CHAPTER 65: VIEW ONCE

Julian’s POV

I was in my car, engine already running, waiting for Lucy to join me. She’d been whining for ice cream all evening, and somehow I’d said yes.

A few seconds later, she appeared and got into the car, "sorry for keeping you waiting, I was looking for one pair of my shoes."

"Sure, no problem."

I was about to drive off when I realized my phone wasn’t with me, not even my wallet. "Damn it," I muttered. "How the hell would I have paid for anything with my phone or my cards?

"Julian, is there a problem?" Lucy asked, noticing the little shift in my body language and expression.

"I forgot my phone and wallet. I’ll go and get them now," she nodded and with a low sigh, I turned off the ignition and headed back inside.

When I got to my room, the door was wide open. I was sure I’d closed it before leaving.

Just then, I walked into my room and stopped moving when I saw Catherine there.

She was standing by the dresser, bent slightly, rummaging through my things. My first instinct was disbelief. For a second, I thought maybe I’d walked into the wrong room but no, those were my clothes, my desk, my things. And her small frame standing there like she owned the place.

What the hell was she looking for!

"What are you doing in my room?"

She jumped so hard she almost dropped whatever was in her hand. Her head whipped around, and I was met with her widened eyes, she looked guilty.

"Jesus, Julian!" she gasped, pressing a hand to her chest. "You have to stop doing this... jumping in on me like that!"

I blinked, then let out a short, dry laugh. "You’re in my room, Catherine. If anyone’s jumping in on anyone, it’s you."

That shut her up. Her lips parted like she had something to say, but the words never came.

I crossed my arms, watching her fidget. "I’ll ask again, what are you doing in my room?"

She hesitated, eyes darting around like she was searching for an escape hatch. Then her hand went to the back of her neck, scratching nervously.

"I—uh—network," she blurted.

I raised a brow. "Network?"

"Yeah." She forced out a laugh that sounded very fake. "You know the Wi-Fi in my room is terrible, so I just... came here."

I stared at her. "This is a ten-bedroom mansion. If you needed a network, you could’ve gone anywhere. Why my room?"

She swallowed, still wearing that fake little smile that told me she was lying through her teeth. "It’s just closer," she said weakly.

"You’re lying. I saw you going through my things. What exactly were you looking for?"

She didn’t answer. I started walking toward her slowly.

Her eyes widened a fraction. She took a step back until her hip hit the edge of my desk. I stopped midway, not because I wanted to spare her but because I didn’t trust myself to get closer.

"What do you really want from me, Catherine?" I asked quietly. "Is this one of your petty ways of getting at me?"

Her eyes flicked up to mine, like she didn’t understand what I was saying.

"One minute, you’re telling me to stay out of your way," I continued. "The next, you’re in my own way. Which one is it?"

"That’s not what I meant," she said quickly, shaking her head.

I frowned. "What part do you not mean? Asking me to stay out of your way... or invading mine the next minute?"

She swallowed again, her throat moving delicately, and then her tongue darted out to wet her lower lip.

That single action always made something sharp twist in my chest. I noticed those pinky lips of hers looked softer whenever she was nervous.

For a stupid second, all I could think about was how good they tasted and how easy it would be to close the distance between us and claim them again.

I clenched my jaw and looked away, forcing the thought down. "Get out," I muttered.

She didn’t move. Of course she didn’t.

I felt her staring at me, like she was searching for something to say, some excuse that would make all this less awkward but I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to hear her.

So I shook my head, brushed past her, and went straight to my dresser. My wallet was lying there, right beside my phone. I grabbed both, slipped them into my pocket, and didn’t spare her another glance. "You can stay in the room as long as you want but make sure you don’t take anything out."

With that said, I turned and walked out.

The minute I was outside the room, it felt like I heard her call my name, in a soft and almost pleading way. I didn’t care. I wasn’t supposed to.

The last thing I needed was another confusing encounter with Catherine Brown.

Halfway down the hall, I spotted Lucy bouncing toward me.

"Julian! I came to find you, since you were taking forever to come back!" she said, frowning as she reached for my hand.

I caught her hand quickly and turned her around before she could look into my room. "Let’s go. It’s getting late."

She blinked up at me but shrugged. "Okay!"

I led her outside and opened the car door for her. She started chatting immediately about which flavor she wanted, but I barely heard her. My body was in the car, but my thoughts were still upstairs with Catherine.

Why the hell was she in my room?

I reached for my phone out of habit and went straight to my messenger, only to see that Catherine had sent me a message. I frowned, entering it.

She sent a "view once" message.

I hesitated, as my thumb hovered over the screen.

Why was she sending me a hidden photo?

My mind told me to ignore it, that it was probably one of her little games but curiosity won.