"I warned you to stay away from her!"

The surrounding audience members began to turn their heads, some letting out low gasps of shock.

A few students sitting in the front rows recognized Julian, immediately breaking into hushed whispers.

"Isn't that the guy who got into a fight at the campus gates a couple of days ago? How did he track her all the way to the movie theater?"

"He looks so fierce, don't tell me he's here to harass Serena again."

The whispered murmurs reached her ears, causing Serena's expression to turn increasingly strained as she struggled even more violently.

"Let go of me this instant! Stop embarrassing yourself here!"

Julian, however, acted as if he were entirely deaf to her words, his eyes flashing with provocation as he stared at Sean.

Seeing this, Sean took a step forward, putting his weight into prying Julian's hand away. "You are hurting her, let her go!"

"Since when is this any of your business! I've tolerated you for far too long!"

Julian violently flung Sean’s hand away, his accumulated fury exploding in an instant as a heavy punch slammed directly into Sean’s cheek.

Chapter 17

Sean reacted with exceptional speed, ducking to the side to evade the blow and countersinking a heavy punch of his own.

The two of them instantly locked into a brutal brawl, trading blows back and forth in a relentless, chaotic struggle.

The surrounding audience members scrambled out of their seats in panic to keep their distance, turning the theater into a scene of complete disorder.

Looking at the two men tearing into each other, a towering fury erupted in Serena's chest.

She charged forward, expending every ounce of her strength to violently push Julian away.

Fearing he might accidentally wound her, Julian abruptly aborted his swinging fist, the muscles along his jawline tightening rigidly.

Sean also took half a step back, his eyes searching Serena's face immediately. "Are you alright?"

Serena completely ignored Julian, stepping quickly over to Sean’s side. She raised her hand, wanting to check his wounds yet fearing she might cause him more pain.

"How are you? Let me take you to a clinic to get this treated."

Looking at the profound worry flooding her eyes, Julian’s clenched fists slowly unraveled.

That kind of gaze had once belonged entirely to him.

He stood entirely frozen in place, his heart feeling as though it were being viciously squeezed by an invisible hand as a dense, agonizing ache spread through his entire body.

Sean shook his head, offering her a reassuring smile. "It's nothing, just a scratch."

Only after ensuring Sean was settled did Serena slowly turn around to face Julian.

Her gaze turned freezing cold once more as she delivered a final warning. "Julian, I am telling you this for the absolute last time. We were over long ago. Stop pursuing me like a madman, and do not ever lay a hand on the people around me again."

"If you ever pull a stunt like this again, I will not tolerate it for a single second. I will call the police directly. I mean exactly what I say."

With that, she didn't offer Julian another glance, supporting Sean as they turned and walked straight out of the theater.

Their figures vanished into the distance shoulder to shoulder, leaving not a single shred of attachment behind.

Julian stared fixedly at the direction where Serena had disappeared, the light in his eyes dimming spark by spark until nothing remained but a vast expanse of dead ash.

Serena had assumed that given Julian’s immense pride, he would abandon his pursuit after an incident like this.

Yet to her surprise, when she walked into her lecture hall early the following morning, Julian was already sitting inside.

He was propping his chin with one hand, his gaze locked entirely onto her figure, looking exactly like the shameless, unshakeable version of himself that used to pester her at her estate.

Serena acted as though he were completely invisible, marching straight toward the back rows to take the empty seat beside Sean.

But Julian had no intention of letting her go.

He stood up, walked over to the back row, and pulled out the chair directly next to Serena to sit down.

"This seat is taken."

Serena didn't even raise her head, her voice cuttingly cold.

Julian arched an eyebrow. "It's a public lecture hall. I can sit wherever I want, and no one can tell me otherwise."

Sean, sitting on her other side, was just about to speak when Serena stopped him with a sharp glance.

She knew that arguing with Julian would only make matters worse; this man had always been a master at using this exact brand of relentless harassment.

At noon, when she went to the campus cafeteria with Sean for lunch, Serena had barely found a table and sat down before Julian followed right behind, taking the empty seat directly across from her.

Serena lowered her utensils, her tone completely flat. "We are having our meal. Kindly find another table."

"The cafeteria is also a public space. I happen to like this spot, is that a crime?"

As he spoke, he deliberately leaned a fraction closer across the table, dropping his voice to a low murmur. "Serena, you used to dote on me the most. How can you refuse to even let me sit with you for a moment now?"

The sheer familiarity and intimacy in his tone dragged up memories of the past against her will, causing a sudden wave of nausea to rise in her chest.

She stood up abruptly, pulling Sean along as she walked away, not caring to waste a single extra word on him.

Julian watched her retreating back, his hand holding his fork freezing mid-air. The playful smirk gradually faded from his features, leaving behind only a trace of hidden, isolated sorrow.

In the days that followed, Julian seemed to grow entirely attached to Serena’s side.

Whenever she went to the library, he would take a seat not far away, a book open in his hands; whenever she went to the studio to paint, he would lean against the doorframe, keeping his eyes fixed on her; whenever she went for a stroll with Sean, he would follow at a short distance behind.

No matter how Serena tried to drive him away or how freezing her attitude remained, he countered every rejection with a carefree smile.

Serena loathed it to her very core, yet she found herself entirely powerless to stop him.

She had tried contacting the local authorities, but because he was merely following her in public spaces without crossing into explicit endangerment, the officers could do nothing but offer standard mediation.

"Julian, what exactly do you want from me? This endless harassment is only making me despise you more."

Julian opened his mouth, just about to speak, when his ringing phone abruptly cut him off.

"Sir, if you don't return immediately, things at the headquarters are going to collapse entirely," the assistant's voice came through packed with urgency. "Several major projects have run into massive complications, and the board members are demanding explanations every single day. They said if you continue to neglect operations, they will vote to remove you from the chair."

Julian pressed his fingers against his temples, a sharp ache splitting his head.

He had been chasing Serena across the country for nearly a month, completely abandoning the family enterprise during his pursuit.

"Understood." He ground out the response through clenched teeth. "Book me the earliest flight. I am returning tonight."

By the time he hung up the phone, he realized Serena had already walked away long ago.

Upon returning home, Julian buried himself entirely in office operations, working consecutive days without sleep to resolve the mountain of neglected corporate matters.

It wasn't until late one evening during a business banquet that he overheard two prospective partners chatting casually nearby.

"I heard the family business of the old man Arthur has suffered a complete collapse in their capital chain. They've been scrambling for investors everywhere, but no one in the elite circles is willing to throw them a lifeline."

Julian’s hand holding his glass froze instantly, a calculated scheme materializing in his mind like a flash of lightning.

Chapter 18

He set his glass down immediately and drove straight to the estate of Arthur.

Upon seeing him, Arthur’s expression filled with immediate impatience. "What are you doing here? Serena has already left the country, stop coming here to cause trouble."

"Uncle Arthur," Julian said, taking a seat directly in the center of the sofa as he pulled out a thick stack of legal documents. "I came here today to offer you an exceptional lifeline."

"I am fully aware of the crisis your enterprise is currently facing. I can inject the required capital immediately—not only to pull your company out of this disaster, but to elevate your family's assets to an entirely new level."

Arthur's eyes lit up instantly, his hand reaching out greedily to grasp the documents, but Julian clamped his palm down firmly over the paper.