Julian didn’t spare it a single glance. He ignored it like it wasn’t even there.
Helene stepped outside, her nerves buzzing, but anger burned hotter than fear. She wanted payback, no matter the cost. This was their fault. They’d pushed her to this point.
Julian finished work much later than planned. By the time he looked at the clock, it was past nine. Madeline had messaged him about thirty minutes earlier, saying it’d take her a little over an hour to get there. He called her, letting the phone ring seven, eight times before she finally answered.
Her voice, as always, was cool and a little distant. “Hello.”
“Are you still at work? I can come pick you up.”
“No need. I drove myself today. Otherwise, I’d have to leave my car at the office, and that’s just a pain tomorrow,” Madeline said, cutting him off before he could argue. “I’m almost done here. If you come, I’ll just end up waiting for you anyway. So, really, don’t bother.”
She made it clear there was no room for discussion.
Julian just smiled, one eyebrow raised. He closed the file in front of him, stood, and headed for the door. “Alright. Drive safe.”
“Yeah.”
She hung up right away.
Julian stared at his phone for a moment, amusement flickering in his dark eyes, then headed to his room and into the bathroom.
Downstairs, Helene was still lingering. When she heard the faint sound of a door closing upstairs, she took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and made her way up. After a quick glance to make sure no one was paying attention, she slipped into Julian’s bedroom as quietly as she could.
She didn’t know Christian had seen everything. A lifetime of experience made him sharp, and he could read Helene’s intentions in a second.
George, nearby, frowned. “Sir, should I have someone escort Ms. Fortner out?”
Helene just couldn’t sit still. Even after all the trouble she’d caused, she was still trying to mess with Julian. She really didn’t know when to quit.
“It’s alright,” Christian said, lifting a hand to stop him. “Madeline’s on her way, isn’t she?”
“It’s Mr. Grayson’s treatment day. Ms. Monroe should be here soon,” George replied.
Christian narrowed his eyes. “Let Helene be. It’s just petty drama. She can’t stir up anything serious.”
He had given up on pushing Julian to marry Helene. The truth was, Helene’s behavior had made it obvious she wasn’t fit to be mistress of the Grayson family. She was too petty, too small-minded. Like with the incident over the banquet hall—it was nothing, but she’d made a huge deal of it just to spite Madeline. Foolish, really, and embarrassing for the whole family.
Still, Christian didn’t care if Julian kept another woman around. A man in Julian’s position had plenty—money, power, women. One more didn’t matter. In fact, he preferred Julian to have options, as long as he didn’t get too attached.
If Helene’s presence kept Julian and Madeline at a distance, all the better. Christian was fine with Helene staying, so he let her in and didn’t stop her.
When Madeline finally arrived, a servant was waiting at the door for her.
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