Closer

Chapter Nine

Eleanor's POV

I quickly turned my face toward the window, hoping Julian wouldn't notice the tears gathering in my eyes. It was ridiculous.

I wouldn't want him to see me in my vulnerable state. I wiped beneath my eye before the tear could fall.

"Are you crying?"

I immediately shook my head. "No."

Julian glanced at me briefly before returning his attention to the road. He didn't say anything, but I could feel his eyes on me again a few seconds later.

"I'm fine," I muttered, even though my voice betrayed me. It was quite shaky and a little bit coarse.

He didn't argue further, and I was glad he had respected my decision.

Instead, he continued driving until he eventually pulled into a small parking lot. I looked outside the window, confused when I saw the ice cream shop.

"Why are we here?"

Julian parked the car and turned off the engine. "Come on."

I looked at him suspiciously. "For what?"

"You'll find out."

He got out of the car before I could ask anything else. I sighed and followed him inside. I remember this shop, sometimes we will branch there with Dad when we were still at high school and then get ice cream together.

The little shop was warm and inviting, with soft music playing in the background and the sweet smell of freshly made waffles and ice cream filling the air. There were only a few people inside, and somehow, the quiet atmosphere felt exactly like what I needed.

It has always been this way for a long time, and to my surprise. It was still the same after a few years.

Julian ordered two cups before leading me to a table near the window.

When he placed mine in front of me, I stared at it.

"Pistachio?"

"You still like it, don't you?"

I looked at him, surprised.

"You remember?"

He shrugged as he took his seat. "You used to throw a tantrum whenever Dad bought you chocolate or vanilla."

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it.

"I did not throw tantrums."

"You absolutely did."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't stop the smile from forming. For a few moments, we ate in silence.

The ice cream was cold against my tongue, and slowly, the heaviness in my chest began to settle. I didn't know whether it was because of the ice cream or because Julian had somehow managed to pull my mind away from Adrian without even trying.

He eventually broke the silence.

"So, what happened after high school?"

I looked up. He was watching me with genuine curiosity. My fingers tightened slightly around the spoon.

"I was just working." The lie came out quietly. "You monitored me according to your claims, so why are you still asking this?"

"I told you I didn't monitor you for a long time, didn't I?"

I had worked. I had struggled to build a life for myself, taken whatever opportunities I could find and made sure nobody knew I was a Caldwell. But there was so much more to the story than that.

I worked at a place before I started working at Sterling and it was really a bad place for me, considering the fact that I was also bullied.

I couldn't tell Julian everything including the way I had being maltreated.

Not yet.

"I moved around a lot and worked wherever I could," I added, forcing a smile. "I was mostly focused on becoming independent."

Julian studied my face for a moment, but thankfully, he didn't question me further.

"I spent most of that time around Dad's business," he said, shifting the conversation toward himself. "I started learning how everything worked. I sat in on meetings, worked with some of the executives and picked up a few things."

"You wanted to take over?"

He laughed immediately.

"God, no."

I smiled.

"I thought you were going to say yes."

"I considered it at some point, but the more I learned, the less I wanted it." He leaned back, taking another spoonful of ice cream. "I don't like company politics, Eleanor. Everyone is constantly watching everyone else, trying to figure out who is going to get promoted, who is going to lose their position and who is secretly working against them. I don't want to spend my life surrounded by that."

"So what do you want?"

"Something of my own." He shrugged. "I don't mind learning from Dad or helping when necessary, but taking over everything? That's never been my dream."

I nodded slowly.

It made sense.

Julian had always hated being controlled. Even when we were younger, he would find a way to do exactly what he wanted while making everyone believe it had been their idea.

I looked around the shop before turning back to him.

"Why did you bring me here?"

He looked at me as though the answer should have been obvious.

"To eat ice cream."

"Julian."

He chuckled.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You didn't bring me here for ice cream."

He was quiet for a moment before finally giving me a small smile.

"To celebrate our first project together."

"Our first project?"

"Yeah." He picked up his spoon again, but there was something strange in his expression. "I thought we deserved to celebrate."

I watched him carefully. He was definitely lying.

There was something else behind this little trip, something he wasn't telling me. Instead, I asked the question that had been sitting in the back of my mind since Ryan told me about Dad.

"How did Dad get sick?"

Julian's expression changed almost immediately.

"He fell sick suddenly."

"Suddenly?"

"Yeah. There wasn't really a warning." He lowered his gaze to the table. "At first, everyone thought it was something simple that would pass. The doctors gave him medication, but instead of getting better, his health kept getting worse."

My heart sank.

"What did they do?"

"They changed his medication. They ran more tests. We brought in different specialists, even some from outside the country." He sighed heavily. "Nobody could figure out what was wrong with him."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing that could explain why his body kept deteriorating." He shook his head. "They knew he was sick, but they couldn't find the actual cause. Every time they thought they had something, the tests would prove otherwise."

I lowered my spoon.

"That's terrifying."

"It is."

Despite everything that had happened between my father and me, hearing about his condition still hurt in a place I couldn't explain. I had spent years being angry with him, but anger didn't erase the fact that he was still my father.

"There's something else I want you to understand."

His expression became attentive again, "What is it?"

"Don't keep things from me."

He frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Like today." I paused, knowing exactly what I was referring to. "The woman at Dad's company. You slept with her, didn't you?"

Julian sighed.

"Eleanor—"

"I'm not judging you." I shook my head. "I really don't care about that. You're an adult. Your relationships are your business. What bothers me is that you didn't tell me and I had to find out by accidentally seeing her messages."

He leaned back, listening.

"We've already spent years apart," I continued. "I don't want us to start keeping secrets from each other now that we're finally getting close again. If something happens, tell me. Even if you think I'll be angry."

His lips curved slightly. I just knew he was about to start teasing me.

"It's better if you don't let those words out of your mouth." I immediately warned.

"Okay ma'am. I'll let you know."

"Good."