The departure from the Qin Manor was just as dramatic as the entrance.
Julian didn't stay for the cake cutting. He simply took Aria's hand, nodded to the stunned guests, and walked out. The crowd parted like the Red Sea, their eyes filled with a mixture of fear, envy, and burning curiosity.
As they stepped out into the cool night air, the rain had stopped. The chauffeur opened the door of the lead Rolls-Royce.
Aria slid into the leather seat, her posture perfect. But the moment the door clicked shut and the car began to glide away from the manor, she let out a long breath she had been holding for an hour. Her shoulders slumped slightly.
"Tired?" Julian asked. He was scrolling through emails on his tablet, not looking at her.
"Adrenaline crash," Aria admitted, rubbing her temples. "Thank you for tonight, Mr. Qin. Your performance was... impeccable. I didn't expect you to get your father involved."
Julian's finger paused on the screen. He turned to look at her, his dark eyes unreadable in the dim light of the car.
"Performance?"
"The acting," Aria clarified. "Calling me 'wife', making Mark kneel, the red envelope from the Old Master. It was very convincing. I assume I should return the deed to the villa to you tomorrow?"
Julian closed his tablet with a snap. He leaned back, his long legs stretching out. The confined space suddenly felt very small.
"Aria," he said, his voice dropping an octave. "Do you think I have time to play house? Do you think I would drag my father down the stairs for a prank?"
Aria blinked. "What do you mean?"
"The marriage certificate is real. The villa is real. And..." He reached out, his fingers brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. His touch was electric. "...Mark calling you Auntie is real. There is no acting."
Aria's heart skipped a beat. She pulled back slightly. "But... we agreed. It's a transaction. I help you deal with the family pressure, you help me get revenge."
"Correct. It is a transaction," Julian agreed. "But I am a businessman. I don't do halfway deals. Since you are Mrs. Qin, you will enjoy all the privileges of that title. And you will also fulfill the duties."
Aria narrowed her eyes. "What duties?"
Julian smirked, a wolfish expression that made him look dangerous. "We'll discuss that at home."
Twenty minutes later, the convoy drove up a winding mountain road and entered the gates of Dragon Bay.
This was the most exclusive residential area in the city. While the Qin Family Manor was old money and tradition, Dragon Bay was modern power and unimaginable wealth.
The car stopped in front of a massive, ultra-modern villa made of glass and steel, perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the city lights.
"Welcome home," Julian said.
The servants were already lined up at the door—two rows of maids and butlers, bowing deeply as they entered.
"Welcome home, Master! Welcome home, Madam!"
Aria felt a headache coming on. This was escalating fast.
"Master, the guest room has been prepared as you requested," the head butler said.
Aria relaxed. Guest room. Good. So he did intend to keep their distance.
"Change of plans," Julian said casually, handing his suit jacket to a maid. "Move Madam's things to the Master Bedroom."
The butler paused for a split second—clearly shocked—but recovered instantly. "Yes, sir."
Aria froze. She grabbed Julian's arm as the servants dispersed.
"Wait a minute," she hissed. "Master Bedroom? We are sleeping together?"
Julian looked down at her hand on his arm, then up at her eyes. "We are a newlywed couple. If the servants see us sleeping in separate rooms, word will get back to my mother by breakfast. Do you want Mrs. Qin to think our marriage is fake?"
"Well, no, but—"
"If she thinks it's fake, she will start sending women to my office again. And she will start bullying you again," Julian pointed out logically. "The safest place in this city is my bedroom. Unless..."
He leaned in closer, his cologne overwhelming her senses.
"...Unless you are afraid of me, Auntie?"
The taunt worked. Aria straightened her spine. She had lost everything today; she had nothing left to fear.
"I'm not afraid of anything," she lied. "Fine. But I sleep on the left side."
Julian's lips twitched. "Deal."
[The Master Bedroom]
The room was enormous. It had a panoramic view of the skyline, a king-sized bed that could sleep five people, and a bathroom larger than Aria's old apartment.
Aria retreated to the bathroom to shower. When she came out, wearing a silk robe she found in the closet (which, suspiciously, was already stocked with her size), she found Julian sitting on the edge of the bed.
He had showered in the guest bathroom. He was wearing loose grey lounge pants and no shirt.
Aria stopped in her tracks. She tried not to stare, but it was impossible. The man was sculpted like a Greek statue. Broad shoulders, defined abs, and scars—faint, thin white lines crisscrossing his torso—that hinted at a violent past.
He wasn't just a CEO. The rumors were true. He had walked through hell to get to the top.
Julian looked up from a book he was reading. "Done?"
"Yes," Aria said, tightening her robe. She walked to the far left side of the bed and climbed under the duvet, keeping as close to the edge as possible. "Goodnight, Mr. Qin."
Julian placed his book on the nightstand and turned off the lamp. The room plunged into darkness, save for the city lights filtering through the window.
Aria lay stiffly, listening to his breathing. She felt the mattress dip as he settled in.
"Aria," his voice came from the dark.
"Yes?"
"Tomorrow, I am going to the company. You will come with me."
"Why?"
"Mark is the General Manager of the sales department," Julian said. "He needs to give his quarterly report. I think it would be educational for his Aunt to be there to... critique his performance."
Aria smiled in the dark. The tension in her chest loosened. He really did know exactly what she wanted.
"Okay," she whispered. "Goodnight, Julian."
She didn't see it, but in the darkness, the "Demon King" closed his eyes with a satisfied smile.