Lovely Coincidence

Chapter Six.

Eleanor's POV.

I was still staring at Julian, trying to understand what he was doing in my room, when he continued talking breaking the awkward silence.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.""

I scoffed, although I couldn't deny that his sudden appearance had caught me completely off guard. “I’m just surprised that you have the audacity to walk into my room. Especially after the way we had ended things."

I had no idea that he was even at home. I thought he moved out already?

His lips curved into a lazy smile as he leaned against the door, looking far too comfortable for someone who had just invaded my personal space. “You’re still holding on to that? I thought eight years would have been enough time for you to forgive me.”

“Forgive you?” I repeated incredulously. “Julian, you ruined my prom, embarrassed me in front of practically everyone at school, and spent years finding new ways to make my life miserable. I don't think eight years is enough time to forget all of that.”

“I was a teenager.”

“You were an awful teenager. Being a teen doesn't make you give excuses for everything you did back then.”

He laughed under his breath, and somehow that only irritated me more. I hated him so much and the sight of him made me want to punch him in the face, only that he was way stronger than me and I had no chance with defeating him.

I folded my arms across my chest and looked at him firmly. “Whatever Dad told you, you need to forget it. I don't want you working with me, and I certainly don't need you following me around while I learn a few things about the business.”

Julian studied me for a moment before pushing himself away from the door.

“And what exactly do you expect me to tell him? That his daughter has decided she doesn't want the person he trusts most to help her because she still remembers being pushed into a swimming pool eight years ago?”

“You left out the part where you kidnapped my prom data and ended up making me a joke in front of others.”

“You survived.”

I gave him a look of disbelief. “You really haven't changed.”

“Actually, I have.” He began walking toward me, his expression becoming slightly more amused. “You're the one who hasn't changed. You're still angry enough to remember every ridiculous thing I did.”

“I remember because you made sure I couldn't forget.”

He stopped a few feet away from me, and for a moment, his teasing expression softened.

He was closer now.

His dark hair fell slightly over his forehead, and the sharpness of his features was even more noticeable from this distance. He had grown into the kind of man who could make a room feel smaller simply by standing in it, and I hated that I noticed.

His index finger reached for strands of my hair while he twirled it around slowly, "I wonder what you have been doing while you were gone. I lost track and I couldn't keep up with what was going on in your life."

"You were monitoring me?" I squinted my face in irritation while I tried to wrap my head around it.

"Yes, to an extent. I couldn't keep up again and you were doing well already so there was no need for me to do that anymore." He shrugged like it was nothing.

Thank goodness he didn't know about my marriage. I bet he'd have made me a laughing stock right now.

He slowly tuck the hair behind my ears bringing how face closer to mine, "Nice having you back, sis. I hope we get along well."

I pressed my palm against my chest while I inhaled immediately he stepped back. It turned out I had held my breathe all along.

I watched as he took his steps slowly out of the room. I wonder how long I'd be able to cope with him here. He was still as unserious as ever.

---

*FEW DAYS LATER*

I found myself sitting in the passenger seat of Julian's car as we drove toward one of the Caldwell Group's luxury hotels. He nodded his head to music, while he kept on vibing.

I did everything to make sure we were not going to work together, but here we are now.

Unfortunately, my father had made it very clear that Julian would be helping me understand the business, whether I liked it or not. As long as I'm accepting to take over, that's the condition that was applied.

The hotel was one of the company's biggest properties, and according to the information I'd been given, I was supposed to inspect it as part of my introduction to the family's operations.

No one there knew who I was, but they all knew who Julian was. I was to keep low for a while.

My father wanted me to learn how the company actually functioned before the public knew that I was going to inherit his position. Until the official announcement was made, I was simply another person visiting the hotel.

Julian had insisted that keeping my identity private was the smartest thing we could do.

I agreed.

The moment I stepped into the lobby, however, I realized there was something wrong.

The hotel was beautiful at first glance. The marble flooring gleamed beneath the warm lights, the reception area was spacious, and everything had been arranged to create the appearance of luxury.

But I had spent years working with interiors.

I knew when something was pretending to be expensive. I approached one of the chairs near the lounge area and ran my fingers across the fabric.

My brows furrowed.

“This isn't what I expected.”

Julian, who had been watching me from a short distance away, walked over. “What did you expect?”

“For a Caldwell property? Better quality than this.”

He glanced at the chair before looking back at me. “You think there's a problem with the furniture? We have the best supplier in town and it's actually good enough.”

He sat on the chair while he crossed the leg, trying to show me how comfortable and relaxing the couch was. These are the issues.

“I don't think there is a problem. I'm certain there is.”

I moved toward the sofa beside it and examined the stitching carefully. The materials were cheap, the finishing was rushed, and several of the pieces looked nothing like the kind of furniture the Caldwell Group should have approved for one of its luxury properties.

“This isn't what the company paid for,” I said.

Julian's expression changed.

“You're sure?”

“I've worked with suppliers for years. I know what high-quality materials cost, and I know what they look like. Whoever supplied these pieces substituted cheaper materials while charging Caldwell for premium ones.”

He looked around the room again.

“How much money are we talking about?”

“I can't tell you yet. I need the contracts, invoices, and supplier records before I make that accusation officially.”

A faint smile appeared on his face.

“You've been here less than an hour, and you've already found something worth investigating.”

“I didn't come back here to sit around and let everyone call me the heiress while I know nothing about the company. If I'm going to take over Dad's business, I need to understand exactly what I'm inheriting.”

His expression softened slightly.

“That is the first sensible thing you've said since you came home.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don't get used to agreeing with me.”

“I wouldn't dream of it.”

---

By the time we returned to the estate, Julian had arranged for the hotel's procurement records to be sent to us.

I sat at the desk for hours, going through invoices and supplier agreements. I noticed a pattern, even though they had tried their possible best to keep it hidden..

The prices were consistently higher than they should have been.

The furniture listed on the invoices was supposedly made from expensive imported materials, yet the pieces I'd inspected that morning were clearly made from cheaper substitutes.

My eyes stopped on the supplier's name. My stomach dropped as the realization settled in.

The company supplying the furniture to the Caldwell Group's hotels was Stacy's father's company.