"Mr. Hart, if you're so tough, why don't you fight Mr. Fowler and see if you can win?" Julian asked dryly.After Sean was done washing his hands, Julian stepped in to wash his. Julian couldn't beat Edward before because Edward had definitely trained, while he hadn't."Edward practiced judo and kickboxing when he was young. He didn't stick with it long-term, but he knew the basics," Macie revealed. Julian's face instantly shifted, his expression clearly saying he'd known it all along.Sean then pursed his lips slightly before saying, "A gentleman settles things with his words, not fists. Mr. Fowler and I prefer to fight with words." Julian was rendered speechless. "It seems like you know quite a lot, like how Edward started learning martial arts in elementary school. Did Mr. Fowler Senior tell you that?" Sean asked Macie. From what he'd heard, Edward and Macie's marriage had been nothing but a hollow arrangement, without real connection or affection. So, Sean doubted that Edwar
"Let me help you, Macie. Otherwise, I'd feel bad just lounging around," Julian offered. He noticed Sean standing in the doorway of the kitchen, so he decided to join him.The two tall men flanked the entrance, instantly blocking the entire doorway. Macie looked at them and said, "The kitchen's really small. If you both enter, I won't be able to move. So, please step outside. It's kind of stressful having the two of you staring at me like this."To be fair, neither of them was someone she felt totally at ease around. Macie didn't want to imagine what it would be like to have two pairs of eyes watching her cook, but felt that it wouldn't be too pleasant. "Mr. Atkins, if you feel bad about it, you could always head home. That way, Macie will have one less mouth to cook for," Sean said, leaning against the doorframe. Julian shot back, "Sure, as long as you leave too, Mr. Hart. That way, she doesn't have to cook at all, and you won't be bothering her.""I'm here because she invited m
Alice replied to Macie almost immediately. Alice: "I figured that you wouldn't want to ride home with Julian if I told you earlier, so I just asked him to go straight to you. But I didn't expect my brother to also show up. It's so weird, May. He got off work early and went out of his way to pick you up."I messaged him about it, but he hasn't answered. I've been thinking about it for the past 30 minutes, and I still can't figure it out. There's only one explanation, and that's because my brother—"Macie stared at her screen as the messages rolled in. As she read Alice's last text, she got a bad feeling. She hurriedly picked up her phone to send something to stop Alice from finishing that thought, but Alice beat her to it.Alice: "He pissed you off again, and this is his way of making it up to you! What did he do this time? Seriously, you just got out of the hospital a few days ago. Is he some kind of beast?"Maice thought to herself, "No. Actually, this time, he's not making amen
Meanwhile, Sean and Julian placed two bags of groceries on the kitchen counter before making their way to the couch in the living room in Macie's apartment. Macie poured each of them a cup of coffee and said, "Make yourselves at home. If you're bored, I can put on a movie for you.""No need to go through the trouble. Go ahead and do your thing," Julian said. "Would you like me to help?""No, it's fine. I've got this," she responded.The vegetables and meat they bought from the supermarket were already clean and didn't need much prepping—just some light trimming and chopping.While she busied herself in the kitchen, the two men were left alone on the couch, quietly taking in their surroundings. It was their first time in Macie's place. The two-bedroom apartment wasn't big, but it was neat and clean, with a faint, indescribable scent in the air."Did the Fowlers buy this place for her?" Sean inquired. Since it was just the two of them, it was obvious that he was talking to Julian, e
In the end, Sean and Julian each carried a bag of groceries as they followed Macie to the entrance of her apartment complex. Since visitors had to be registered, Macie spoke briefly with the security guard on duty, Spike Carlson. After registering the two men, the three of them headed inside together.Behind them, Spike glanced at the two men and immediately spoke into his walkie-talkie in a hushed tone. "Mr. Chapman, two suspicious individuals just followed Ms. Smith home."His report was sent to all the security guards on duty, who immediately perked up, their eyes shining with excitement. This was it. Their chance to make a name for themselves and earn a bonus had arrived! "What do they look like? How old are they? Did Ms. Smith bring them in herself?" Lance Chapman, the head of security, asked through Spike's earpiece."They're both well-dressed, young men. One drove a Lamborghini, while the other drove an Audi A6L. Ms. Smith got out of the Lamborghini," Spike reported.After
"When I was going through my divorce with Edward, Mr. Hart helped me gather a lot of the key evidence I needed for the case," Macie explained.Julian pursed his lips before looking at Sean. He had known about the divorce, but he hadn't been able to help her much at the time."So, you can head home now, Mr. Atkins. I've already dropped her off safe and sound," Sean said.Julian gave him one last look, clenched his fist, and, knowing that there was nothing more he could do, turned to leave. Before he was about to take his first step, Macie called out from behind, "Why don't you join us, Julian? That is, if you don't mind."Julian immediately spun around. He was unable to hide the joy on his face. "Sure," he answered without hesitation.Sean, on the other hand, annoyedly asked, "Why are you inviting him?"Wasn't this meal supposed to be her way of making it up to him? Why was Julian tagging along?"Well… Julian's always been very kind to me," Macie explained.However, Sean refused