Lahat ng Kabanata ng Once a Doormat, Now Untouchable: Kabanata 341 - Kabanata 350

Back then, Sydney was a little tyrant, but Julian always indulged her.Whenever he was about to lose his patience, she would look at him pitifully and say, "Julian, I only have you. If you smoke yourself to death, what will I do? Or better yet, why don't you smoke more? I'll breathe in more secondhand smoke, and we can die together."A few simple words would leave him speechless. What else could he do but give in?Later, when she insisted on marrying Caleb, he not only smoked more but also got addicted, unable to quit. Maybe he felt there was no reason to stop anymore. Only in recent months had he unconsciously begun to try.Seeing his sorry state, Raymond teased, "Not to be rude, but you two aren't even official yet. Everything's still vague, and you're already treating her like she's made of glass. If you really get married, what are you going to do then?"Julian's eyes lowered. He glanced lazily toward the stairs and said with mockery, "That's only if she's even willing to marr

Caleb picked up the file on the passenger seat, bent down, and slid in. His gaze was gentle, full of concern. "Not sure how to face Jules now?"Sydney averted her eyes. Her voice came out hoarse. "Something like that."Even with that contract between them, she could no longer convince herself.How ironic. The man she had trusted without question for nine years as a child, the same one who had driven her to despair for the past nine years and the one she seemed to have feelings for now, turned out to be the grandson of her parents' killer.He was someone she had once considered one of the most important in her life. Now, the barrier between them was not just status. It was two lives—her parents' lives.It was a cruel joke.Caleb reached out, intending to ruffle her hair. She leaned back instinctively. He drew his hand away slowly and sighed softly. "If I hadn't told you, would you be in this much pain now?"Sydney tugged at the corner of her lips. "Then my parents would have died

Unexpectedly, Sydney neither dodged nor struggled. She did not respond. She was like a puppet, letting him act as he pleased. Nothing he did stirred even the slightest reaction in her.Julian's chest felt ready to burst. He gripped the back of her head and kissed her with near-madness. Their lips and teeth tangled, breaths heavy and intimate.His other hand was not idle. It slid up from her calf, slipped beneath her skirt, and roamed recklessly over her skin."No!" Sydney finally recoiled slightly, her eyes shimmering with moisture.Julian did not feel the heartache he once would have. Instead, he laughed. "No? Have you forgotten our contract?"His eyes darkened. "Or are you planning to keep yourself pure for Caleb?"He believed he had given her enough space and leeway. He knew abandoning her before had left a scar on her heart, so he had held back with all the patience he could muster, never rushing to define their relationship or claim her entirely.He had thought life was lon

Sydney jolted violently and instinctively reached to stop Julian. "Julian!"He ignored her. With one hand, he shoved her out of the apartment doorway, and in the next second, he grabbed Caleb by the collar and yanked him all the way inside his apartment.The door slammed shut, and Sydney and Tiffany heard fists pounding flesh.Sydney pulled out her phone, ready to call the police, but Tiffany snatched it away. "What's the point? Who could stop them?""I'm afraid something will happen," Sydney whispered, her voice trembling.She had always known Julian was skilled in combat. In ordinary fights, no one could touch him. But she had never seen this kind of brutality before.One punch, and Caleb's lip split, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth."Julian knows what he's doing." Tiffany studied Sydney's disheveled state. For once, she did not tease or pry and simply pulled her toward their own door."And Caleb deserves it. He should have been beaten like this long ago."What k

The alcohol had not hit yet, and Sydney remained perfectly sober. Whether she had thought everything through no longer mattered.She tapped her can lightly against Tiffany's. "Tiff, this isn't something I actually get to choose."Unless she was willing to forget how her parents had died and let their killers walk free, she had no choice at all.Tiffany slung an arm around her shoulders. "So what did Julian say? Did he agree right away?"Sydney paused, the dull ache in her body still pulsing beneath her skin. "He thought I was trying to remarry Caleb."All that anger he had been holding back had come crashing down on her and then on Caleb.Tiffany bit back a curse. ‘Forget it. Men are not worth mentioning anyway.’"So, what's your plan now?"The Sterlings had covered up that car accident flawlessly. Even though Caleb had uncovered a few fragments of evidence, at best they could only suspect the Sterlings. It was nowhere near enough to convict anyone, and the family's influence r