Chapter b229 /b

    Julian had never taken Caleb seriously. He didn’t take his eyes off Willow, but his words were directed at Caleb. “Everyone’s preferences change with time. Yours have changed, too, haven’t they?”

    Caleb gnashed his teeth angrily, but Annie was both amused and exasperated. How could he possibly stand a chance against Julian when it came to arguing?

    She hurriedly dragged him away after giving Willow a heads–up. “We’re gonna go. You two take your time catching up.”

    Willow smiled helplessly as she watched them leave.

    Julian looked at her. “I thought Jeffrey would be the first person you’d meet for a meal upon your

    return.”

    She said, “You’re right. I ate with him and Rosabelle two days ago.”

    He fell silent. After a brief silence, he asked, “Why didn’t you let me know you wereing back? Why didn’t you ask me out for a meal?”

    She looked into his eyes. When she realized he wasn’t joking, she smiled faintly. “Is it even necessary for us to eat together, Julian? Grandma and Landon are gone, and all our love and hatred have faded after three years.

    “We’ve both moved on and are leading new lives. Since you’ve started going on blind dates, you should stop saying amorous things that don’t carry any weight. Just act as you normally would, okay?”

    She even paid Sacha apliment. “The woman from earlier looked pretty nice.”

    She seemed to have truly let the past go and moved on. She no longer loved or hated him.

    Julian fell silent. He pulled out a box of cigarettes from his pocket but merely ced it on the table because no one was allowed to smoke in the restaurant. He looked at it for a while before forcing a smile. “She is pretty nice.”

    What else could he say? Could he tell Willow he was going on blind dates and looking to get married again because Landon’s condition required umbilical cord blood? Would she think he was forcing her to be with him again? Would she look at him scornfully again?

    He was desperate for the bliss she could bring him, but was willing to let her go. Still, she deserved

    to know about Landon.

    Julian racked his brains for the right way to tell Willow about Landon. He wanted to give her a buffer so she could ept that Landon was still alive; he didn’t want her to have a breakdown and embarrass herself in a restaurant.

    His face carried a trace of nostalgia under the dazzling lights. He started, “Willowb, /bour-‘

    He was interrupted by her ringtone.

    She said, “Sorry. I need to take this.”

    She answered the call–it was from Patrick. His daughter, Thalia Sherman, had gotten into trouble at kindergarten. It seemed she’d bullied another kid

    Patrick was busy, so he wanted to ask Willow to help him.

    He was one of Insight’s biggest clients and had spent over a billion dors over the past three or four years. It was perfectly eptable for him to ask Willow to clean up after him, let alone Thalia.

    Patrick’s voice was loud, so even Julian heard him over the phone. Once Willow hung up, he deliberately asked, “Was that your boyfriend?”

    She couldn’t be bothered to deny. She wanted to ask for the bill, but he stopped her with his left hand and looked at her. “We don’t get to eat together every day. Take this as me weing you back.”

    The lights illuminated his face, making him look just like he had in the basement garage all those years back. Hisshes were lowered slightly, casting shadows on his handsome face and making him seem more tender than usual.

    Willow couldn’t help feeling dazed. Memories of the past washed over her, but they were filled with sorrow and unhappiness.

    She kept herposure and smiled faintly before insisting that she wanted to pay. Then, she left.

    Once she was gone, Julian looked down at the tableden with dishes. Only then did it ur to him that she hadn’t touched the food since he’d taken his seat.

    It turned out it wasn’t that Willow didn’t hate him anymore. She’d just gotten better at pretending

    that she didn’t.

    Still, who could he me? His youth, his happy family, his children, and his arm… Who could he me for all of these things?

    He slowly got up and left the restaurant, getting into a ck car. At that moment, his phone rang. It was a call from Landon’s kindergarten.

    Chapter b230 /b