All Chapters of He is.... Not Him: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

I let out a long, shaky breath, leaning heavily against the cold balcony railing. The city sprawled out below me, but I didn’t really see it. All I could see was the replay of my own ridiculous behavior from today. A whole day. One single, exhausting day of acting like a complete fool, and I was already worn out. I couldn’t imagine how Julian had managed a whole month of this. A whole month of him being cold and distant, of him avoiding me. And now, on his first day of not avoiding me, I was the one sprinting down hallways.I buried my face in my hands.“You idiot,” I mumbled into my palms. “What is wrong with you? He was just trying to talk.”But the memory of his arm around my waist, the solid feel of his chest under my hands, sent a fresh wave of heat to my face. It was too much, too fast, after a month of nothing bu

The elevator doors slid open, but neither of us moved. Julian's words hung in the air between us, heavy and fraught with meaning. Archibald Thorne wanted me at a family dinner. This was no invitation; it was a summons."I... I have to go?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.Julian's jaw was tight."He was specific. It wasn't a request. He's heard the rumors. He wants to see you." He paused, choosing his words carefully."It's being framed as a 'complete family dinner.' My father, myself, Liam..." He said his brother's name while watching me closely. "...his fiancée Glam, and Sarah."Sarah. The name was a bucket of ice water. His publicly acknowledged fiancée. My presence at that table wouldn't just be awkward; it would be a direct challenge."The Chairman didn'

The Chairman’s question hung in the air. The words were simple, but the answer was so hard to give. A heavy silence followed, broken only by the faint sound of a server adjusting a plate in the next room.What do you love about my son?My mind, already overwhelmed by the confrontations and the tense, silent looks across the table, went completely blank. It was like a fog rolled in, swallowing every clear thought. Panicking, my eyes—completely betraying me—darted away from the Chairman’s waiting face. They didn’t find Julian, the man whose hand was still holding mine tightly under the table.Instead, they landed directly on Liam.I stared at him, and for one horrible, frozen second, my mind wasn’t filled with reasons to love Julian

The following dayLiam was working in his studio, which was connected to his house. He was in the middle of editing some pictures in his private office. His office had an outdoor concept. He always liked the sensation of nature, so he made the space feel as open as possible with a large window that looked out onto a beautiful garden, good air circulation, and plenty of green plants to keep the air fresh.Suddenly, the doorbell rang. He stood up and walked to the studio’s entrance. A man in a striped formal shirt—his brother’s preferred outfit—was standing there. Without waiting for an invitation, Julian stepped inside and began slowly looking around, observing the photographs displayed throughout the studio.“How unusual for you to take an interest in my work, Julian,” Liam&

Later that evening, the heavy silence in the Han household was broken by the return of the Chairman. Hearing his father's voice, Julian immediately straightened his posture, his face smoothing into the neutral mask his mother preferred. His father entered the living room, his briefcase in one hand and two gift-wrapped boxes in the other. He looked tired but smiled when he saw his sons. His eyes first found Liam, who was sitting quietly on the floor, still looking despondent despite the new, larger toy car clutched in his hand. "My little Liam," the Chairman said, his voice gentle. "I heard there was an accident with your car. This one is even better, yes? It has working headlights." Liam nodded, offering a small, watery smile. "Thank you, Daddy." Then, the Chairman turned to Julian. "And my diligent son. I heard you aced your mathematics exam. Top of your class." He held out the larger, more elegantly wra