Chapter 3: I'll Wait for You

Willow Avery fled back to her dorm that very night.

She spent hours rehearsing countless excuses in her head to handle her father’s inevitable interrogation.

A week passed in a state of anxious trepidation, yet everything remained perfectly calm.

Gradually, she began to relax.

It made sense; someone like Uncle Julian probably disliked the idea of her staying with him even more than she did. He was just older and more composed, so he hadn't let it show.

Besides, they weren't even that close.

Years ago, her grandmother had entered an arranged marriage with the Kingston patriarch, Sterling Kingston. After having two children, they separated due to personality clashes.

Her grandmother then met her grandfather and promptly remarried.

Sterling Kingston also remarried later and had a third child—Julian Kingston.

The two older uncles in the Kingston family shared a blood relation with her.

But this youngest uncle, Julian, did not.

Willow remembered the first time she saw Julian; she was seventeen and a high school freshman.

The divorce between her grandmother and Sterling Kingston had been civil, and the two families had maintained contact over the years.

During one school break, her grandfather took her to Riverford for a visit and stopped by the Kingston estate.

A man dressed in a white shirt and black trousers stood under the corridor of a traditional Chinese-style courtyard. His handsome features were etched with a coldness that screamed "keep away."

A girl roughly their age was excitedly saying something to him, to which he impatiently replied with a single word: "Noisy."

He was terrifying.

Willow was certain that he utterly despised dealing with strangers.

Especially an "awkward" niece like herself.

Therefore, her departure should have been something Uncle Julian was happy to see.

...

"Willow, what are you staring at? We're here, get out of the car."

Her roommate’s voice snapped Willow back to reality.

She gave a quick response and stepped out of the taxi.

Today was her roommate’s birthday, and after a quick discussion, the group had decided to come to the same club where the previous class party had been held.

Stepping back into this place, Willow couldn't help but think of the day the "accident" happened.

She had drunk too much and had been swayed by a momentary lapse of judgment.

Just like now, a person who looked remarkably like Uncle Julian seemed to appear in her field of vision...

Dressed in light-colored casual wear, he stood out exceptionally among the crowd.

As if sensing someone watching him, the man slightly turned his gaze and looked her way.

It really was...

Julian Kingston!

"Un—"

Willow nearly shouted out loud but hurriedly covered her mouth.

No, she should cover her face.

She quickly moved her hand to the side of her face to shield herself, chanting a silent prayer like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.

Don't see me, don't see me.

Since school had just started, she hadn't felt comfortable stopping her roommates from coming to this club. Had she known she would run into Julian, she would have insisted on going anywhere else.

As her heart raced, the group of people not far away drew closer.

She even heard someone ask a question.

"Julian, what are you looking at? Did you run into someone you know?"

Willow’s breath nearly seized.

She had left without saying goodbye—it was rude, and she was drowning in guilt.

As the two groups crossed paths, she felt as if a searing gaze landed on her, stripping her bare.

Finally, Julian spoke in a cool, indifferent voice: "No."

Hearing this, Willow felt a slight sense of relief, but she remained incredibly restless as she hugged the wall and entered the private room her roommates had booked.

The four girls sang birthday songs, ate cake, and drank some alcohol.

As the alcohol began to take effect, the birthday girl sat down next to Willow, wrapping an arm around her and speaking with a slurred tongue: "Willow, tell me the truth. Have you found a boyfriend?"

Willow had only sipped a little wine. She had been slightly tipsy, but hearing those words made her brain snap into focus.

"No..."

"You're shy, aren't you? I accidentally saw you when you were showering the other day—your body was covered in hickeys. It looked so intense." Luna Hayes laughed gossiping. "Hurry up and share with me. What does it feel like to roll around in the sheets?"

Having only been roommates for a month, Willow didn't want to talk about it, but Luna kept prying. She could only say whatever came to mind: "It didn't feel like much. No, I mean, you saw it wrong."

"Huh?" Luna only caught the first half. "Then is it because your boyfriend is no good?"

Willow pursed her lips, her thoughts drifting.

What did she mean, "no good"? He was far too good.

She hadn't blacked out; she remembered he did it five times.

By the end, her waist and legs were so sore that even dance practice had never been that exhausting.

The group messed around for a bit longer. Seeing that it was almost curfew, Willow led them out of the club.

Before she could even open a ride-hailing app, a Land Rover Range Rover slowly pulled up beside them.

The driver's window rolled down, revealing Julian Kingston's face.

Caught off guard, Willow accidentally bit her tongue as she met his eyes. "Un... Uncle Julian?"

Could it be that he had actually seen her earlier?

Julian was brief: "Get in."

"Uncle Julian, I've already called a taxi." Willow searched for an excuse. "My roommates are all drunk; I wouldn't want to trouble you..."

"Willow," Julian frowned at her, his voice dropping an octave. "Am I really that terrifying?"

"No..."

"If not, get in."

Meeting Julian's gaze, Willow didn't dare to resist. She helped her roommates into the back seat.

They were all dance students—very thin. The three seats in the back could squeeze four people.

Julian glanced at the rearview mirror and said calmly, "They've been drinking. Crowding will only make their dizziness worse."

Willow understood the implication.

If they threw up in his car, it would be her fault.

Retracting her foot, she obediently stepped forward and opened the front passenger door.

Throughout the drive, Willow was on edge.

She was terrified that Julian would bring up the fact that she had secretly moved out.

Finally, they reached the school.

Willow took the initiative: "Uncle Julian, just dropping us at the gate is fine. It’s inconvenient for outside cars to go in."

"I've already cleared it with them."

Julian drove the car all the way to her dormitory building.

As the young girl helped the last roommate out of the car, he spoke: "Thirty minutes. I'll wait for you."

"Wait for me?"

Willow was puzzled. "Is there something else, Uncle Julian?"

Julian's cool gaze fell on her face. "Because you moved out, the old man thinks I've been bullying you."