The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 242

Julian wasn't in his usual tailored suit today, opting instead for a light gray casual outfit. He stood on the grass with one hand tucked casually into his pocket, looking up at the girl on the horse with an incredibly soft, indulgent gaze.

The physical distance between them was practically nonexistent. The low hum of their conversation carried a level of intimacy that aggressively locked out the rest of the world.

The scene brutally stung Gideon from afar.

That had always been his spot. For years, whenever Giselle came to ride, he would cancel every single meeting, personally take the reins, and walk carefully beside the horse, paranoid she might take a tumble.

And now, another man had effortlessly claimed his place.

The affectionate way Julian looked at her sent a wave of blinding disgust and hostility through Gideon's veins.

He closed the distance with long, aggressive strides across the soft grass, his face completely shadowed with rage.

As he got closer, snippets of their conversation drifted over on the breeze.

"Giselle."

His low, glacial voice cracked like a whip over the field.

Gideon stopped a few paces away, the singular word shattering the thick, sticky atmosphere between the two of them.

Giselle heard him and whipped her head around.

Seeing Gideon standing there with a face like thunder, her bright smile instantly cracked. A flash of guilt crossed her features, and her hands instinctively tightened on the leather reins.

"Gideon..."

She bit her bottom lip, her voice laced with obvious annoyance at the interruption. "Aren't you usually in meetings right now? What are you doing here?"

He emphasized the word *outsider*, lacing it with a venomous warning as his glare sliced across Julian's face like a scalpel.

Hearing the insult, the smile on Julian's lips didn't vanish—it actually widened.

Instead of backing down from Gideon's warning, he took a deliberately provocative step forward.

His tall frame positioned itself flawlessly between Gideon and Giselle, completely severing Gideon's line of sight to his sister.

"That's a bit cold, Gideon."

Julian kept one hand in his pocket, meeting Gideon's murderous glare with an easy, infuriating smile.

"Giselle was having a bad day. She called me this morning complaining she felt suffocated. I brought her out here to clear her head and get some fresh air. How is that 'messing around'?"