But back then, wanting to be with her legally as a partner, he had refused with everything he had.

Now, he was personally severing every possibility of them being together.

Walking out of the station, the rising sun made him squint. The new ID felt hot in his palm; the name "Julian" listed under her family name made his eyes sting.

He went to the villa one last time.

From a distance, he saw Scarlett in the garden, accompanying Xavier while he painted.

She stood behind him, one hand steadying the easel, the other resting gently on his shoulder. She leaned in to whisper something, making Xavier let out a light laugh.

The sunlight draped over them, painfully beautiful.

Julian stood behind a phoenix tree, watching for a long, long time.

In the end, he didn't go in. Instead, he handed the name-change notification to the butler.

"Please tell my aunt," his voice was very soft. "From now on, I am only her adopted son."

"I won't love her anymore, and I won't disturb her again."

As he turned to leave, he heard the butler call out behind him, "Young Master!"

But he didn't look back. He hailed a taxi and left with absolute finality.

"To the airport."

After finishing his painting, Xavier walked into the villa. Scarlett followed, feeling a strange sense of emptiness in the living room. She instinctively looked toward the butler. "Where is Julian?"

The butler stepped forward quickly. "President Scarlett, you forgot. Young Master Julian moved to the suburban villa."

The woman paused. She had forgotten that Julian no longer lived here—that she was the one who had issued the order.

"However, the Young Master came by just now and asked me to relay a few words to you..."

The butler was interrupted by the sound of the door swinging open.

"Scarlett!"

Xavier burst in holding a velvet gift box. He placed it directly on the sofa, revealing three bespoke suits.

"Quick, help me choose. Which one should I wear for the banquet tonight?"

Scarlett noticed the butler’s hesitant look and rubbed her temples.

Given Julian’s personality, it was likely just some trivial matter about packing. It couldn't be important.

"You may go. We'll talk later," she waved the butler away.

"Should I go with a white bowtie or a regular tie for this champagne suit?" Xavier held the suit up to compare.

"A tie is more suitable."

She took the tie from the velvet box and expertly tied it for him.

As her warm breath brushed his ear, Xavier suddenly turned and pecked her on the lips. "You always have the best taste!"

Before the banquet began, Scarlett entered the hall slowly, leaning on Xavier’s arm.

The people nearby were whispering.

"How come Julian didn't come?"

"I’ll admit, it feels strange. He usually follows Scarlett wherever she goes."

"Haven't you noticed? This is clearly a declaration of territory. He probably felt too embarrassed to tag along."

The gossip wasn't loud, but she heard every word clearly.

Amidst the clinking of glasses and social rounds, she toasted mechanically. Her mind suddenly drifted to the first time she had brought Julian to a banquet.

Julian had looked dashing in a black suit.

Learning to dance for the first time, he kept missing the beat. Eventually, he just let her lead him as they swayed, saying with a smile, "This way I won't fall."

She had been exasperated but said nothing.

But as the crowd grew, people kept trying to invite Julian to dance whenever she wasn't looking.

That was the first time she realized he was a man—and a handsome one at that.

Driven by a strange impulse, Scarlett had blocked every person who tried to flirt with him.

Even though she herself had rejected him time and time again.

"Scarlett?"

Xavier nudged her arm gently. "Mr. Wang is asking you about next week's bidding meeting."

Scarlett snapped back to reality, noticing the inquisitive stares from those around her.

She took a sip of her whiskey, the alcohol clearing her head instantly as she smiled and answered the question.

As the waltz melody flowed through the ballroom, Scarlett spun to the beat, her heels clicking precisely on the floor.

The two of them moved with perfect chemistry.

After the song ended, Scarlett stepped out of the hall alone to get some air.

A strange sensation rose in her heart.

Over the years, he had confessed to her so many times that the whole world knew.

People had gossiped behind their backs, saying they were flouting social morals.

Shouldn't she be the one who wanted to get rid of Julian the most?

So why, now that he was truly gone, did she feel so out of sorts?

She instinctively touched her chest; it felt empty.

The brooch Julian had once pinned on her was now lying quietly in the depths of her study drawer.

Perhaps she should just let it go. But since she had the responsibility of looking after him, she had every right to check on his life.

She decided to give him a call.

The line only gave a busy signal. Scarlett was confused; she double-checked the number.

It was correct—it was Julian’s.

But he had always answered her calls instantly. Today was an anomaly.

The phone screen went dark for the third time in Scarlett’s hand, the icy dial tone ringing out again and again.

She began sending text messages, but the moment she pressed send, a jarring red exclamation mark popped up. The recipient had blocked her messages.

The few friends who had come up to her had never seen her so discomposed. They chimed in one after another to comfort her.

"Scarlett, calm down. A lot of people are watching you today!"

"That's right. Besides, Julian likes you so much. Maybe he’s just trying to scare you. Try tracking his phone directly; you’ll definitely find him."

Hearing these suggestions, she barely managed to regain a sliver of reason.

Scarlett quickly sent a message to her secretary, ordering her to investigate the matter thoroughly.

An hour later, the secretary replied.

"President Scarlett, Young Master Julian’s whereabouts did appear at the suburban villa, but we can't find his specific location now. It might be poor signal in the mountains."

It wasn't exactly good news.

But it was much better than having no clues at all.

She couldn't sit still. Ignoring her friends' attempts to stop her, she headed straight for the parking lot.

Her temples throbbed violently. Scarlett had to fight the urge to hurl her phone off the balcony.

Julian would never be so decisive unless... he was still throwing a tantrum.

No matter how much they argued before, he never ignored her messages on purpose. She pulled out her phone and dialed the butler at the villa.

The call was answered quickly.

"Where is Julian? Put him on the phone."

"President Scarlett, the Young Master hasn't returned yet."

The butler’s voice sounded hesitant. "He only mentioned going out to handle some business this afternoon; he didn't say where he was going."

Scarlett’s face darkened instantly. Julian always had a regular schedule. Forget staying out all night—he would even report in advance if he was going to miss dinner. She gripped the phone tightly, her knuckles turning white. "Check the surveillance. Pull his dashcam records and send them to my email in ten minutes."

Before the butler could respond, she had already hung up.

A massive sense of unease suddenly flooded Scarlett’s heart.

Instinct told her that Julian staying out all night might not be a simple matter.

At this moment, her only thought was to find him as quickly as possible.

As she rushed into the underground garage, a torrential downpour suddenly began.

It soaked her through, but she didn't care about any of that.

The most important thing right now was to find him first.

Scarlett pressed the accelerator to the floor, and the black Maybach carved a sharp arc through the curtain of rain.

In the rearview mirror, a white figure suddenly dashed out. She slammed on the brakes.

"Scarlett?"

Xavier chased after the car window, holding an umbrella. "The banquet isn't over yet. Where are you going?"

Scarlett’s hands tightened on the steering wheel.

At this moment, the look in his eyes held a cautious concern. "There’s an emergency at the company." She avoided his gaze. "Go back first."

"But..."

Before Xavier could finish, the car had already sped away.

He watched the direction the taillights vanished into, his fingernails digging deep into his palms.

He had heard her phone call. It wasn't about the company at all; she was going to find Julian.

Julian, always Julian! He was just a brat who appeared out of nowhere. Why should he be able to throw Scarlett into such a panic?

A flicker of malice suddenly appeared in his eyes.

After all, he had worked so hard to drive him away. How could he let him return just because Scarlett grew soft-hearted?