Chapter 282

Chapter 282

In the helicopter, Julie nestled into Kieran’s embrace, keeping quiet the whole time.

Instead of probing for details about what had happened, Kieran was more concerned about her physical state. Julie, finally regaining her composure, shook her head, “I’m okay.”

The helicopter whirred back to Whispering Pines, landing on the grounds of Noblewood Retreat.

Julien was the first one to meet them, her concern evident as she asked, “Are you hurt?”

Julie shook her head, wrapping Julien in a tight embrace. Although surprised by this sudden intimacy, Julien did not push her away.

Unsure of what to say, Julien decided to break the good news, “Fred’s daughter has been saved. Hayden has assigned people to protect her round the clock. Fred has agreed to treat Sansa.”

Joy brimmed in Julie’s eyes as she released Julien from her grip, “Really?”

Seemingly revived by the news, Julien nodded, “Mmhm.”

Amanda, the matriarch of the family, had already heard about Julie’s disappearance over the phone and had been worried sick.

Julie, noticing Amanda’s concern, sweetly called out, “Grandma.”

“You should have had Bolt with you. You always manage to stir up trouble when you’re on your own.” Amanda tried to sound nonchalant, but her concern was evident as she rushed out to greet Julie.

“I made you worry.” Julie lowered her gaze, her innocent demeanor making one’s heart ache.

Amanda dismissed her with a wave, “The cavalry wasn’t called for you.”

Amanda’s aloofness was typical, but everyone knew she cared.

“Are you here to greet Joyce?” Kieran asked Amanda.

Amanda waved at Basil, “Where’s the car I asked for? I need some fresh air.”

Basil was left dumbfounded; when had she asked for a car? He followed the matriarch out, leaving the rest in the room.

Payne looked at Julie, “Sis, if you hadn’t shown up, my brother would have turned the world upside down looking for you.”

‘I’ll give you a ride home.” Julien turned to Payne.

Payne pointed at himself, a mix of surprise and suspicion on his face, “Me? Really?”

“If you don’t want to, then never mind.” Julien turned away, her aloofness back in full force.

Payne, realizing what was happening, quickly followed her.

In the bedroom, Julie freshened up, changed into clean clothes, and settled beside Kieran on the couch. He held a tube of ointment and a towel, ready to tend to her wounds.

Seeing her sit down, he gently lifted her leg onto his lap. Her pale ankle bore the marks of scratches. As he carefully applied the ointment, he asked, “Are there any other injuries?”

Despite his offer to help her bathe and check for injuries, she had insisted on doing it alone. She shook her head, then asked, “Where were you this morning?”

“I went out to buy flowers.” He replied, keeping his focus on her ankle.

Julie pursed her lips, whispering, “For me?”

“Mmm.”

“I almost died today…” She pulled back her foot and moved closer to him.

He pulled her into his arms, realizing she was ready to talk about what happened. He gently held her, asking, “What exactly happened?”

On the way back, Julie had had time to collect her thoughts. When Kieran asked, she told him what happened in the past few days.

“That man, Rowan, wasn’t just an ordinary person. He didn’t tell me his full name, and I didn’t tell him mine. In the end, he left me his gun…” Suddenly, she pushed away from Kieran and ran to the bathroom.

Moments later, she returned, handing Kieran a black cellphone, “And this. He left this for me, said I could use it to call for help. But there was no signal on the island, so all I could do was wait. Rowan was taken away by a man named Kleist, on a speedboat.”

Kieran took the cellphone. It was wiped clean, not a single photo or phone number saved. The call history was also clear, making it seem like a brand new phone.

“Honey,” he put the phone aside.

Julie sat next to him, quietly asked, “What…hmm…”

A passionate kiss from him interrupted her words, a fervor that started as intense and deep before softening into tenderness. His embrace was tight at first, before relaxing into a gentle hold. She felt cherished, like a precious gem in his hands.

He might not have been good with words, but after their lingering kiss, he held her gently and said, “From now on, don’t go looking for me recklessly. I’ll always come back home. Home is wherever you are.”

She stared at him, taken aback by the warmth in his words.

After a moment, she suddenly sat up, pushing him down onto the couch. She lay on top of him, looking down at him as she said, “I don’t want flowers, or surprises. I just want you. To fall asleep with you, to wake up to you. Is that okay?”

Before waiting for his answer, she lowered her head to kiss him, her lips moving over his in a slow, bone-melting kiss as though she desired to blend him into her very bones.

He responded to her passion, his hands gently holding her waist, until she finally pulled away. His thumb gently traced circles on her waist as he whispered, “Get some rest, love.*

Knowing she had had a long, frightful day, he tried to comfort her, but she had other plans.

Her lips trailed down his body, finally resting on his throat.

Kieran felt a tightening in his throat as he rolled over, pinning the petite woman beneath him.

On the drive home with Payne, Julien found herself at a loss for words. The usually talkative Payne was quiet in front of her. After a while, he finally managed to say, ‘Do you have any hobbies?”

‘Can you help me look someone up?” she asked, out of the blue.

Caught off guard, Payne’s heart sank. No wonder her detour had been so out of the way, she had needed his help

With a forced smile, he asked, “Who?”

“Adeline Sanches,” Julien answered.

Payne almost bit his tongue, “Who?”

“Do I need to repeat myself?” she retorted, her gaze was icy and devoid of warmth.

Payne had heard her clearly, but he didn’t understand why she was asking about Adeline.

“Why do you want to know about Adeline?” Payne asked, his expression a mix of confusion and amusement, as if he was wondering if Julien was planning on coming out of the closet.

His expression was one of bewilderment, “Sure, Adeline is pretty, but there are plenty of good men out there. Besides Hayden, there are others…”

“Will you look her up or not?” Julien cut in, her succinct question reflected her aloof personality.

Payne frowned at Julien, “It’s not that I won’t look her up. But, Adeline’s life is an open book. She was an orphan, abandoned in a hospital trash can by her parents shortly after birth. Elliot Sanches’ dad, Walker, and his first wife Kathy, were expecting twins. But Kathy had complications during childbirth and the doctors could only save one child. Walker, who always favored sons, chose to save Elliot. Elliot’s real twin sister died.

Adeline was picked up from a trash can by Walker to fool Kathy. When Kathy passed away and Victoria took her place, she learned that Adeline wasn’t Walker’s biclogical child and started bullying her. Outwardly, Adeline seemed indifferent, but she was actually quite cunning. But why are you interested in her? Are you…”

“What about Adeline’s biological parents?” Julien interrupted Payne.

This was a question that even Payne couldn’t answer. He shrugged, “Even Adeline doesn’t know that! Her parents were heartless, to abandon a newborn like that. Given Adeline’s personality, she won’t be looking for her parents.”

“Okay, thanks.” Julien pulled up outside Payne’s house and motioned for him to get out.

Payne suddenly felt like he was being discarded now that his use had run out.

“Aren’t you going to invite me for dinner or something?”

“I thought I was just driving you home?”

Payne was speechless

Seeing that Payne wasn’t getting out, Julien unbuckled her seatbelt, got out of the car, and opened the passenger door. She even held the door open for him, like a perfect gentleman, to prevent him from bumping his head. Her service… was thorough.

Under her icy and indifferent gaze, Payne reluctantly got out of the car.

Julien got back in and started the engine. Payne followed her, saying, “I’ll treat you to dinner next time!”

In response, the car was driving away.

Hayden had assumed that Julien would return home after finding Julie. But when he called Kieran, he found out that Julien had left Noblewood Retreat more than two hours ago and still hadn’t returned home.

Considering the distance from Payne’s house to Julien’s, the drive should have taken no more than forty minutes…