s chest.

His expression darkened, and he said nothing more.

Quinn walked away to pay the bill.

Lucy immediately leaned closer to Julian. “Julian, what happened?”