Maeve's eyes widened, "Julian—"
"Beep beep beep..."
The call was disconnected.
Sylvia Lane caught sight of Julian Fairchild out of the corner of her eye and turned on the speaker, successfully capturing his attention.
The man was dressed in a theatrical costume, with his hair tied up in a jade crown, tall and upright.
With a face as cold as ice, he pressed the button to hang up.
Didn't you already know? You just had to stay and stab your own heart again.
Sylvia looked at him with an almost obsessive gaze, "Fairchild, I just wanted to talk to my sister..."
"Shut up."
Julian cut off her words, devoid of any emotion, his brow furrowed, "People need to have self-awareness."
Sylvia's face turned deathly pale in an instant, "I'm sorry..."
The man no longer looked at her and walked out of the lounge.
—
Maeve Lane had nothing going on today, so she arrived early at Crestfall Bay.
When she first returned to the country, she faced the Lane Family's failed investments, mounting debts, her parents' divorce, and her mother's distracted state leading to a car accident. Now, although she has woken up, her mental state has deteriorated.
No one was willing to get involved in this mess, as everyone seemed to have no hope for the Lane Family's resurgence.
After the divorce, her father took on half of the debts, took Sylvia Lane with him, married a woman from a prestigious family, and severed all ties with her as his daughter.
At first, she believed her father wouldn't be so heartless, but he really did ignore her completely.
Maeve would never forget Anson Lane's cold statement: "I only have one daughter, Sylvia. You and that woman are dead to me."
Maeve borrowed money from friends, but it was far from enough to clear the debts.
She thought she might as well try her luck with the Fairchild Family.
She remembered Grandpa Fairchild liked her very much, and the marriage was arranged by him.
However, she didn't meet Grandpa Fairchild; instead, she encountered the legendary second master of the Fairchild Family.
He appeared much more mature than during their university days, yet there was still an unmelting coldness in his eyes.
The difference was, when he was with her, his eyes occasionally showed tenderness.
But now, his gaze was as if she were a stranger.
He asked, "What are you doing at the Fairchild Family?"
Maeve couldn't have imagined that the "impoverished" boyfriend she supported with ten thousand dollars a month was actually the precious second master of the Fairchild Family.
She opened her mouth, her voice a bit hoarse, "I need money."
"How much?"
For a moment, it seemed as if everything had turned upside down, and she was the one in need of money.
Her throat felt dry, "Two hundred million."
That was the most desperate moment of her life; there was no one she could rely on, her mother was still in the intensive care unit, and debt collectors were everywhere.
At that moment, all her pride in front of Julian seemed to vanish.
Julian's expression showed no change, as if two hundred million was insignificant to him.
Of course, what is such a sum to a prominent family like the Fairchild Family?
But to ask her to request it was to make a brazen demand.
"What makes you think you're worth two hundred million?"
Maeve looked at the side of the man's face hidden in the shadows; from this angle, he seemed even more distant.
"I can...do anything, as long as you help me pay off the debts," thinking of her mother still waiting in the hospital for life-saving money, she didn't care about how Julian viewed her, "I can write a promissory note, I will definitely repay you in the future."
Julian seemed to scoff slightly; he stepped forward, looking at Maeve from above, his voice indifferent, "I need a wife."
Maeve's whole body shook.
Before she could speak, Julian handed her an agreement.
"Three years," his voice paused, seemingly mocking, "I will give you ten thousand every month."
Maeve still held a glimmer of hope, but the man's words were like a bucket of cold water over her head.
She and Julian had been dating for three years.
She knew this was his revenge.
Revenge for her taking his true feelings yet not cherishing them.