Chapter 40: Both Annoyed and in Love

Julian Kingston's spine stiffened.

"You forgot?"

"Uncle Julian," Willow Avery forced herself to appear calm as she set the water glass aside, looking at him cautiously. "Are you tricking me?"

An ethical chasm lay between the two of them; how could she possibly be his girlfriend?

Although being with him didn't seem all that bad.

No, no, wrong, wrong, wrong.

It was impossible, it was forbidden.

Julian stared at Willow for a long moment, then stepped forward slowly, backing her against the edge of the bed.

"Do you truly not remember, or do you regret it?"

The man's aura descended upon her, causing Willow's heart to skip two beats.

She instinctively lifted her eyes, meeting his deep gaze.

And from within his eyes, she saw... an accusation.

Could she really have said something she shouldn't have?

Suddenly, she remembered that she had previously been unable to control her craving for his body.

And now, the clothes on the man in front of her were so disheveled...

"Did I," she licked her lips, "did I accidentally... again..."

She formulated her phrasing carefully before continuing, "...engage in a physical exchange with you?"

The fire that had just subsided within Julian showed vague signs of flaring up once more.

"You felt nothing?"

"Huh?"

Hearing his words, Willow carefully assessed herself, but there seemed to be no discomfort.

The previous time, her entire body had been incredibly sore, and she had been in severe pain down there.

Could it be that after some time apart, he was no longer capable?

Julian watched her eyes darting around, suspecting that the young girl had simply taken advantage of him and was now refusing to acknowledge it.

He pressed his body a bit further forward. "Think carefully."

Panic-stricken, Willow tumbled back onto the bed.

"I can't think of anything..."

"Mm?"

"Fine, actually I have some thoughts," Willow shrank back a bit, speaking softly and rapidly. "It's not that I'm refusing to admit it, but this time I really felt nothing. Maybe you—you are different from before..."

Fearing he wouldn't understand, she opened her thumb and index finger.

She gestured a distance of about three centimeters.

Julian: ?

Different?

He glanced down between his own legs.

Seeing the man freeze, Willow realized she had been far too direct with her words and quickly comforted him, "It's fine. Anyway, I didn't feel a single thing, so just pretend this never happened and forget it. You must absolutely not feel insecure."

Julian pressed his temples.

He...

Was the person who repeatedly begged for mercy that night not her?

Just as he was about to correct the young girl's erroneous perception, Grandpa Sterling's voice suddenly echoed from the outer room.

"Willa, is your illness cured?"

"Grandpa Sterling!" With a sudden flip, Willow leaped up from the bed.

In a panic, she shoved Julian toward the exit. "Don't let Grandpa Sterling find out."

Julian went along with her, but as he stepped out of the doorway, he left behind a final sentence.

"Next time, I will record it."

Willow: ?

Had her uncle been bottling things up for too long and gone mad?

Before she could think further, Grandpa Sterling walked over.

Seeing that Willow was in good shape, his heart finally settled. "Julian's medical skills are indeed excellent. Having him guard you here all night brought your fever down."

"Uncle Julian last night, he..."

Willow was struck dumb. "Just purely looked after me?"

"Otherwise?" Sterling recalled the sight of Julian bare-chested last night and stiffened his face. "With Grandpa here, he won't act like a rogue toward you, rest assured."

Willow: "...Ah, haha."

Wasn't this misunderstanding growing far too large?

He had looked after her here all night, yet she had told him...

"...Willa," Grandpa Sterling raised his voice to call her, "you also think my idea is very good, right?"

Willow had been entirely consumed by thoughts of Julian and hadn't heard a single thing.

At this moment, she could only echo along and agree, "Yes, yes."

Passing outside the door, Julian's gaze darkened slightly.

His father had asked her to introduce a girlfriend to him, and she had actually agreed.

The young girl truly made him...

Both annoyed and in love.

...

Under Grandpa Sterling's strict enforcement, Willow rested at home for two days before going to school.

During this time, she had originally wanted to ask about Jace Miller, but meeting her uncle's deep eyes, she couldn't squeeze out a single word.

After all, the conversation that day had been far too awkward.

"Willow Avery!"

As Willow walked toward the school exit with her bag, Luna Hayes ran up from behind and called out to stop her, "You are too much!"

Much earlier, when her interest in Julian Kingston had been at its peak, she had asked her family to investigate him.

Just now, the results had finally come back; he was actually a member of the top-tier wealthy Kingston family in Riverford.

"Wh—"

Before Willow could utter a single syllable, her shoulder was shoved forcefully by Luna, causing her to stagger back two steps.

The girl in front of her no longer possessed her usual bright and generous demeanor; her face was entirely masked in fury. "Your uncle is Julian Kingston, and you actually hid it from me? If this delays my marriage into the Kingston family, can you afford to take responsibility!"

The contrast between the person in front of her and the usual Luna was far too vast, leaving Willow frozen for a moment.

Before she could react, Luna's eyes suddenly lit up, and she ran toward the front.

"Old Mr. Kingston! I am Willow's best friend!"

By the time Willow turned around, Luna was already conversing fluidly with Grandpa Sterling.

Watching the girl adapt so smoothly, a hint of discomfort surfaced in her heart.

It felt as though she had just witnessed her two different faces.

Moving her footsteps, Willow walked toward the car.

Grandpa Sterling looked Luna up and down. "Are you that girl from the Hayes family?"

Among the pile of blind date photographs he had gathered for Julian, one had been of Luna Hayes.

Willow had happened to mention that she was her classmate, so he remembered the face.

"Yes, Grandpa Sterling, you've heard of me?"

Luna familiarly pulled open the car door and sat inside. "I heard long ago that the old master of the Kingston family loves to travel and is strong and healthy, completely different from those in other families. Seeing you today, it truly is so. My own grandfather's physical condition is far worse than yours. No, even my dad probably isn't as healthy as you."

"That’s too much exaggeration, little girl."

Grandpa Sterling laughed heartily. Seeing Willow sit in the passenger seat, he inquired, "Willa, how was school today? Did it go smoothly?"

The high fever from two days ago had truly frightened him.

Although he hadn't asked exactly what happened, he was certain she had absolutely been bullied at school.

Since it wasn't easy to ask directly, he could only keep a close eye.

"It was quite good," Willow smiled. "Grandpa Sterling doesn't need to worry about me."

"Rest assured, Old Mr. Kingston," Luna patted her own chest, "I look after Willow at school. Absolutely no one dares to touch her!"

"Good, good."

Grandpa Sterling looked at Luna thoughtfully.

This girl was lively, while his own son possessed a cold personality.

They complemented each other well.

If the two were together, they would surely spark a different kind of chemistry.

"Luna, right? How about coming to Grandpa Sterling's house for dinner tonight?"

"Great, Grandpa Sterling!" Luna said excitedly, "I really am so lucky today!"

Sitting in the passenger seat, Willow pressed a hand against her chest.

It was likely that she was being too sensitive.

Luna had always possessed a straightforward personality; it was normal for her to lose her temper.

She would just clear things up with her once they had a moment later.