Julian said nothing more, his eyes drifting toward the door instinctively.

Time passed minute by minute, yet Serena’s figure never appeared.

Julian couldn't help but pull out his phone and tap open the chat with Serena. He wrote and deleted his words over and over, finally sending just one line.

"Where are you? Why aren't you here yet?"

A red exclamation mark indicating a failed delivery immediately popped up.

Blocked?

Serena actually blocked him?

Julian couldn't believe it and dialed her number.

But nothing came from the receiver except a cold automated voice. "The user you have dialed has blocked you. Please try again later."

Once, twice, three times... it remained the same.

His expression grew darker and darker, the aura surrounding him terrifyingly cold.

The friends who had been cheering earlier exchanged uneasy glances, quickly trying to smooth things over.

"Maybe... maybe Serena is still hiding at home crying. Since she didn't come, changing the gift for Mandy works just as well!"

He gave Julian a suggestive look. "Jules, you've done so much for Mandy—acting out an avalanche, taking punishments for her, and cleaning up her messes. To put it plainly, don't you just love her? Why don't you offer yourself as a birthday gift to Mandy today and confess your feelings!"

Those words were like a sudden thunderclap, leaving his mind completely blank.

Did he love her?

He asked himself inwardly.

His indulgence toward Mandy over the years and his compliance with her every demand—was it because of the affection of growing up together, or was it because he loved her?

But upon discovering that Serena had blocked him, why did he feel an unprecedented sense of loss?

"Julian."

Mandy’s voice snapped him back to reality.

With a blushing face, Mandy walked up to him, directly standing on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck, pressing her lips against his.

The soft lips brushed against the corner of his mouth, and the first thing that flashed through his mind was actually the image of Serena forcing herself to kiss him despite her shyness.

"I love you, Julian."

This time, Mandy didn't act with her usual brashness, displaying instead the bashfulness of a young woman.

"I know you've done a lot for me, and you love me too, don't you?"

The banquet hall instantly erupted into waves of chanting, "Together! Together!"

Julian froze in place. Before he could make any reaction, the main door of the private room was suddenly pushed open.

Several police officers in uniform walked in, their expressions solemn. Their gazes swept across the room before locking squarely onto Mandy.

"Ms. Mandy, we have received a report that you are suspected of sending malicious anonymous messages, which indirectly caused an emotional collapse leading to the death of the elderly Mrs. Vanderbilt. Please come with us to assist with the investigation."

The rowdy noise of the entire room instantly ground to a halt.

All the color drained from Mandy’s face as she took a step back in disbelief. "Impossible! You've made a mistake! I didn't do it!"

"We have already retrieved the relevant evidence, including the records and content of the anonymous texts you sent," an officer said, pulling out his badge with an undeniable tone. "Please cooperate, do not obstruct justice."

Chapter 9

The officer's words were like a massive boulder crashing into a calm lake, stirring up a violent storm.

Julian's tone was filled with shock. "What anonymous texts?"

He had never known Mandy had done such a thing.

In his eyes, Mandy was at most arrogant and willful, fond of throwing small tantrums. How could she be involved in taking a human life?

Mandy's face was as white as ash, her entire body shaking uncontrollably as she gripped Julian's arm tightly, her voice shrill. "I didn't! Julian, you have to believe me! I never sent any messages, they must have made a mistake!"

The officer pulled out his phone, displaying that anonymous text with the degrading screenshot.

"The IP address from which this message was sent points clearly to the phone number and network registered under your name. The evidence is undeniable. Please come with us."

Julian looked at that text, which used the most vicious words to shamelessly humiliate Serena, utterly unable to believe his eyes.

Mandy stood in place, still refusing to move.

"Impossible!" She shook her head frantically. "I stopped using that phone number long ago. Someone must be framing me—it's Serena! It must be her trying to get revenge on me, deliberately planting evidence to frame me!"

"I'm not going! I didn't do anything wrong, why should I go with you! Julian, save me!"

Looking at her hysterical state, and then at the evidence in the officer's hands, Julian's mind became a tangled mess.

Although he didn't want to believe Mandy would deliberately harm someone, the evidence was right before his eyes, leaving no room for excuses.

"Mandy, calm down first. Go back with the officers to cooperate with the investigation, I’ll figure something out."

He leaned down to support her, but she shoved him away violently.

Mandy wept hysterically. "I won't calm down! I didn't do it, so I didn't do it! They want to drag me to prison, I'm not going!"

Her emotions reached an extreme peak, her breathing turning shallow and rapid, her face becoming increasingly pale.

Seeing this, the officers exchanged glances. "Your current emotional state is not suitable for an interrogation. How about this, go home and calm down for tonight, and come to the station tomorrow morning to cooperate with the questioning."

After the police left, the other guests in the room, realizing the situation was bad, all made excuses to leave.

Once everyone was gone, Mandy threw herself into Julian's embrace, wailing loudly.

"Julian, I'm scared..."

"I just wanted to make that old woman angry, who told her to raise that bitch Serena to constantly oppose me! I just wanted her to know about Serena's disgraceful scandals so she would suffer too, I really didn't expect her to just die like that..."

"I didn't mean to, I don't want to go to prison. Julian, you have to help me!"

She gripped his clothes tightly, as if grasping her final lifeline.

Looking at her state, and thinking of the bond of growing up together, Julian ultimately softened.

"Alright, stop crying."

He raised his hand to pat her back, making his tone as gentle as possible. "I’ll take you home first. As for the rest, I’ll find a way."

After driving Mandy back to her villa, Julian turned around to leave, only to run straight into Arthur, who was walking toward him.

Arthur's expression was dark. Upon seeing Julian, his eyes were filled with nothing but impatience and aversion.

Julian stopped his footsteps. He figured that since this matter was ultimately about Mandy indirectly causing the death of Serena's grandmother, as long as Serena was willing to sign a letter of forgiveness, the punishment might be lightened.

He spoke up to ask, "Uncle Arthur, may I ask where Serena is right now? I have something very important to discuss with her."

Arthur looked at him as if he had just heard a joke, letting out a cold snort. "What are you looking for her for? You were the one who clung to her and ruined her reputation like this, and now you don't even want to marry her. If she doesn't hide abroad, is she supposed to stay here and keep embarrassing the family?"

What?

Serena went abroad?

Chapter 10

Julian felt as if he had been struck by lightning, freezing in place for a long time, utterly unable to recover his senses.

His Adam's apple bobbed. It took him what felt like an eternity to find his voice. "When did she leave? Where did she go?"

He had never imagined that Serena would actually leave, much less that she would depart so decisively, without even a single word of farewell.

Looking at his utterly lost and soul-shattered expression, Arthur let out a cold snort. "What? Now you think of looking for her? When you brought her to such ruin back then, why didn't you consider this day?"

"Where she went is none of your business."

Arthur avoided his gaze and slammed the door shut with a heavy clang.

Julian stood frozen at the entrance, the night wind sweeping up fallen leaves from the ground, carrying a biting chill.

He did not know how he left Arthur's estate, nor did he know how he made it back home.

His mind was consumed by a single, solitary thought.

Serena was truly gone.

She had actually abandoned him, leaving him completely behind.

This truth was like a blunt knife, cutting repeatedly across his heart, bringing waves of dense, agonizing pain.

He had always believed that Serena could never leave him, thinking her affection for him was wired into her very bones. He believed that as long as he bowed his head just a fraction, she would obediently return to his side exactly as before.