"Eldest Young Master," a servant greeted Julian respectfully as he walked into the sprawling estate.
The rest of the Vance family, who had been chatting cordially in the living room, instantly fell silent the moment he stepped inside.
With a dark, disgusted expression, Julian’s biological mother, Eleanor Vance, spoke up. "Julian, you’ve been fooling around all day and only now decided to come home! Truly typical of someone raised in the countryside—you have zero sense of proper etiquette!"
Julian looked at her nonchalantly. "Yeah, well, etiquette was never really my thing."
Eleanor snapped, her voice rising in irritation. "Julian! What kind of attitude is that?!"
Julian shrugged lightly. "I’m just matching your energy. What other attitude was I supposed to have?"
Eleanor choked on her rage, her face turning red. "You—you arrogant little—"
"Mom," Leo Vance interrupted smoothly, patting Eleanor’s back to soothe her. "Didn’t you have something important to discuss with Julian? Let’s focus on main business first."
Leo cast a dark, calculating glance toward Julian.
Julian’s behavior toward the family was completely different from before. In the past, the boy would have sooner cut off his own tongue than talk back to Eleanor.
He must be playing hard to get, Leo thought with a silent sneer. It was impossible for Julian to give up the Vance family’s wealth and status; he was obviously pulling this stunt just to draw attention to himself.
Heh. All the love and inheritance in this house belong to me. Julian shouldn’t even dream of taking it away!
"Julian, I do have a matter to address with you," Eleanor said, forcing herself to regain her composure. "I’ve arranged a marriage for you. This Tuesday evening, we will be hosting an Engagement Banquet in your honor. To the public, however, we will introduce you as our adopted son. At the banquet, you are to make a good impression on Miss Ross."
This was the real reason she had brought Julian back to the family.
The political marriage between the Vance and Chen families had been arranged years ago, but unfortunately, Miss Chen had recently been paralyzed in a car accident, confined to a wheelchair, and developed a notoriously cruel temper.
Eleanor couldn’t possibly let her precious raised son, Leo, marry a crippled, volatile woman. Naturally, the terrible burden had to be dumped onto Julian.
"Adopted son?" Julian raised an eyebrow. "Aren’t I your biological son?"
His biological father, Marcus Vance, cleared his throat and spoke up sternly. "Julian, Leo has always been known to the public as the Vance family’s heir. If we suddenly announce that he is adopted, it could destabilize the company’s stock prices. We can only ask you to make a small sacrifice for the family."
Marcus added smoothly, "But don’t worry. Even if we introduce you as an adopted son to outsiders, we will still treat you well behind closed doors."
[ Ding! Temporary Mission Triggered: Extract $3,000,000 from the Vance Family. ]
[ Mission Success Reward: A comprehensive report on all stock market trends for the next month. Mission Failure Penalty: None. ]
Julian’s eyes lit up.
This system is a masterpiece!
The timing was impeccable. Once he collected his winning lottery ticket, he could combine it with this market prediction report to invest heavily in top-performing stocks. Money generating money—it wouldn’t be long before he built an empire of his own.
"Drop the fake promises," Julian said, his expression utterly blank. "I want three million dollars in my account. Give me three million, and I’ll play along at your little banquet."
"What?!" Eleanor’s eyes widened in disbelief. "You actually dare to demand three million dollars?! You grew up in a backwater town—what could you possibly need that much money for?!"
"Tsk—"
Julian didn’t bother wasting his breath. He sneered coldly, "Three million dollars. Wire it to my account, and I’ll show up. If not, feel free to send Leo off to marry Miss Chen instead."
Without waiting for their reply, Julian turned on his heel and walked straight upstairs to his room.
After taking a hot shower to wash off the night’s exhaustion, he collapsed onto the soft bed and closed his eyes. Spending an entire night dealing with Victoria Sterling’s wild state had completely drained him. He needed sleep.
Knock, knock, knock.
A persistent knocking echoed at the heavy mahogany door of Room no 5.
Victoria Sterling sat up slowly in the king-sized bed, her silk sheets sliding off her shoulders. Blurred, intense memories of the previous night flooded back into her mind, causing her dark brows to knit together tightly.
Who was that man?
She pulled a plush bathrobe around her shoulders. Outside, her personal secretary, Evelyn, was knocking with increasing urgency out of concern.
"Come in," Victoria called out, her voice raspy as she reached for her phone on the nightstand.
Evelyn pushed the door open and stepped inside. "Presi..."
The rest of the word froze in her throat.
Evelyn’s jaw dropped as she looked at her cold, terrifying boss. Victoria’s pale neck, collarbone, and delicate shoulders were covered in a dense pattern of deep red marks.
It looked as though she had been thoroughly, relentlessly devoured.
The state of the master suite was equally chaotic—bedding torn, pillows thrown across the floor, and furniture shifted out of place. It was painfully obvious how wild things had been last night.
A cold sweat broke out across Evelyn’s back, and a wave of pure dread washed over her. She distinctly remembered locking President Sterling’s door from the outside last night before leaving to secure the medicine... How on earth had a man managed to slip in?!
It’s over. I’m dead.
Everyone in the business world knew that President Sterling despised men touching her. Anyone who dared to step into her personal space was usually ruined financially or worse. Sleeping with her? The man would be lucky to leave the city alive—and as her secretary, Evelyn would undoubtedly be dragged down too!
Evelyn stood frozen near the entryway, barely daring to breathe.
As Victoria swung her legs over the edge of the bed, her sharp eyes caught sight of something sitting on the bedside table: a crisp hundred-dollar bill, a small coin, and a scribbled note.
Victoria picked up the paper, her dark eyes scanning the neat handwriting.
Her full red lips parted slightly as she read the words aloud in a low tone: "Your service in bed was very satisfactory. Here is your tip."
"Heh..."
A quiet, dangerous chuckle escaped Victoria’s lips.
"It seems he mistook me for a hired escort." She paused, her eyes narrowing into cold slits. "Simply wonderful."
In an instant, an aura of suffocating pressure filled the room. The temperature seemed to plummet to freezing.
Evelyn frantically wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. That idiot actually treated President Sterling like a bar girl?! Does he have an absolute death wish?!
"Evelyn," Victoria’s voice was as sharp and cold as an icicle. "Pull the hotel’s security footage immediately. Find out who he is."
"Yes, President Sterling!" Evelyn responded instantly, then hesitated for a fraction of a second before asking, "Once we identify him... should I have the security team eliminate him?"
Victoria’s stunning eyes were as deep and unreadable as an icy abyss, masking whatever thoughts were running through her head.
"No need," Victoria said softly, her red lips curving into a dark, enigmatic smile. "Bring him to me alive."
"Huh?" Evelyn was caught off guard.
Given her boss’s ruthless nature, shouldn’t the man be fed to the fishes in the bay?
Victoria raised her gaze, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Just do it."
"Understood, President Sterling!" Evelyn bowed respectfully and quickly backed out of the room.
As she rushed down the hall toward the security manager’s office, Evelyn tried to make sense of the order.
Right... President Sterling must want to torture him personally for what he did. That has to be it! After taking advantage of her like that, death would be too easy for him.
Evelyn patted her chest, letting out a massive sigh of relief. At least for now, her own life had been spared.