Julia stared into the man's light blue eyes, those blue depths filled with an irresistible allure.
From his eyes, she knew she was in trouble.
"This isn't the place to talk. Let's find somewhere else," she said, feeling helpless.
***
At the coffee shop
Silence.Silence..And more silence...
Julia narrowed her eyes, glaring at the man sitting across from her, as if she could bore holes into him with her gaze.
Royce, on the other hand, leisurely sipped his coffee.
Just a while ago in the library, he was eager to know why Julia wanted to have a child, but now he remained silent.
It seemed he expected Julia to speak eventually, especially since he had leverage over her.
"What did I ever do to you? Why are you treating me like this?" Julia finally broke the silence.
Royce let out a cold chuckle, took another sip of his coffee, and slowly placed the cup back on the table. "Just curious."
Julia couldn't help but roll her eyes. "If I tell you, will you delete the photos?"
"No problem."
Julia sighed deeply. "I'm married."
Royce wasn't surprised at all by what he heard. Of course, he knew she was married—he was her husband!
"Oh, your man can't satisfy you?" he asked with a smirk.
Julia Avery lowered her head shyly. "You slept with me last night... you should know, it was my first time, so my husband and I..."
"Then why do you want to have a baby?" Royce asked, his curiosity piqued.
Julia pondered for a moment. "A fortune teller said our family needs a child to ward off bad luck. So, I have to get pregnant within a year."
Royce scrutinized Julia's clear, bright eyes.
Despite their clarity, he still found her explanation a bit dubious.
"You believe in that superstitious nonsense?"
"Believe it or not, it's up to you," she replied.
"To ward off bad luck? Is someone in your family dying?"
As soon as Royce uttered the word "dying," Julia slammed her hand on the table, her face turning pale with anger. "Shut up!"
Royce instinctively looked at Julia. She seemed so delicate and fragile, but in that moment, he saw a stubborn strength in her eyes.
Julia realized she had overreacted to the word "dying" and quickly turned her head away.
"Anyway, it's very important to me. I have to have a baby within a year," she insisted.
"Then why don't you ask your husband?" Royce questioned.
"My husband?" Julia turned back to him, looking incredulous. "That bald old man? I don't even know if he can have kids!"
"Bald old man?"
Royce instinctively touched his head. He wasn't bald at all! His hair was healthy and handsome! Why would she say that?
Thinking back, on the day of the marriage registration, he had gone golfing with Lionel Gonzalez. His secretary, Dorian, and the family butler, Ignatius, had handled the paperwork. Ignatius, who was in his fifties and indeed bald, must have been mistaken for him.
Julia knocked on the table, snapping Royce back to reality. "If I told you that I haven't seen my husband even once in the year we've been married, would you believe me?"
Royce certainly believed her. If she had seen him, they wouldn't be sitting here talking!
"That's hard to believe," he replied, feigning skepticism.
Julia shook her head. "I knew you wouldn't believe me, but it's true. I haven't seen him. I don't even know his name. On our wedding day, I just filled out my part of the paperwork and signed.
Just as I was about to see what my husband's name was, that annoying secretary snatched the marriage certificate away."
Royce silently thought, "Well done, Dorian."
"Oh."
"And then, they dumped me in a villa and left me alone."
"Oh, and why would they do that?" Royce asked, pretending not to know the answer.
Julia pinched her chin thoughtfully. "I guess he might be too ugly and afraid for me to see him. Or maybe he's impotent and doesn't want to embarrass himself. Or perhaps he just wants to use me to ward off bad luck."
Royce felt extremely uncomfortable hearing this, but he couldn't refute it. After all, he had a devilishly handsome face and was strong and enduring. How could he be impotent?
"There might be other reasons," Royce said with a forced laugh.
"So, I'm really in a tough spot. Please let me go," Julia immediately grabbed Royce's hand, looking at him with pitiful eyes, tears almost spilling out. As a professionally trained actress, she had mastered this skill.
Seeing her pitiful expression, Royce's heart skipped a beat. This little girl was truly endearing.
"I've told you everything. Can you delete the photos now?" Julia pleaded.
Royce coughed twice. "I can delete them, but you have to agree to one condition."
Julia's face changed instantly. "Don't push your luck. I told you everything you wanted to know. You promised to delete them once I did!"
Royce waved his phone. "I have the upper hand here. I know you didn't tell the whole truth, but I'm no longer interested."
"You—" Julia gritted her teeth. This man was really difficult to deal with. "Fine, what's your condition? Tell me!"
Royce smirked. "Let me sleep with you one more time."
"You shameless pig!" Julia wanted to slap that handsome face of his.
"I'm shameless? You're a married woman going out to sleep with other men. Aren't you shameless? I'm not married. What's wrong with me looking for women?"
"You—"
Julia was on the verge of losing her mind. She regretted her decisions so deeply it felt like her insides were twisting.
People always said you couldn't trust a pretty woman, but a handsome man was even worse!
"Anyway, you've already cheated on your husband once. What's one more time?" Royce glanced at Julia with a smirk.
He wanted to see if she dared to cheat on her husband again!
"No way! I have principles. The only reason I slept with you was because I had no choice. It was to have a baby!"
"Does it make a difference? Besides, what if you didn't get pregnant? We might as well try again tonight. Who knows, it might work this time." Royce winked.
Julia bit her lip.
Honestly, she couldn't bring herself to do it a second time. Her conscience wouldn't allow it.
"Take your time to think. I'm in no rush," Royce said, leaning back on the couch and sipping his coffee.
Time ticked away, second by second.
Julia's mind was in turmoil.
If Royce didn't delete those photos, and they got out, her life would be ruined.
If she were just an ordinary person, it might not matter as much. But she was aiming to become an actress, and those photos could destroy her career.
But if she slept with Royce again, her conscience would never forgive her.
After all, she was trying to have a baby because...
"I..."
Just as Julia Avery was about to speak, her phone rang urgently.
"Let me take this call first." Julia pressed the answer button. "Hello, what did you say? My husband is coming home?!"