This time, he was actually wearing a proper, formal suit—his work attire. Swallowing a gulp of beer, I yanked at Sera's arm as her entire body began to tremble slightly. "Don't rush into things just yet..."

Before I could even finish my sentence, Sera had already wrenched her hand from my grip, marching straight toward them. Rushing after her, having known this best friend of mine for over a decade, I knew the girl truly possessed the sudden impulse to strip off her high heels and launch into a physical brawl with that woman.

The chaotic electronic music of the bar blasted against my eardrums as Sera stood with her arms folded across her chest right in front of William, uttering a few sentences.

Chapter 35: The Enemy Camp

To be perfectly honest, based on her current status, she couldn't even be counted as William's friend. Even if he truly fabricated an excuse to stand her up, Sera possessed zero standing to interrogate him.

William looked unexpectedly composed. "Miss Sera?"

Yanking at Sera's arm to pull her outside, she patted my hand, claiming she was fine. Then, turning her head back, she spoke with an expressionless face: "The restaurant I reserved couldn't be canceled. Two thousand three hundred dollars—accumulated through my work-study program, representing an entire semester's worth of living expenses. Tell me, what do you think should be done about it?"

I looked at Sera with supreme admiration. Fabricating a lie without a single blush or a skip of her heartbeat; a girl who couldn't even be bothered to handle basic chores at home, thoroughly pampered to the heavens by her parents—and you engaged in a work-study program? An entire semester's worth of living expenses?!

A sudden crack appeared across William's serene face, surprise flashing through the depths of his eyes; he had likely never anticipated Sera would utter such shocking words. Pulling out his phone, he murmured, "Your bank account?"

The funds were transferred immediately after—two thousand three hundred, not a single dollar more or less. William raised his eyes. "My apologies. I was currently discussing business just now and failed to notice you. Consider that meal my treat."

My gaze quietly settled onto the woman beside William; she didn't radiate any trashy or vulgar aura. Although the location of their meeting was somewhat ambiguous, William displayed a perfectly serious countenance today, making it seem as though he truly wasn't spinning a falsehood.

Turning back to look at Sera, having known her for so long, I had rarely seen her direct this kind of intense gaze at any man.

Sera offered a hypocritical smile in response. "Then thank you very much, my living expenses for the next semester have finally been secured." Clutching her phone, she returned to our seats with me, knocking back glass after glass of beer while muttering through gritted teeth that she would absolutely conquer this man.

Paying a visit to the restroom, when I returned, Sera was already slumped over the table. Her alcohol tolerance was abysmal, managing to get thoroughly plastered on mere beer.

"Tell me, does he truly not understand, or is he simply pretending to be clueless?" Sera slurs her words in a drunken monologue, letting out an occasional alcoholic hiccup.

Letting out a sigh, just as I was hesitating over how to transport Sera back, someone tapped my shoulder from behind.

The moment Julian spotted me, he let out a joyful laugh, settling into a seat beside me while pouring a glass of alcohol. "What's this? Knowing I would be here today, you specially came out to wait for me?"

The moment I spotted William, I should have prepared myself psychologically to encounter Julian here.

Julian looked at the empty alcohol bottles arranged on the table, narrowing his eyes as he looked toward me. "Consuming this much alcohol really won't do. What if a girl encounters danger while out alone?"

Remaining silent, I helped Sera up, preparing to depart.

Julian followed closely behind. "Did you drive here? Do you want me to give you a ride? It wouldn't be good if you encountered some accident like Mr. Christian did."

My movements froze instantly, and the expression on my face hardened completely. "What do you mean by that?"

Yanking off his tie, Julian slowly lit a cigarette. "That car accident—consider it the return gift I delivered to Mr. Christian." The corners of his mouth curled into a smirk, a single speck of orange light flashing near his lips as his voice turned slightly chilling. "That's right, I was the one who sent people to do it."

An intense alarm blared violently within my heart. A sudden realization hit me; from this moment onward, no matter what, I had to stay away from this dangerous man.

He was destined to stand firmly within the enemy camp.

Following that day, I accompanied Christian on a business trip to Germany, and for over a month, I never crossed paths with Julian again. Even after returning to the country, I hadn't met him a single time. Until one afternoon, having just awoken from a nap, an urgent pounding rattled my front door.

To my utter surprise, it turned out to be Julian.

Catching a clear sight of the visitor, I didn't even blink as I slammed the door shut with a resounding "bang."

Chapter 36: A Heavy Aura of Blood

The person outside remained silent, making no movement.

A minute later, I reopened the door.

A faint scent of blood snaked its way into my nose, and I froze, staring at his blood-drenched left arm. Julian leaned against the doorframe, his head slightly lowered, offering me a pale smile. A few strands of his hair clung to his forehead, which was covered in fine beads of sweat.

Even at a moment like this, he didn't forget to strike a pose.

Instinctively taking two steps back, I recalled that when I first met Julian, it was a similarly bloody scene. Except back then, he carried far more viciousness, and the dangerous aura radiating from him was much thicker than it was now.

Stepping inside and seeing that I seemed startled, Julian hid his left arm slightly behind his back. "It's no big deal. Do you have a first-aid kit?"

An inexplicable wave of panic hit my chest, and I couldn't even find the mind to process why he would suddenly appear at my doorstep. Scrambling to search the rooms for the medical kit, I accidentally smashed a glass cup along the way.

Julian was injured on his left arm near the wrist. His sleeve had already been slashed open, sticking straight to the wound, so I fetched a pair of scissors to cut it away.

The man's arm possessed smooth contours and prominent muscle, making the ten-centimeter gash look exceptionally shocking as it snaked across his flesh. Fortunately, though he had lost a substantial amount of blood, the wound wasn't deep and had missed the main arteries.

Julian insisted on handling the wound himself. Watching his somewhat clumsy movements with a cold eye, I stepped forward and took the rubbing alcohol from his hands. "Let me do it instead." Helping him disinfect the area to halt the bleeding, I neatly wrapped it with gauze.

Throughout the entire process, Julian didn't knit his brows once; instead, his attention remained fixed entirely on me, his eyes brimming with amusement. A chill ran down my spine. "Can you stop staring at me?"

Julian withdrew his gaze. "Aren't you going to ask me anything?"

Moving to the front door, I swung it open with a flat expression. "There's no need. Your wound is taken care of, you can leave now."

Sitting rooted to the sofa, Julian refused. "I have a meeting in an hour and won't make it back home in time. I'm afraid I must borrow your bathroom, Chloe." He emphasized, "A highly critical shareholders' meeting."

Lowering my gaze to survey his freshly bandaged arm, I murmured, "If you expose it to water now, it will almost certainly get infected and fester."

Having borrowed his bathroom previously, it was rather difficult to deliver a blatant rejection face-to-face.

A sudden wave of amusement washed over Julian's eyes. "Are you going to help me then?" Rising to his feet, he marched straight toward the bathroom. "Fine, I'll be careful. After all, the upcoming conference carries immense significance, and showing up with a heavy aura of blood really isn't proper."

Julian stepped inside to shower. Listening to the rushing water from within, a suffocating wave of irritation settled into my chest. What exactly had slashed Julian? Could it be that someone didn't want him to show up on time for the meeting?

The business world was a battlefield, especially for a massive enterprise like the Julian Group; beneath the glamorous surface, they were bound to accumulate countless hidden enemies. It wasn't surprising for rivals to extract revenge.

Shaking my head, I dismissed the thoughts. What did these affairs have to do with me, and what did he have to do with me anyway?