Chapter 128 "Who told you I was just acting on a whim?" Julian asked. Sydney froze. She was sharp enough to catch his meaning between the lines. As long as she stayed soft and obedient, she could be his little sister again, held in the palm of his hand. He would protect her, just as he had for those nine years. But when would he abandon her next? If she agreed now, she knew she would never sleep peacefully again. She pressed her lips together and stepped back, widening the distance. "Mr. Sterling, you must be joking." It was unbelievable.
Sydney was probably the first person in Jouleston bold enough to humiliate Julian to his face-repeatedly. The study grew so quiet one could hear a pin drop. The air turned heavy and stifling. Julian knew she had been stubborn since childhood, but he had never realized how deep that streak ran. Back then, whenever she was upset, she'd behave the same way. He would give her a chance to back down gracefully, and she would refuse, forcing him to lower himself and coax her. He was the Sterling heir. He had never coaxed anyone in his life.
Yet if he didn't, she would cry and cry until his head pounded. Now? She no longer cried. Only defiance remained. For a moment, Sydney wondered if Julian was calculating where to dump her body after killing her. Then he said, "So, no thank you? You only came here to flap your lips?" Caught off guard, Sydney blinked. Then she caught on. "Next time you're free, I'll treat you to dinner?" "No need to wait." Julian glanced at the watch on his wrist, worth the price of a house, then looked at her with mock generosity. "I'm free now." Really?
Was his power so absolute that he no longer bothered to separate polite words from sincere ones? He hadn't always been like this. Sydney opened her mouth to say she didn't have time, but Julian cut her off as if he had read her mind. "You wouldn't just be paying lip service, pretending to invite me without meaning it, would you?" Sydney's toes curled against the floor, her scalp tingling. She muttered, "Of course not. I just don't know which restaurant would be appropriate." "I know one." Julian picked up the suit draped over the chair, slinging it over his arm with practiced ease.
"Let's go." Sydney's brow twitched. She had no choice but to follow him downstairs. Letting Julian lower himself to ride in her car was out of the question. Without waiting for him to speak, she obediently trailed behind him into the back seat of his Bentley. He asked casually, "Haven't been to the lab the past couple of days, have you?" 1/2 Sydney hummed in response. Thinking he was pushing for progress, she quickly explained, "But it hasn't delayed anything.
I've still been attending the research meetings online every day." She had also been discussing possible side effects of the new drug with Marcus. Cancer patients were already so frail. She wanted maximum effectiveness with minimal side effects-ideally, none at all. Her colleagues called the idea naive, but she refused to give up. A doctor's duty was compassion. If people thought of doctors, that was the phrase that should come to mind. She wanted to live up to it. Surprisingly, Julian didn't give her the dismissive look others did.
He simply arched his brow and said, "If you need support from the company-money, resources, anything-just tell Elliot." Sydney stared. "You don't think my idea's unrealistic?" O His expression stayed calm. "Either way, the money I'm letting you burn isn't going to run out." 'Of course. He's beyond rich,' she thought. It made sense, though. If she succeeded, the Sterlings would dominate global medicine. That single drug could keep them on top for a century. If she failed, he would lose only money-and money was the one thing he never lacked. Sydney was about to reply when her phone rang.
She pulled it out to check. Before she even answered, the air in the car turned tight. She picked up Caleb's call coolly. "Hello." "Syd? You're not home?" Caleb's warm voice carried confusion. "Why?" she deflected. "The person delivering the painting said they couldn't reach you. I wanted to check on you anyway, so I came over to sign for it. I'm outside your door now. When will you be back?" His tone was patient. 2/2