Three Years Forgotten, Why Go Crazy When I Say Goodbye? novel Chapter 298

"I am absolutely in," Jade agreed. Since she had the whole day off, her schedule was wide open. "We haven't had a proper feast in forever. And afterward, we can swing by the hospital to see your mom. I've been so swamped lately I haven't been able to visit."

"Sounds like a plan. Mom's been completely stable lately. She's still under observation, but don't stress about her—just focus on your new job," Willow reassured her.

Pulling up the address for Crimson Hearth on her phone, they hailed a cab and sped off toward the restaurant.

Julian stood in the shadows near the courthouse, watching the cab until it completely vanished from sight. Only then did he drop his cigarette, grinding it out ruthlessly beneath his heel before walking away.

He hadn't left after their confrontation. Instead, he had lingered in a blind spot, obsessively watching them. Seeing Willow's face completely devoid of anger or sorrow—seeing her totally unaffected by his threats—sent a sickening jolt straight to the pit of his stomach.

Did she truly not care about him anymore? Not even a fraction?

Whether he harassed her, offered hollow olive branches, or declared all-out war in court, absolutely nothing he did seemed to trigger any emotional response from her anymore.

A bitter scoff escaped Julian's lips. He twisted his shoe over the crushed cigarette, the harsh grinding noise echoing his internal rage. The last embers died instantly, much like the final traces of warmth in his eyes, leaving behind nothing but a frigid, predatory resolve.

No matter what it took, he was never, ever letting her go.

He didn't stick around. He got straight into his car and drove back toward the Sinclair Group tower. Approaching the Gilded Bean down the block, his foul mood prompted him to roll the window down for some air. As he glanced over, his eyes locked onto two figures huddled in the corner of the cafe. One was Clarence Vance, the man from Merit Biotech. The other was the mystery woman from the photos.

It was the exact same ultimatum: Clarence demanded she secure him a high-paying job and take full responsibility for ruining his career.

Initially, he had been cautious, terrified that backing her into a corner would cause her to completely cut ties and leave him with nothing. But after observing her obvious panic around Julian, Clarence had lost his fear.

He had easily deduced her fatal weakness—her absolute desperation to maintain her perfect image in Julian's eyes. Since she was petrified of Julian discovering her plagiarism scheme, why shouldn't he exploit that?

Acting on that leverage, Clarence threw his cards on the table. "Seems like you're pretty terrified of Julian finding out about our little arrangement, aren't you? If you know what's good for you, you'll do exactly as I say. Because if I get desperate enough, all it takes is one quick phone call to him to blow up your entire life."