Christian's current attitude made it clear that he still cared about me, so if I walked out looking like this, he would absolutely fly into a raging fury.

I looked to Julian for help, gesturing for him to find me a change of clothes first. With a knowing smile, Julian ran his fingers through my hair before speaking into the phone.

"Director Christian, to be quite frank, Chloe is not at my house right now. I sent her to a hotel to recuperate. After all, she was put through quite an ordeal by that man you found for her yesterday."

"Bang!"

The moment the words left his mouth, a deafening crash echoed from the front door.

Chapter 9: Chloe Isn't Here

Christian brought his men and barged straight inside. Through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, I saw them swarming into Julian's villa.

Julian's face darkened for two seconds before he stood up and stormed out of the room.

Julian was a wealthy heir, but Christian was a high-ranking official. I understood well enough that an arm couldn't match a thigh in strength.

Christian and his men turned the entire villa upside down. Outside, the sounds of a heated argument erupted.

I heard the distinct noise of physical fighting.

Stealing a glance through a crack in the door, I saw Christian and Julian already tangled on the ground.

Christian pinned Julian down with brute force, but the latter seized an opening to throw Christian off him.

My heart was completely in my throat. I was just about to find a few pieces of clothing to throw on so I could go out and break up the fight when, amidst the chaos, I heard someone shout.

"It looks like there's someone upstairs!"

I slammed the door shut immediately, hearing the chaotic rush of footsteps advancing up the stairs.

I was bouncing on my feet with pure anxiety. I remembered what someone had told me before.

Christian had previously kept a university student on the side, pampering her with the finest things as if she were his legitimate wife, buying her designer brands without batting an eye and styling her like a celebrity.

When graduation came and she finally entered society, countless wealthy heirs and small business owners assumed she was a rich heiress, pursuing her relentlessly. Knowing Christian would never marry her, she grew bold and actually hooked up with a young software company owner.

The fallout was massive. Without Christian even saying a word, his subordinates dragged the girl into an alley and violated her, and the video even spread like wildfire for a time.

As for the young business owner, his company was sued in court for tax evasion.

Looking down at the large amount of skin exposed to the open air, my face turned completely white.

Aside from everything else, simply being caught alone in a room with Julian while dressed in practically nothing would be more than enough to ruin me if Christian found out.

"Bang—"

"Is anyone inside?"

A heavy pounding rattled the door, sending me into a total panic.

They were already at the threshold!

"Chloe, it's me. Open the door."

Christian's deep, magnetic voice echoed from outside. I looked around frantically, not daring to answer. After a long moment of silence from my end, the people outside lost their patience.

"Break it down."

Following Christian's command, the door shook under a barrage of heavy blows.

Each crash felt like a clap of thunder, violently striking my every nerve.

What should I do... they're about to break in, what do I do...

Beads of cold sweat broke out on my forehead, and I paced around like an ant on a hot skillet.

I absolutely could not let Christian see me like this, absolutely not...

My panicked gaze darted around the bedroom. After a few seconds of desperate hesitation, I gritted my teeth, yanked open the wardrobe door, and dove inside.

"Boom—"

The exact moment I shut the wardrobe door, the bedroom door was violently kicked open.

The scattered footsteps felt as if they were right outside my ears, and my heart hung precariously in midair.

"Director Christian, there... doesn't seem to be anyone here."

"Director Christian, I told you already that Chloe isn't at my villa, but you refused to believe me."

Julian's tone remained perfectly relaxed and nonchalant, as if the entire matter had absolutely nothing to do with him.

"Earlier, I thought you were merely jesting with me, Mr. Julian. Now it seems I overthought things."

"Since you haven't found anyone, Director Christian, please take your leave. I have business to handle."

Julian unceremoniously began to show Christian the door.

Through the crack in the wardrobe door, I could faintly see that Christian's expression was incredibly dark.

After a long silence, he curled his lips into a cold smile.

"I will cover all the damages caused today. Apologies for the intrusion."

With a wave of Christian's hand, the crowd rowdily filed out of the room.

I placed a hand over my heart, barely managing to breathe a sigh of relief.

But just when I thought Christian was about to leave, his footsteps suddenly came to a halt, and his gaze locked dead onto the wardrobe where I was hiding.

My brain buzzed, and my heart leaped right back into my throat.

Chapter 10: An Anomaly

Christian's expression was grim, and his eyes swept toward the wardrobe with a distinct chill. Through the crack in the door, I watched him slowly walk closer. I gripped the inside of the door tightly as cold sweat began to pour down my back, my mind going completely blank.

What should I do? If he finds me, everything is completely over. My heart hammered so violently it felt like it would burst from my chest.

Just as Christian was a single step away from the wardrobe, Julian's light chuckle suddenly cut through the air. The sound wasn't loud, but it felt incredibly sharp in the silent room.

"It seems Director Christian doesn't trust me at all. How heartbreaking."

Julian leaned lazily against the wardrobe, completely blocking Christian's line of sight from me. I could only hear his light, airy laugh: "You're a man of the bureaucracy, Director Christian. Tell me, doesn't trespassing into a private residence count as a violation of the law? Aren't you afraid I might pursue legal action against you?"

Julian's tone could be considered pleasant, but the undercurrent of threat and interrogation was unmistakable. I had followed Christian for eight years and watched him deal with countless officials and businessmen, yet those who dared to speak to him in such a manner were few and far between.

Especially a real estate developer like Julian.

As the Director of the Land Bureau, Christian was constantly surrounded by countless real estate tycoons who wished for nothing more than to cling to him all day, buzzing around like flies to curry favor. Looking at it this way, Julian was truly an anomaly.

After a few seconds of silence, Christian finally spoke slowly: "My apologies, Mr. Julian. Sorry for the disruption." I could hear that he was doing his utmost to suppress his emotions as he turned to his men. "We're leaving." Julian followed behind, seeing them out.

The moment the crowd left, the massive stone crushing my chest finally slammed to the ground. Yet due to the lingering terror, all the strength seemed to drain completely from my body.

Julian opened the wardrobe door and leaned against the frame, the corners of his lips turning up into a handsome, amused arc as he studied me playfully: "What, are you really that terrified of him finding out?"

I had been crammed inside for too long, leaving my limbs entirely numb. When he reached out to lift me out, I firmly rejected him. Stumbling out with difficulty, Julian ultimately caught me by the arm to steady me.

"Thank you for what happened today."

I looked up, catching sight of the scrapes on Julian's face, realizing they were injuries from his physical clash with Christian just now. A wave of complex emotion surged within me, which turned out to be guilt.

To be honest, I didn't understand why he was being so good to me.

His words from earlier flashed through my mind again, the sentence he had spoken just as I was about to be violated: "You touched my girl."

There was never a shortage of young, beautiful women in this world, and I could only consider myself a tiny, insignificant drop among them. Furthermore, with Christian in the picture, Julian, a wealthy heir, had absolutely no reason to wade into these muddy waters just to help me.

I massaged my temples, my mind a tangled mess. Julian walked over with a glass of warm water, his eyes brimming with a teasing smirk: "Chloe, what's this? Could it be that you've actually fallen for me?"

As if trying to cover up my own inner turmoil, I stood up from the seat in a fluster: "It's getting late, I should head back."