Chapter 13: An Unplanned Embrace
Night at Villa Blue Sapphire crept in with a dense silence, leaving only the distant roar of the Atlantic Ocean crashing against the cliffs. Inside the grand residence, dim lighting cast long, winding silhouettes along the hallway walls, as if dancing with the secrets of its inhabitants.
Julian Caldwell stepped out of his study with heavy strides. His white linen shirt was no longer neat; the top two buttons were undone, revealing the tense lines of his neck after hours spent dealing with financial reports and crisis management strategies. Yet his mind was nowhere near the Wall Street market. It was tangled in the red envelope, Selena's threat, and Scarlett's pale face when she fell on the New York sidewalk last night.
He stopped in front of Scarlett's bedroom door. Hesitation surfaced, but a stronger urge, something he labeled as "investment responsibility," though his conscience had begun to mock the term, pushed him to slowly turn the doorknob.
