Julian Sterling remained silent, allowing the man to continue his playful doting. Julian closed his eyes and leaned back against Ethan Caldwell: "They are likely waiting for our reaction, more specifically, how you and I respond. Perhaps they are testing whether the Caldwell family still prizes "chastity", or if this situation brings you a sense of humiliation. They are also waiting to see my own reaction: whether I will explode in rage, lash out online, or remain silent and let you handle everything. A prey cornered usually reveals its flaws. They want to see if public pressure will cause us to panic and lose our footing. If we make even the smallest misstep, they will imdiately seize the opportunity to amplify the issue a hundredfold."
"And how do you intend to react?"
"That is my question for you." Julian sat up slightly, turning his head to et the man’s gaze: "I should be asking how you plan to handle this. Tell , do you find it shaful?"
"What is there to be ashad of? You are the victim here. If there is any sha to be felt, it is in my own lack of ability to protect you. That is my failing, and it has nothing to do with you. Any sha I feel is strictly born of self-reproach regarding my own competence." Ethan Caldwell’s grip around Julian’s waist tightened. A dangerous, razor-sharp glint flickered in the depths of Ethan’s eyes at the thought of soone scheming against Julian. Ethan would never permit anyone to use Julian’s dignity as a plaything.
"Have you been watching movies lately, Ethan Caldwell? You have beco quite silver-tongued, knowing exactly how to coax ." Julian’s eyes crinkled with amusent: "But people are saying I appeared as if I were practically unclothed before the world."
Ethan narrowed his eyes, his voice dropping to a low, hushed murmur: "If that were truly the case... that person would not have left with their life." Though his words were soft, they carried a tangible, icy killing intent that seed to drop the surrounding temperature by several degrees. Ethan was not jesting, anyone who dared to cross his ultimate bottom line would surely pay an exorbitant price.
Despite the man’s hushed tone, their proximity allowed Julian Sterling to catch every word. Julian clicked his tongue and raised a hand, pressing an index finger against Ethan Caldwell’s lips: "Now, what kind of talk is that? We are law-abiding citizens, are we not?"
"Is that so?" Ethan replied nonchalantly, casually catching Julian’s finger between his teeth and giving it a light, playful nip. Julian did not offer a rebuttal, only responding with a knowing wink.
n like them were hardly paragons of untainted virtue. Such remarks were rely their way of teasing one another. Or at least, for now, Julian’s physical self could still be considered "pure". But as for Ethan Caldwell? For a conglorate as massive as the Caldwell Empire to exist, there were bound to be dark corners beyond the reach of the law. Perhaps it was not excessively sordid, but it was far from pristine. To ascend to the peak of the power pyramid, whose hands had not been brushed by a bit of black mud? In this cutthroat business world, "compliance with the law" was sotis rely a veil for the naive. Legal grey areas and clandestine deals that could never see the light of day coexisted alongside the high-society glamour.
"Very well, jokes aside. What do you plan to do?"
Seeing the man turn serious, Julian Sterling ceased his teasing and shared his own plan. Ethan Caldwell frowned upon hearing the suggestion to let the matter escalate: "But that will only make the online vitriol even more vitriolic. If we remain silent, they will only push further. Can you endure that? Julian, have you truly thought this through?"
"Rest assured, I can handle it. It is no problem at all." Julian patted the back of Ethan’s hand comfortingly: "I know exactly what I am doing. Furthermore, it is only to let public opinion simr for a while. Afterward, I will post from my personal account. At that point, the Caldwell Empire can release a statent regarding the lawsuit, accompanied by formal lawyer letters. That should serve as a sufficient deterrent."
"Simply suppressing the posts is not the answer. I could make one trending topic vanish, but they could easily manufacture dozens or hundreds more. Even if they cannot post publicly, they will still whisper behind our backs or create private chat groups. We might as well kill the chicken to warn the monkeys. Besides, it provides an opening for the mastermind behind the scenes to reveal themselves."
Feeling the man’s hand caressing his neck as a comforting gesture, Julian Sterling couldn’t help but grasp Ethan’s hand and ask: "What is it? Do you not like doing this?"
"I don’t want you to have to see those insults." Ethan Caldwell replied.
"I told you I’m fine."
"Before, when Grandpa Arthur first ca to discuss the marriage between us, he asked if you were alright with it, and you said it was fine." Ethan Caldwell paused for a mont before continuing: "But the second ti I heard news regarding you, Julian Sterling, it was that my fiancé had nearly died by suicide."
Julian Sterling understood what the man ant. Because Julian’s reaction in the original novel had been so extre, Ethan Caldwell was currently worried, fearing that Julian might be suffering from psychological issues. After all, the man had no way of knowing that this body was now inhabited by a different soul, and that the current Julian was no longer a fragile youth with a brittle psyche.
Julian was now soone no less experienced than Ethan Caldwell, having weathered his share of blood and storms. However, this was not sothing Julian could easily tell the man. Thus, Julian had to find a way to coax him. Julian buried himself in Ethan Caldwell’s embrace, pressing his face against Ethan’s chest so the man wouldn’t have a chance to see his expression clearly: "Because then was not like now."
"In that rare, fleeting mont back then, I truly thought my existence in this world was aningless. So much effort resulted only in hurt from my family. The future was so bleak I didn’t know which way to walk, and I was being provoked by Aaron Sterling. But things are different now. Now, I have you, Ethan Caldwell."
"You trust that much?"
The man’s question caused Julian Sterling to freeze for a mont.
Did Julian really trust this man that much?
Without him realizing it, Julian’s guard against Ethan Caldwell had dropped to such a low level. He had co to accept trust, allowing Ethan to see his monts of greatest vulnerability.
"With everything you have done for over this period, and the way you treat , Ethan Caldwell, I trust you."
"I only hope that in the future, you do not betray this trust. Otherwise, Ethan Caldwell, once you betray , I will drag you down to death with , even if it costs my own life."
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