Chapter 7
1578 Words
Julian stood among the group of people gathered at Valeria’s funeral. Her body had just been laid to rest. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks as he stared at her gravestone. His heart was filled with pain. The atmosphere was heavy and gloomy, and the few people present all had tears in their eyes.
Silently, Julian made a vow—to make her killer pay dearly for what he had done.
Just then, a woman walked up to him. ''Julian, right? Valeria’s boyfriend.'' She said gently.
Julian quickly wiped his tears. ''Yes, ma’am.''
''I worked with her at the library.'' The woman continued. ''She talked about you a lot. It was clear to everyone that she loved you deeply. You brought so much joy into her life. Because of you, I got to see her truly happy.''
Julian felt his chest tighten at her words.
''Thank you for giving her those happy memories.'' She added softly. ''And… my condolences. She was such a bright young woman with a pure heart. I know she’s in a better place now.''
Her words touched Julian deeply. ''Thank you, ma’am.'' He said quietly.
The woman nodded and gently patted his arm before walking away.
Julian turned back to Valeria’s grave one last time. His heart felt unbearably heavy, and for a moment, he wished he could be with her. But he knew that would come later. After he punished those responsible for her death… then he would gladly join her.
He turned to leave and had only taken a few steps when someone suddenly bumped hard into him.
"I’m so sorry.'' The man said quickly before hurrying away.
Nearby, Adrian’s men saw what happened and immediately rushed over. "Are you okay?'' One of them asked.
Julian nodded.
"Let’s go. It’s getting late.'' Another said.
Julian nodded again and followed them toward the parked car.
When they reached it, one of the men opened the door for him. Julian got in, and the door was shut behind him. The two bodyguards took their seats in the front, and the car drove off.
Inside the car, Julian watched them carefully, a slight unease settling in his chest.
The man who had bumped into him earlier had slipped something into his hand.
Julian slowly glanced down. It was a piece of paper.
He looked at the bodyguards again to make sure they weren’t watching him. Then, without lifting it too high, he carefully opened it.
There was a number written on it, along with a message;
"If you want to avenge your late girlfriend’s death, call me. I can help.''
Julian quickly folded the paper and slipped it into his pocket.
His mind raced with confusion. Who was this person? How did they know about Valeria?
He didn’t know if he could trust it, or if it was Adrian testing him.
For the rest of the drive, his thoughts were in chaos. If this was a trap set by Adrian and he walked into it… what would happen to him? Would he even survive?
But if it was real… then this might be his only chance to avenge Valeria.
Julian ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He rolled the window down slightly, letting the cool air hit his face.
He needed to think carefully.
One wrong move could destroy everything.
When they got to the estate, Julian was surprised to see Adrian standing outside the mansion.
Before the bodyguards could open the door for him, Julian pushed it open himself and stepped out. A wave of nervousness settled in his chest. He was still thinking about the message he had received and couldn’t shake off the suspicion—what if Adrian was behind it?
When he approached him, Adrian didn’t waste time. ''Come with me.'' He said, then turned and walked into the mansion.
Julian followed quietly behind.
Adrian led him to the dining room, where different varieties of food were already arranged neatly on the table. He took a seat and gestured for Julian to sit.
''I’m not hungry.'' Julian said. ''May I return to my room?''
''Not until you eat something.'' Adrian replied firmly. ''You barely ate before you left. You’re not going anywhere until I’m satisfied with how much you’ve eaten. So sit.''
Then he added, his voice calm but serious."I know you hate me, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you starve yourself to death.''
Julian stared at him for a moment. He knew there was no point arguing. Besides, he was in a hurry to get back to his room and call the number. He had already made up his mind—he was willing to risk everything for a chance to avenge Valeria.
Letting out a quiet sigh, Julian sat down. He grabbed a plate and quickly loaded it with different kinds of food, wanting to get this over with as fast as possible. He had no appetite, and food was the last thing on his mind, but he forced himself to swallow every bite.
Adrian watched him, slightly surprised. He had expected Julian to argue more—or at least eat very little. Instead, he was doing the opposite.
Still, Adrian didn’t question it. All that mattered was that Julian was eating.
He picked up a plate for himself, served his food, and began to eat as well. As they ate in silence, Adrian noticed Julian occasionally glancing at him. But his eyes remained the same—cold and filled with hatred.
Soon, Julian finished eating, more than enough, even. He stood up. ''May I go now?''
Adrian wanted to stop him, to ask questions, but he held himself back. After a brief pause, he nodded.
Julian left without another glance.
After he was gone, Adrian lost his appetite. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, placed it neatly on the table, then stood up and walked out of the dining room.
When Julian got to his room, he didn’t even sit down. He immediately began pacing back and forth, his thoughts in chaos.
Then he suddenly remembered the cameras.
He froze.
Adrian was watching him.
Julian avoided looking at the camera and quickly headed into the bathroom, the only place without surveillance. He shut the door behind him and pulled out the piece of paper, staring at it.
Slowly, his gaze lifted to the mirror.
His heart was pounding hard against his chest.
Julian took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "For Valeria.'' He whispered.
With that, he pulled out his phone and dialed the number.
The phone barely rang before it was answered.
''Julian, right?'' A calm male voice said from the other end.
Julian frowned. ''Yes… how did—''
''You’re the only one who can call this number.'' The man cut in smoothly. ''I got it specifically for you.''
Julian swallowed. ''You said you can help me avenge Valeria’s death. How do you know her? And who are you?''
''I’m someone who shares the same goal as you.'' The man replied. His calm tone now carried a hint of restrained anger. ''You’re not the only one who has lost something to Adrian De Carlo. You’re not the only one he has taken from.''
Julian’s eyes widened. ''You know Adrian?''
The man let out a bitter chuckle. ''Of course I do. I know him very well. And I also know your situation with him. I’m glad you had the courage to call, Julian. For a moment, I thought you might back out.''
''I had my doubts.'' Julian admitted, his voice firming with resolve. ''But my desire for revenge is stronger than my fear.''
''I like that.'' The man said. ''I have a feeling I won’t regret helping you.''
''You won’t.'' Julian replied quickly. ''If you help me get rid of Adrian… I’ll owe you my life.''
''No need.'' The man said coldly. ''I want him gone too. I want him to suffer. I want him to die miserably. We’ve both suffered because of him. We’ve both lost something precious to that monster.''
His voice hardened. ''His judgment day is coming. And with your help, we can make it happen. You’re close to him, that gives us an advantage.''
Julian clenched his fist. ''I’ll do anything. I just want him dead.''
"Good.'' The man replied. ''Call me again at the same time tomorrow. I’ll tell you what to do next.''
There was a brief pause before he continued, his tone now serious and warning.
''Stay careful, Julian. Adrian is smarter than you think. This won’t be easy. Don’t do anything to raise his suspicion. We only get one chance at this, we can’t afford mistakes.''
His voice dropped slightly. ''Can you do that? Do you have what it takes? Because once you step into this… there’s no turning back.''
Julian didn’t hesitate. ''I’ll do everything you say. You have my word.''
''Good.'' The man said. “You made the right choice. Don’t worry, you will avenge your girlfriend. I promise you that.''
Then the call ended.
Julian slowly lowered his phone, releasing a deep breath. He looked up at his reflection in the mirror.
He didn’t even know the man’s name. But it didn’t matter.
For the first time, he wasn’t alone. He finally had someone on his side, someone who could help him get revenge.
The thought of making Adrian suffer filled him with a dark sense of satisfaction.
And for the first time in a long while…
Julian smiled.
- Writer
