by Jerilee Kaye
Justin sighed and placed a kiss on Adrienne’s forehead.
“Well, you’re right. Jared has all the family he needs right here.”
“And he’s welcome in my family too,” Adrienne said. “Even Jin was completely besotted with him and I thought he had a heart of stone.”
“Why do you keep saying that?”
“Well, when Jin was younger, he was a playboy but he was also very charming and sweet,” Adrienne replied. “But recently, he just became careless. He disregarded people’s emotions. With women, for example, he wasn’t afraid to show them that there’s nothing in the future for them. That everything is temporary. They couldn’t expect him to fall for them at all.”
“Well, I thought Justin was just as cold before he met you. And now, look! He still cannot get his hands off you! Several years and three kids later,” Julianne teased.
“Hey, I have my reasons. All my life, I was raised with the knowledge that I was arranged to be married to some heiress I did not know. I was trained not to fall for any woman because I wasn’t free to commit to them.” Justin looked at his wife tenderly. “But I believed in love. And I think the moment I met Adrienne, I’d always known I was going to fall hard for her and I was hopeless to fight it.”
“It’s a good thing I was the heiress you were arranged to marry. Or else, your parents might have banished you and we’d both be living in Italy for the rest of our lives.”
“Well, that’s not too bad either,” Justin said. “Mason is sporting his banishment just fine.”
“True,” Adrienne agreed. “But going back to Jin, he’s a more serious case. He was free to fall in love and choose a wife, and yet he doesn’t seem to be taking good advantage of his situation.”
“I thought you said he’s about to be engaged.”
“Yes. That’s not entirely against his will. He’s going to propose because it’s expected of him, and because it’s good for business. He’s choosing that path because he’s weighed in all the pros and cons. And like I said, he has a heart of stone. He’s incapable of falling in love. So, he’s spared from all the drama of choosing between marrying for love or marrying for business advantages.”
“No one is incapable of falling in love,” Julianne disagreed.
“Well, maybe Jin was,” Justin said. “He’s a serious case. Sorry, hon.” He smiled at his wife apologetically.
“He’s old enough to know what’s right and wrong. My stepdad was pressuring him for an heir too. Somebody has to inherit all that empire. So, I guess he’s chosen the perfect woman to marry. Somebody who has beautiful genes to make beautiful babies with and at the same time gain him the needed advantage to make Starck Corp the unprecedented number one hotel chain in the world.”
“Well, I feel for the guy,” Justin said. “If he only knew that there was no more beautiful feeling than having beautiful children with the woman you fall in love with over and over every day. And Adams Industries’ financial reports are at its highest compared to previous generations. The success of my company is not because I married for business at all. Inspiration can give you all the advantages you need.”
“I tried talking Jin out of it months ago,” Adrienne said. “But he’s made up his mind. He’s going to propose to Vanessa even though he’s made it completely clear that he’s not in love with her.”
“Well, good luck to Vanessa Bernard,” Julianne giggled. “I’m sure, as an heiress, she could totally hold her own.”
“Or good luck to Jin,” Justin said, his voice sounded a little worried. “I heard she could be quite a handful.”
“I’m sure. Some said she’s quite a brat. But then again, who could blame her? She was born having everything at her beck and call.” Adrienne sighed heavily.
“Hey, I grew up getting everything with a flick of my fingers but I was never a brat,” Julianne said. “It’s a good thing I was level-headed. Because, look at me now, all banished and disinherited.”
“You’re doing great, cuz,” Justin smiled at Julianne proudly. “And someday, Uncle Edward will realize that.”
“You’re holding on to that hope the same way you’re hoping Mason’s parents will take him back?” Julianne asked raising a brow.
“Mason never asked for his parents’ forgiveness,” Justin replied.
“Maybe I won’t either,” Julianne said. “I did that plenty of times in the past. He never listened. And now, I’m just overwhelmed by the fact that my son couldn’t be accepted by his own grandparents.”
“When they meet Jared, they will fall in love with him,” Adrienne said encouragingly.
Julianne shook her head. “If they don’t? And if they can’t even bear to look at him? What will I tell my son?”
“We’ll do it slowly. One step at a time,” Justin said. “I don’t want Jared to experience rejection either.”
“I’ll think about it,” Julianne said firmly. “Anyway, what about you two? Any plans for more kids?”
Adrienne blushed and Justin hugged her to him, laughing.
“It might be sooner than you think,” Justin said. “I hope we’ll be blessed with another set.”
Adrienne’s eyes widened as she stared at her husband. “What do you mean set?”
Justin shrugged. “This family is so blessed with twins anyway. I hope to be lucky again and get another set of twins. I want a big family. It’s lonely growing up alone.”
“How big are we talking about exactly?” Adrienne asked nervously.
“At least five kids,” Justin said with pleadingly.
“Oh you guys! You can have a dozen kids and you can still give them the best in life. Don’t worry too much about it, Adrienne. Did Justin tell you the size of his trust fund?”
Justin laughed. “What trust fund? I lost all of my funds the moment I got married.”
“What the hell do you mean?” Julianne asked, quite alarmed. Justin could not have spent all that money!
“I meant that I turned it over to Adrienne to manage,” Justin looked at his wife lovingly.
He looked completely whipped and for a moment, Julianne couldn’t help wishing that a man would look at her like that someday.
“For your information, Mister Adams, we have barely touched that money. I was preventing you from spending it all on your luxury car collection.”
“These cars will all go to our kids someday. I was just test-driving it for them.”
“Men and their love for engines,” Julianne said, shaking her head.
She watched Jared who was happily sprawled on the floor, exploring his huge art set.
“You should encourage your son to paint, Ian. He’s got a lot of potential. Not many kids can paint as well as him at this age,” Justin said, watching Jared too.
“He’s a painter, isn’t he?” Adrienne asked Julianne in a cool, careful voice.
“Hmm… a French man who paints for a living,” Justin said, picking up another clue about the identity of Jared’s father.
“Give it a rest, Justin,” Julianne said. “I won’t tell you. You’ll end up murdering him anyway. And I don’t want blood on your hands.”
“I was just wondering…” Justin shook his head as he watched his nephew. “Who wouldn’t want to be the father of that sweet, smart, talented and beautiful kid?”
“Justin’s right. Even my brother will be quite ready to adopt him,” Adrienne said.
Jeffrey peeked into the room and called Jared. The two boys ran off to the garden to play.
Julianne felt a pinch in her heart. She loved the man who gave her Jared. She could be in love with him still. Maybe she will love him forever. It was her fault he never knew his son. He didn’t deserve to be judged like this by her family. But how could she explain this to them now?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a phone ringing. It was Jared’s. She gave him a phone so she could call him when he was in Paris.
“Who could be calling him aside from me?” Julianne asked Adrienne, who merely shrugged in respon
se. She answered the phone.
“Hey kiddo, how are you doing?” a man asked on the other line.
“Excuse me, who is this?”
“Oops. You must be Ian, huh,” the man said.
“And you are?”
“Jin Starck,” he replied. “Adrienne’s brother.”
“Oh. Yeah. Hi. This is Jared’s mother,” Julianne said. “I’m just looking at the stuff you bought for my son. You shouldn’t have. I know it’s expensive. I’ll pay you back.”
“Hell, no! It’s nothing compared to the joy he felt when I gave it to him. That moment was priceless,” Jin said. “Your son is absolutely a joy to have around.”
“Okay. Well, then, thank you.”
“No problem.”
Julianne tried to paint a mental picture of Jin Starck. Adrienne said they look a little bit like each other but with her angelic features, Julianne could not seem to picture a male version of her.
“Jared is in the garden playing with his cousins. I’ll tell him that you called.”
“Yes, please. I promised him I’d check up on him like I check up on Jeffrey and the twins.”
“That’s really sweet of you,” Julianne said. “Thank you.”
“No worries. It was nice talking to you, Ian.”
Julianne stared at Adrienne after she hung up the phone.
“That was your brother calling my son,”
“Before we left, Jared made him swear he’d call him. Jin usually calls my kids to check up on them. Jared asked him to call him too.”
“Your brother sounded sweet… unlike the heartless man you were just talking to me about.”
“Well that’s a side of him he only shows to family.”
“He’s like me in a way,” Justin said. “There’s nothing we won’t do for our family.” He looked at his wife again. “There’s nothing I won’t do for you and our kids, honey.”
“I know,” Adrienne said. She leaned forward and kissed Justin on the lips.
“I thought your brother was French,” Julianne remarked.
“Three quarters.”
“He doesn’t have a French accent.”
“Sometimes he has. Most of the time he loses it. English was his first language anyway. He’s multi-lingual. I guess it’s easy to lose the accent after you’ve lived in too many different cities.”
“I wish I met your family the last time they visited here.”
“You’ll meet them soon. They know about you already. Your son couldn’t stop talking about you.”
Julianne laughed. “I hope he said nice things about me.”
“Of course, he did. He’s been telling them that you’re the most beautiful lady he’s ever seen.”
Justin began laughing.
“And you find that funny because?” Julianne asked, pretending to be offended.
“I’m sorry. It’s not that. I just remembered one time when Jeffrey told Jin that you’re prettier than any of the girls he’s seen him dating. Jin didn’t know what to say to that. He was so embarrassed to hear that from a child.”
“No thanks, Jeffrey. I don’t think an heir will ever be interested in me.”
Justin raised a brow at her. “What are you talking about? You’re absolutely beautiful, Ian. Don’t sell yourself short.”
“Remember when I first met you, Ian? When I thought you spent the night at Justin’s place?” Adrienne asked.
“How could I forget that?” Julianne giggled. Adrienne broke up with Justin, when she thought she slept in Justin’s apartment, not knowing they were cousins. That was the first time Julianne saw Justin bawl over a girl.
“I thought you were very beautiful,” Adrienne said. “You were like a Barbie doll in the flesh. Even your voice was a perfect pitch. I thought any guy would fall for you. And you know what? You’re even more beautiful now.”
“Why would you think that no heir would fall for you?” Justin asked, slightly irritated.
“I would be happy to set you up with my brother, if he wasn’t the ruthless, heartless scoundrel that he is now. You deserve better than a man who doesn’t believe that a woman could put him under her spell and he’d willingly follow her to the ends of the earth. You’re too good and too pure for that devil. But trust me, the minute he lays eyes on you, he’d be cursing the day I married Justin because that made you technically related and it means he cannot include you in the list of women he can play with.”
“It’s not that, Yen,” Julianne said. She suddenly felt uneasy and a bit embarrassed. “I’m a single mother. I’m not sure a good, single guy would take another man’s child into his home. I’ve seen this happen in real life. And I don’t know if I can risk Jared’s feelings for that. No man is worth it unless he loves my kid the same way he loves me. We’re a package deal now.”
“I’m sure you will find a good man someday. And he will love not just you, but Jared as well.”
“Even if I don’t, it’s okay. Jared’s feelings and his well-being goes first. I want to focus on his future. That’s what matters most now.”
“Well, don’t close your doors, Ian. Who knows? The man you need is just around the corner. And the time you will meet him is sooner than you think.”
Julianne forced a smile at Adrienne. She admired her positivity. But in her own thoughts, she seriously doubted that Adrienne was right.
3.
Julianne got out of the Adams’s limo in a hurry. It was not like her to be late for a meeting, but today, she couldn’t help it. The whole house was in a chaos. Almost everybody in the Adams’s mansion was preparing to travel to Paris and she was no exception. She promised Adrienne weeks ago that she would go with them this time and Jared was already looking forward to it. She couldn’t afford to disappoint her son, or her cousin-in-law.
However, Justin had some last minute requests that she also couldn’t say no to. Today, of all days, was the only time she could meet with River Jefferson so she could assess the possibility of a partnership with Adams Industries. She had to finish all her meetings as Adrienne requested her undivided attention for a full week while they’re in Paris. She had to move her meeting with Mister Jefferson until after office hours. Justin informed her that Mister Jefferson could only be available at seven in the evening and as a courtesy for moving it so late, Justin arranged for it to be a dinner meeting instead.
“Reservations for Mister Jefferson,” she told the lady at the reception.
The lady smiled brightly at her. “Sure. Mister Jefferson is already here.”
“Shoot,” she muttered under her breath.
“Sweetheart, you may wanna check your hair,” the lady whispered to her.
“Sorry, it’s windy outside,” Julianne said. “Thanks.”
She stole a quick look at the mirror beside the counter. Her hair was disheveled, which was so much unlike her. She was always organized, always on time. She quickly combed her hair with her fingers as best she could.
She followed the lady as she led her to the VIP section of the restaurant. A guy with dark blonde hair was sitting on one of the tables, reading something on his phone.
“Mister Jefferson?”
The guy looked up at her with his beautiful green eyes. He blinked for a while, as if he was not expecting her at all. When he quickly recovered, he stood up and held out a chair for her.
“I’m sorry. You must be… Ian? Justin’s VP for Corporate Strategy?”
“Yes. Julianne Sanders,” she replied.
“River Jefferson,” he held out his hand to her.
She shook his hand and sat the on chair opposite him.
“I’m sorry, I have been expecting somebody else,” River said apologetically.
“What did Justin tell you?”
“He didn’t say much. But he was quite adamant that I meet with his Head of Corporate Strategy tonight.”
“I’m sorry. I’m leaving for Paris tomorrow. This is the only time I have this week. Otherwise, you would have to wait until next week.”
“Next week, I’m in Italy. And I won’t be back until end of the month,” River said.
“Well, that’s why Justin insisted we see each other tonight.”
River looked at Julianne for a moment and he shook his head slightly. There was amusement on his face.
“Excuse me, is something wrong?” Julianne’s voice was cold. She knew that her hair fell short of VP for Corporate Strategy material at the moment, but she’s here to let River Jefferson know she meant business.
River shook his head. “Nothing, really.”
“No, seriously, tell me,” she insisted.
River smiled at her brightly. Although she already looked irritated, he didn’t seem intimidated or even slightly discouraged. It seemed that nothing could dampen this guy’s spirit.
“Julianne Sanders, you said, right?” he asked and Julianne nodded. “Any chance you’re related to Gian Sanders?”
“He’s my twin brother.”
“So, you’re related to Justin.”
“Yes. We’re cousins.”
The amusement on River’s face seemed to spread even more.
“Is something funny, Mister Jefferson?”
He shook his head. “I’m not sure yet. But we’ll figure it out together,” he replied. Then he opened his laptop for his presentation.
Although Julianne was slightly irritated, she was obliged to listen. She wasn’t used to guys saying cryptic things to her. Most of the guys she met recently were pretty straightforward. And they always made their interest in her quite obvious. But River Jefferson didn’t do that. Moreover, he seemed to be enjoying his own private joke.
After the presentation, Julianne was disappointed to hear that River Jefferson’s Asian operations would only be fully up and running by end of the year. They had a very strong portfolio in the container shipment business in Europe, but not yet in Asia.
How could Justin not foresee this? This was just a waste of her time.
It took a moment for her to realize that River was already finished with his presentation. He was looking at her thoughtfully. Julianne shook herself back to reality.
“Does Justin know that your Asian business is not yet operational?”
