Leaving You Bereft (Willow and Julian) novel Chapter 159

Every now and then, Julian would visit Alicia in the hospital.

But more often, he preferred to be alone, quietly thinking about Willow.

There was a period when Julian lost control. He went to the club every night to drink.

There was a young woman there. Her features resembled Willow’s especially the faint red beauty mark at the corner of her eye.

When she poured his wine, Julian would lean back on the couch, quietly staring at that mark, eyes dark and unreadable.

He went for a full week, running up over a¶nillion dollars in red wine.

The club manager noticed what was going on and called the woman aside.

He needed a favor from Julian and figured, since Julian had no one around, he might as well send someone in.

The manager spoke to the woman in a low voice, “If you serve drinks here for a year, you’ll make 20 grand tops. But if you get in with Mr. Ziegler, it’s silk sheets, mansions, and servants. It’s the kind of life most people can’t even dream of.”

The woman bit her lip. “Mr. Ziegler has always been proper.”

The manager chuckled. “He likes that little beauty mark by your eye. He’s clearly reminded of someone.”

The woman blushed a little but was still willing to act.

She pushed open the private room door. Julian was on the couch, scrolling on his phone. The woman, now briefed, knelt halfway down so that the beauty mark was right in his line of sight.

Sure enough, Julian set down his phone.

Her pale, delicate hand rested on his leg. She looked up and murmured, “Mr. Ziegler, I’ve got one just like this on my waist. Do you want to see it?”

For a young woman to offer herself like that, any man would find it hard to refuse.

Julian stared at her for a moment.

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Then, he stood up and grabbed his coat. However, he still used the tablet to order 200 thousand dollars worth of red wine and said flatly, “I’m taking these with me.”

This meant that he wasn’t coming back.

The young woman froze, unsure of what to do.

Julian’s tone turned colder. “That’s not what I came here for.”

With that, he walked out.

The manager was waiting outside. One look at Julian’s face told him not to push. Julian spoke quietly, “Don’t make things hard for people and stop teaching them this crap. They were born to good parents and not raised to be used like this.”

The manager felt ashamed. Julian didn’t linger, headed downstairs, and got into the car.

The driver loaded the red wine into the trunk, got in, and casually asked, “Sir, back to Radiance Manor?”

Julian sat in the backseat, eyes closed to rest. After a while, he gave an address.

It was the apartment Willow had lived in.

The driver was surprised but drove there anyway. When they arrived, Julian told him to leave first. He carried a few bottles of wine upstairs. He had a key, so he unlocked the door and walked in 12

Chapter 159

+25 BONUS

The apartment was cold and quiet, clearly untouched for a long time.

He set down his coat and started cleaning.

He spent an hour making the place spotless. He boiled water, made coffee, and even ordered a bouquet of flowers–white calla lilies, Willow’s favorite.

He made the place feel like home again.

That night, Julian didn’t leave. He curled up on the couch where he and Willow had once held each other, a soft wool blanket over him.

The scent of Willow still lingered.

He couldn’t take it anymore. Late at night, he dialed her number.

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