Lahat ng Kabanata ng Once a Doormat, Now Untouchable: Kabanata 451 - Kabanata 460

After hanging up, Julian slipped an arm around Sydney's waist and sent a message with his free hand."Don't worry. Alan and the others will be fine."Naturally, he was speaking to Sydney.Seeing how composed he was, Sydney finally relaxed. "Okay."She leaned against his chest, eyelids heavy, and soon drifted off.Julian noticed when her breathing steadied. A quiet sigh left him as he brushed her hair aside and told Elliot to slow the car. Then he let her sleep.She had never been a still sleeper—neither as a child nor now. Every so often she shifted in his arms, but her eyes stayed closed, her face peaceful.He looked down, his fingers tracing the warm skin at her waist. She had filled out a little. His gaze lingered on the gentle curve of her belly. His eyes darkened, the emotion behind them unreadable.Sydney woke to the sound of her phone ringing. This time, it was Caleb.Julian saw the caller ID and almost declined the call, but Sydney stirred first. She picked up, glanced

Julian's chest tightened. He stared at her. "So everything I say just goes in one ear and out the other, huh?"He had already made himself clear, He wasn't against being a father, even to another man's child. So why did it feel as if she hadn't heard a word?Sydney was about to answer when the car slowed to a stop in front of Haven.Peter lowered the partition. "Mr. Sterling, Ms. Wilson, we've arrived."Sydney looked out the window but didn't move. "I want to check on Alan and Eliana first."The elderly couple had been through so much these past few days. She couldn't rest until she saw that they were safe.Julian lifted his chin slightly. "They're in 2202."Right after hanging up with Marcus, he had told Elliot to arrange for Alan and Eliana's safe transfer and temporary stay there.Sydney exhaled in relief, nodded, and reached for the door.Julian's arm stayed firm around her waist. "No thank-you this time?"After all, he had given up one of his own properties for her mento

That question had never even crossed Sydney's mind. Sterling Corp. had always been rooted in real estate, and with Julian's net worth, he was technically the wealthiest man in Jouleston—at least in property value.The apartment across the hall was just a rental for him. His real home, Delta Mansion, was only a few miles away.She blinked. "You're not going back to Delta Mansion?""No." Julian sounded perfectly at ease. "If I've got nowhere to stay, who else should I look to?"It was exactly the kind of logic she should have expected from him.Sydney wiped away the shampoo foam sliding toward her eyes. "Then I'll ask my mentor to switch places.""Sure," Julian said with a quiet laugh. "Go ahead. Middle of the night, wake those two elders up for me."'So that was his plan all along. He must have decided it the moment he arranged for Alan to move in next door. What a scheming man,' she thought."I'm in the shower.""The door code's the same as before," he said, then hung up.Syd

A soft click of the tongue came from the bathroom, followed by a low voice. "I meant my abs. What were you thinking about?"Sydney froze, startled by how far her mind tended to wander whenever they were in the same room. With him, her thoughts always seemed to drift straight into indecent territory.Thankfully, the bathroom door was closed. Julian couldn't see the color rushing up her neck or how red her face had turned.Through the frosted glass, Julian had caught the blur of her shadow retreating in haste, as if fleeing embarrassment. A faint smile touched his sharp features.Stepping up to the sink, he noticed something right away. His electric toothbrush was still beside hers. She had never put it away, which meant Caleb definitely hadn't been staying here.At that thought, the resentment that had been simmering since he heard about the baby almost disappeared.Outside, Sydney leaned against the bed, listening to the steady rush of water. Her thoughts kept circling back to th

Caleb, for his part, believed it instantly.Sydney was carrying Julian's child, and Julian had been by her side since childhood. Naturally, she trusted him more than anyone else.Caleb had seen how much she once relied on Julian. At the time, he had taken it for the dependence of a younger sister. Looking back now, he saw it had never been that simple.Then why had she married him at all?He steadied the turmoil in his chest and said evenly, "Is that so? Well, she sees you as a brother. It's only right you look after her."As if nothing were out of place, he handed over the insulated breakfast container in his hand. "Nancy made this. For her and the baby."His tone carried the easy authority of a biological father.He knew Sydney had not yet told Julian everything, and even if she had, it would not have changed much. No matter how ruthless Julian could be, he would never defy his grandmother for Sydney's sake.…When Sydney stepped out of the bedroom, the apartment was quiet.