Free Web NovelChapter 219: Miserable, Spoilt Brat!
Julian’s POV fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
"Stand back, Julian."
Richard’s voice was a slab of cold marble, heavy and unyielding. He didn’t even turn his head to look at me; his eyes were fixed on the wreckage of my suite, he was looking between the shattered glass on the floor, to Catherine and Lucy, who were standing in the center of the disaster.
I didn’t move. In fact, I felt a physical snap somewhere in the back of my mind. Usually, I could play the game. I could bite my tongue, pull the mask of restraint over my face, and wait for the right moment to strike. But not now, not when I could see the dark, blooming bruise on Catherine’s cheek. I saw the way her lip was split, a thin trail of red catching the light of the room.
All my logic, all my calculated plans for the night had disappeared. My brains always went dead the second I registered that she was hurt. My legs moved forward.
"I said stand back!" Richard barked, his tone sharpening.
"No," I snapped. The word came out before I could check it, sharp and harsh. I stepped further into the room, my shoes crunching over a piece of the shattered carafe. "This is my room, Richard. This is my space. I’m not standing back while you play judge and jury in a situation you don’t understand."
I looked at Lucy. Her hair was a bird’s nest, pulled and tangled in ways that gave away exactly how the fight had gone. A savage, dark satisfaction curled in my chest, Catherine had clearly held her own, but it was drowned out by a mounting fury.
What the hell was this witch even doing in my room in the first place? It was midnight. My room was private, or at least it was supposed to be.
I looked at the clock on the wall. The red numbers mocked me. We were supposed to be at the warehouse by now. We were supposed to be meeting Kiera and Dante and instead, we were trapped in this stupid mess that Lucy obviously created. Every second we stood here was a second Richard had to tighten the noose.
Richard turned his head then, giving me that look—the one that had worked on me since I was a child. That particular look that was designed to remind me who held the purse strings, who owned the name, and who had the power to crush my future with a single phone call. He expected me to shiver. He expected me to lower my eyes, move back and apologize for the interruption. No way! Not when it involved my WILDCAT.
I scoffed, the sound echoing through the tense silence of the room. I didn’t flinch. I moved closer to him, closing the distance until I was standing right beside Catherine. I could feel the heat radiating off her, the adrenaline still making her tremble slightly.
"Whatever happened here," I said, my voice dropping into a low, dangerous register, "it should be Lucy you’re holding responsible. Not Catherine."
Lucy’s head snapped up. She let out a theatrical gasp, her eyes widening in a way that was meant to look innocent but only looked predatory to me. "Julian! How can you say that? Look at me! She attacked me! Why would I even fight her?"
"Why would you fight her? None of this would have happened if you weren’t lurking where you don’t belong," I countered, then looked Richard dead in the eye. "Catherine only came here to return my phone. I lent it to her earlier because her service was acting up, and she was doing me a favor by dropping it back off before she went to bed. She was doing what I asked."
It was a blatant lie, but I didn’t blink. I needed a reason for her presence that Richard couldn’t pick apart, a reason that made her the "good daughter" and Lucy the interloper.
I turned my gaze back to Lucy, my lip curling in disgust. "As for you... you have absolutely no reason to be in my room at this hour. There’s an obvious reason you started this fight, Lucy. We all know it. It’s written all over your face."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Lucy hissed, her fingers clenching into the silk of her robe.
"Jealousy," I answered simply. "You probably saw her coming into my room, and your dirty brain could only think of the worse things which you couldn’t handle. You’ve been hunting for a reason to put your hands on her since the day you met her, and you thought tonight was another chance to go crazy."
She let out a jagged, ugly laugh. "Jealous? Of her? Julian, you are truly out of your mind! Why would I be jealous of a girl who has nothing? A girl who is only in this house because Richard is charitable? You’re lying just to protect her. It’s pathetic."
"He’s not lying."
The voice came from the doorway. Gabriel moved closer into the room, his posture relaxed in a way that screamed he was ready for a fight. My eyes fell on the darkening bruise over his eye from our earlier ’disagreement,’ but shifted immediately. Right now his gaze was steady as it landed on Lucy.
"I was with Julian earlier when he handed her the phone," he lied with a smooth and convincing voice. He didn’t even look at me; he just stepped up to the other side of Catherine, completing the barrier between her and Richard. "She told us both she’d return it to the room after she was done with her calls. If Lucy was waiting in the shadows to jump her, that’s on her, not Catherine." ƒгeewёbnovel.com
I felt a surge of something like pride for my brother. We had been at each other’s throats an hour ago, but the moment a common enemy appeared, the blood held true. We were a unit.
"This is ridiculous!" Lucy shrieked, her voice rising in pitch until it set my teeth on edge. "Richard, are you listening to this? They’re ganging up on me! They’re making things up to cover for her! She was sneaking around in here, and when I caught her, she turned into a wild animal!"
"The only ’wild’ thing in this room is your obsession with my private life," I shot back. "My brother saw the exchange. I made the request. Catherine followed it. If you have a problem with people being in my room, maybe stay in your own wing and stop acting like a glorified stalker."
Lucy turned to Richard, her face contorting as she prepared to cry—the fake, easy tears that usually got her whatever she wanted. "Richard, listen. I’m the one you chose for your son. I’m the one who is supposed to be part of this family’s future. Are you really going to let them speak to me like this? Over a low life step daughter?"
My jaw tightened at the last question! How fucking dare she!
Before I could speak, someone else did.
For the first time, something we never imagined would happen... happened.
"Lucy! Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare to refer to Catherine as a lowlife stepdaughter, you miserable, spoilt brat!"
