Chapter 118
Stephanie and Vincent found themselves with an unexpected visitor late one night. Julianna stood fidgeting with the drawstring of her pajamas at the entrance. She winked at Stephanie and then turned to Vincent, “Um, can I borrow Stephie for the night?”
Vincent’s face turned dark as a storm cloud at her words. He turned to Graham, who had followed Julianna Inside, “Why did you two even come here?”
Pressing his fingertips to his temples, Graham replied, “Julianna and I just got our marriage certificate, so we moved out to live together. She suggested moving here, and who would’ve thought that you guys lived here too, and just a floor apart.”
Julianna stepped forward and looped her arm through Stephanie’s, “I don’t care, I want to sleep with Stephie tonight.”
Patting her hand, Stephanie agreed, “Okay, I’ll stay downstairs with you.”
And so, Graham ended up staying at Stephanie’s place, exchanging looks with Vincent. They sat on the couch, nursing beers. Vincent shot him a cold glance. “Quite the flop for a wedding night.”
Graham took a deep breath, “How could I have foreseen Julianna had such a scheme?”
Vincent scoffed. “Told you to take care of Julianna, and now she’s whisked away my Stephie.”
With a lin
a light chuckle, Graham retorted, “Don’t act all deprived-it’s bad for your health.”
Vincent frowned, “How long do you think this will last?”
Graham just shook his head, “Can’t say for sure!”
Vincent looked at him squarely, serious as could be, “You have three days to sort this out, or our friendship’s over,”
Graham just sighed.
Downstairs, Julianna and Stephanie sat on a white carpet beside the coffee table. Julianna, who had barely ea
eaten at dinner, felt ravenous and had ordered some food. She complained while devouring them, “Graham, that jerk, actually wanted us to move in together and act like a real couple. But I am not some pushover for him to take advantage of. He’s not gonna get any advantages on me, no way!”
Watching her eat like a pufferfish, Stephanie arched an eyebrow, “So, if you don’t like him, why did you get the certificate?”
Caught off guard, Julianna realized she’d just hinted at the complex nature of her relationship with Graham. There had to be a special reason she didn’t marry Graham willingly. Julianna dodged the question, “It’s nothing.”
But Stephanie pressed, “If it’s nothing, then what’s the reason?”
After swallowing a mouthful of food and taking a sip of juice, Julianna said, “He proposed, and I figured why not? With his looks, brains, and family background, he’s top-notch across the country. It’s not a bad deal for me. But the thought of getting too real with the marriage stuff makes me nervous.”
dared not spill the b
the beans about Graham’s threatening gesture, because Stephanie would definitely eliminate Graham for her, and since Graham was Vincent’s friend, it would unavoidably affect Stephanie and Vincent’s relationship. Stephanie and Vincent had such a hard time getting together after all Vincent had been through for her, even ending up in a wheelchair. She couldn’t possibly drag down her dear Stephanie.
Squinting her eyes, Stephanie tried to spot any lies on Julianna’s face, but Julianna was great at hiding her feelings. “Of course it’s true, it’s my first time after all, so I’m nervous. People always say it hurts like heck the first time, is that true?”
Concerned that Julianna was afraid of marriage, Stephanie reassured her, “it’s like being bitten by a mosquito, not painful stall.”
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Chapter 118
Julianna frowned. “So, all that stuff in novels about searing pain… that’s all made up?”
“Yeah.” Stephanie nodded.
“Oh,” Julianna murmured.
“What’s on your mind?” Stéphanie asked.
Nibbling on a dumpling, Julianna said, “Nothing, Stephie, can you hang out with me for a few more days?”
“Of course,” Stephanie said.
Julianna covered her mouth to hide her amusement. “I can picture Vincent now, tossing and turning in bed, looking all pitiful because I stole you away.
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Stephanie thought about how she could finally get a good night’s sleep and felt overjoyed. But she couldn’t say anything so shamelessly in front of *Julianna, so she just smiled and said, “Of course, you are always my number one!”
Juljanna laughed. “That sounded so fake, but I love it.” They tidied up their meal boxes and went to freshen up, then lay on the master bedroom’s king- sized bed, chatting until late into the night.
When Julianna fell asleep, Stephanie checked her phone and found several messages from Vincent.
[Are you asleep?]
[I miss you.]
[Can you not go to Julianna’s place tomorrow? I can’t sleep without you.
Remembering what Julianna had said earlier, Stephanie had to stifle a laugh, Julianna had hit the nail on the head. This time, Stephanie chose friendship over love, it was because she needed some sleep
The two men in the rooms above, both stared out at the moon, feeling lonely and cold.
The next morning. Stephanie made breakfast and brought it downstairs with Julianna.
All four sat at the dining table, Stephanie and Julianna looking fresh, while Vincent and Graham seemed a bit worse for wear.
After breakfast, Julianna and Graham went downstairs. No sooner had they entered than Graham pinned Julianna against the wall, a proximity she wasn’t used to except for that one time under the influence of that drug. She caught her breath, her eyes wide with shock.
Graham quirked a brow, “Avoiding me, huh?”
“I could hardly breathe!” Julianna gasped.
“You stink, I can’t breathe around you,” Julianna said, pushing him back.
“How is that possible?” Graham questioned himself in disbelief.
“How could it not be?” Julianna pushed him aside and ran into the master bedroom, locking the door behind her,
Graham then realized it was just one of Julianna’s tricks. But it didn’t bother him, after all, they already had their marriage certificate. She would eventually be his.
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Meanwhile, feeling a bit guilty, Stephanie looked at Vincent and asked, “Are you mad?”
Vincent was unhappy. “No”
Stephanic approached him with a smile, “Vincent. Don’t be mad
“I texted you last night.”
“I was chatting with Julianna and didn’t notice,” Stephanie kissed his lips gently, attempting to defuse his annoyance. “Still mad?”
How could Vincent stay mad at her? He hugged her tight, “Even though you’re right here, I still miss you so much.”
“Me too”
“So, don’t go to stay with Julianna tonight, okay?” Vincent asked.
No answer came from Stephanie, and Vincent already knew that tonight would be another round of staring matches with Graham. He felt that their mutual annoyance had reached unprecedented levels.
The group split ways with their separate cars in the underground parking lot.
After arriving on set, Stephanie began preparing the costume for her scenes today
Madeline, dressed in an elegant gown, was fixing the delicate buttons when Cathy hurried over. “Madeline, the director wants you to shoot the water scene today since it’s going to rain tomorrow. We need to move the schedule up.”
Stephanie quickly helped Madeline change into the outfit for the water scene and then accompanied Madeline to the riverside, bringing along a warm
blanket.
The river was turbulent in August, making Stephanie worry for Madeline.
Standing by the riverbank, Stephanie watched as Madeline and her scene partner, Julius, acted out their confrontation. Soon it was time for the vicious female rival’s part. She walked over and shoved Madeline fiercely, who fell backward into the rushing waters. Thankfully, there was a safety net underwater, and Madeline was quickly saved out.
Stephanie hurried over, wrapping Madeline in the blanket, while Cathy brought over a cup of hot water.
The scene went very well, it was a wrap-in-one take.
Back in the makeup room, a figure slipped inside. She opened Stephanie’s backpack and caught sight of a stack of sketches that left her in awe-artistic heights she’d never reach.
After snapping photos with her phone, she meticulously replaced the sketches and zipped the backpack as it was.
– her way out, she never expected someone to be watching her with a smug look, making her body stiffen with surprise.
SEND GIFT