All Chapters of Deceived by My First Love's CEO Brother: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

"You look really happy when talking about Liam," Julian said. He was smiling at me, but it didn't reach his eyes. I looked closer and saw the sorrow there, deep and quiet."Ah," I said, the warmth from my memories cooling quickly. "I'm sorry. For talking about him like that." He shook his head, not needing my apology but accepting it. He looked out over the city for a moment before asking his next question. His voice was low."Do you ever regret loving him? Or did you ever try to forget him?" "I did try to forget him," I admitted, my own voice soft. "Many times. But it's never easy to forget your first love. I burned every diary I ever wrote about him. But sometimes... I really wish I could read them again. To remember. I can never forget him, no matter how hard I try." I gave him a smile I knew was too dramatic, too sad. Julian was silent for a long time. The air between us felt heavy. When he finally spoke, his words were clear and direct."The kiss. I

He flinched like I'd burned him. His left hand moved in a flash, fingers curling to hide the ring, coming up to rub the back of his neck in a nervous habit I knew well."...Yes," he answered, his voice thick.He couldn't look at me. He stared at the ground between us and murmured yet another apology."So that's it?" The words tumbled out, ugly and raw, fueled by a hurt so deep it turned mean."That's the real reason you want me to find someone else? You feel guilty for having your happy little love life while I'm still hung up on you? Do you think I'm some kind of pathetic homewrecker? Do you think I'd try to ruin it?"I knew I wasn't making sense. I knew Liam would never think something so cruel about me. But I was too frustrated, too miserable, too humiliated to stop.

Julian was stunned. Frozen. His mind short-circuited. Since the first time our lips had touched—a calculated move that had burned with unexpected truth—he had craved this. He had dreamed of it. The reality of it, the taste of soju on my lips, the feel of me in his arms, was overwhelming.For a second, he was lost in it. His body started to respond, to lean into the kiss, to finally show me how much he wanted this, how much he wanted me.But then his brain caught up. This was wrong. I was drunk. I was hurt. I had told him to stay away just this morning. This wasn't real. This was a product of despair and alcohol.As he was about to gently pull away, to end the kiss before it c

The first week, I noticed the change in small things. I’d bring a report to Julian’s desk, and where he used to take it from my hands, our fingers sometimes brushing, he now just pointed to a clear spot on the glass surface without looking up.“Leave it there,” he’d say, his voice flat.He stopped asking for my opinion on donor profiles. He stopped coming out of his office to make coffee when I was at the machine.The second week, the silence grew thicker. I’d catch him watching me from behind his glass wall, but when my eyes met his, he’d turn back to his monitor, his expression blank. He started sending requests through Victoria.

The frozen silence in the office stretched into a second month. Julian’s dismissal after the article incident had been absolute. My world had shrunk to the space between my desk and his door, a distance that felt like a mile of Arctic tundra. The only thing that broke the monotony was the ever-daunting RFA guest list. The names on the screen blurred together, a scroll of intimidating titles and old money. My cursor hovered over the ‘send’ button on the tenth draft of an invitation email. My stomach churned. Who was I to ask these people for their time?My phone buzzed with the familiar chime of the RFA chat.Cipher: ONE MONTH TO PARTY TIME! My hype levels are at 1000%! 🚀 But my snack fund is at 0%. @Juli