Chapter 5 A Third Person in Our World
1182 Words
Julia's stride never wavered.
Seeing this, Evan panicked and was about to dash after her, but Landon's hand shot out, halting him.
"Alright then."
Without even a backward glance, Julia declared, "Just act like I was never found. From now on, I'm cutting all ties with the Blair family!"
With that, she strode out the door, feeling a newfound lightness she had never experienced before.
As they watched her walk away, the faces of those on stage turned ghostly pale.
Chandler clutched his chest, seething with anger, as he turned to berate Ruth, "Look at the daughter you raised! She doesn't even care about her family! Let's see how long she can keep this charade going! When the time comes, she'll be begging to come back!"
Meanwhile, outside the banquet hall...
A young man who had tagged along with Landon eagerly approached Julia, "Julia, you were awesome in there! You didn't give them any faces at all! I'm telling you, you should've given that jerk and that witch a good smack each..."
"And who might you be?"
Julia felt a twinge of exasperation. Was this guy a bit too eager?
"Uh, I'm just..."
The boy sheepishly scratched his head, "I was the one who accidentally rear-ended the taxi you were in."
"Oh, I see..."
Julia replied offhandedly, clearly not interested in making a fuss.
"Julia, listen..."
"Luke."
Landon's voice held a subtle warning, and Luke Lynch clamped his mouth shut, though his eyes still glowed warmly at Julia.
In the elite circles, he had seen his fair share of pretentious adults. Meeting a fearless woman like her was a breath of fresh air.
Besides, his usually aloof uncle stepping in to help her was nothing short of astonishing!
Julia turned to Landon, "Thanks for stepping in earlier."
"No problem."
Landon's expression stayed neutral, with only a fleeting, almost imperceptible change. "Where are you headed? I can give you a lift."
"No, thanks, I can just grab a cab."
"A cab? Seriously?"
Luke gently nudged Julia towards the parking lot, "A good deed deserves to be done right! Besides, what cab could possibly be more comfortable than my uncle's Rolls-Royce?"
"Remember last time I took you to the hospital? You ran off before I could even apologize. Think of this as my way of making it up to you, giving you a ride."
Luke playfully ushered Julia into the backseat of the Rolls-Royce, flashing a cheeky grin, "Come on, give me a break, will you?"
As she settled into the seat, a faint headache began to throb.
Julia sighed, feeling too exhausted to resist any longer. All her energy had been drained by severing ties with everything.
She gave them her address, thanked them, and leaned against the car window, closing her eyes to mask her emotions.
Half-asleep, she felt a pair of eyes on her.
Rubbing her eyes, she glanced over to find Landon staring out at the nightscape. The dance of light and shadow sculpted his profile, like the boldest stroke in a masterful ink painting.
This man was exceptionally handsome, even more striking than the polished photos in glossy financial magazines.
Over the years, while supporting Evan from the shadows, she had come across numerous reports about Landon.
She admired his cunning and tactics, often fantasizing about one day crossing paths with him and seeking his advice.
But she never imagined they'd meet under such circumstances.
Caught in her thoughts, she held his gaze with unflinching confidence when Landon turned to her.
"Mr. Lynch, why did you help me?"
"I just couldn't stand by and do nothing," he replied.
Luke chimed in from the driver's seat, "The moment I saw you, I recognized you. My uncle heard about it and decided to lend a hand. He hates owing favors. Right, Uncle?"
Landon remained silent.
Taking his uncle's silence as agreement, Luke raised an eyebrow smugly. "They say it's a blessing in disguise. Today, I saw it firsthand. Julia, getting rear-ended by us might just be the start of your good luck!"
"You think careless driving is justified?" Landon asked in a low voice.
Luke chuckled, "I'm just trying to comfort her. After what she's been through, she must be feeling awful."
"I'm fine," Julia smiled. "You're not wrong."
A blessing in disguise.
Her illness had unveiled many truths about the people and world around her. Today felt like the freest day of her life.
From now on, she was no longer Evan's fiancée, nor the Blair family's daughter. She was simply herself.
The only regret was that her time was running short.
Julia exhaled slowly, thinking living one day at a time wasn't so bad.
As they pulled up to her apartment building, Julia offered a heartfelt thanks, "Thank you for bringing me back. The little fender bender was no big deal, nothing serious. Don't worry about it."
With those words, she stepped out of the car.
Luke watched her retreating figure and sighed heavily, "How could such a great girl end up with such a terrible illness?"
Landon gazed out the window for a long moment, his expression unreadable in the dim light.
"Uncle, are we really just going to leave her like this?"
Known for his boundless compassion, Luke couldn't stop worrying about Julia's illness.
"Hand over her medical report," Landon commanded, withdrawing his gaze and leaning back into his seat, clearly signaling he was done with the conversation.
Luke's jaw dropped in surprise. "Uncle, you're actually going to get involved? Wow, pigs must be flying today..."
"Shut up," Landon snapped, his voice laced with irritation.
Luke gulped and clamped his mouth shut, though he couldn't help but think to himself, something was definitely off; his uncle was acting completely out of character today.
*****
The next day.
Julia relished a rare, blissful night's sleep and woke up feeling refreshed.
After getting ready, she slid in her earbuds and headed downstairs to grab breakfast, humming a cheerful tune as she went, feeling utterly at ease.
Suddenly, a hand clamped onto her shoulder with such force that she stumbled backward, nearly losing her balance.
Evan appeared before her, his face twisted in anger, and Julia's good mood vanished instantly.
"What do you mean by that? I called out to you, and you just pretended you didn't hear me, huh?"
Julia calmly removed her earbuds. "The noise-canceling is so good, I couldn't even hear a dog barking."
"You..."
Evan was momentarily stunned, suspecting she was insulting him, yet he couldn't believe the woman who had always been so compliant would do such a thing.
Recalling his true intent, Evan swallowed his anger and awkwardly mumbled, "Oh, you had your earbuds on. I was too hasty, my tone was a bit harsh."
"Julia, I won't hold the fiasco at the engagement party against you. As long as you're happy, do whatever you please. Please, let's stop this nonsense, alright?"
As he spoke, Evan reached out to take Julia's hand, but she gracefully sidestepped him.
"Evan, it's over between us."
Julia stepped back, her gaze sweeping coolly over Luna standing behind him.
- Writer
