Chapter 96
Lexi bristled, refusing to meet his gaze.
“Even if I had these, they’re earned through effort and carry meaning. If you don’t come… you’re doomed,” he said, tossing one ticket onto her lap.
An audacious idea crossed her mind.
Once Sebastian was gone, she sent the ticket to Lauren via courier, signed with his name.
Lexi felt a small thrill of satisfaction—but still, a hollow ache lingered in her chest.
She was poisoning herself with thoughts of him.
The only cure was distance.
Returning to the hospital, she pressed the elevator button to the eighteenth floor, to Julian’s room.
As the doors slid open, Simone, in a beige trench coat and black sunglasses, appeared.
She smiled bitterly, as though surprised to see Lexi.
“Well, Lexi… what a coincidence,” she said softly.
“Miss Simone, what are you doing here? Are you feeling unwell p>
Lexi noticed the subtle paleness of her old friend and asked with genuine concern.
Simone removed her black sunglasses, ran her fingers through her perfectly styled curls, and shook her head softly.
“I’m fine. I just heard that an old friend had been hospitalized, so I came to check on him p>
Her eyes were slightly red, and there was something off in her expression—as if she had been crying.
Simone had been tied up with Blackwood family business dealings for days, but when she heard about Julian’s accident, she pushed everything aside to come.
Even knowing that she and Julian could never be together, seeing his stoic, distant expression still pierced her heart.
After all, they had once loved each other deeply.
Simone noticed Lexi’s questioning glance and forced a smile.
“It’s nothing. Just some dust in my eyes from the wind earlier p>
Lexi nodded but didn’t press further.
She knew better than to dig into Simone’s secrets—it was already complicated enough without adding more layers.
After being escorted by her bodyguards, She left.
Lexi, still puzzled, pressed the elevator button.
The day was bright, clear, not a hint of wind.
And a hospital… dust?
None of it made sense.
She gave up trying to figure it out.
Some mysteries weren’t hers to solve—at least not yet.
When Lexi pushed open the hospital room door, Julian stood in front of the large floor-to-ceiling windows.
His white striped hospital gown hung loosely over his frame, the slight sagging of the fabric only emphasizing his quiet solitude.
His gaze was distant, as if lost in thoughts Lexi couldn’t reach.
“Julian, you’re not fully recovered yet. Don’t rush to get out of bed p>
Lexi stepped forward, offering him a small bunch of grapes, then gently tried to coax him back toward the bed.
He picked one grape, rolling it between his fingers before placing it in his mouth.
The sweet, cold juice slid down, a refreshing chill that settled deep into his chest, like the first bite of autumn rain.
“Lexi… go ahead and get my discharge papers p>
After a moment of silence, Julian turned his gaze toward her, a faint, determined smile tugging at his lips.
Lexi frowned.
His stubbornness worried her.
“Julian… your body is still weak. Stay a little longer. The family will handle business matters; don’t push yourself so hard p>
He reached out, running his fingers through her hair, his expression both tender and bittersweet.
“You worry too much. I know my body better than anyone. I just… need a change of scene, a change of mood. It’ll help me heal faster p>
The truth was simple: Julian wanted distance from Simone.
He needed to sever any lingering ties, any foolish longings.
He wanted to focus solely on Lexi—the girl who had quietly captured his heart.
Seeing his resolve, Lexi sighed.
There was no arguing; she completed the discharge process.
Julian moved to the outskirts, settling into a Reed family villa—a secluded sanctuary far from the chaos of New York’s streets.
Birds sang in the gardens, and natural hot springs bubbled nearby—a perfect place for recovery.
Lexi often visited, helping him plant flowers and vegetables in the gardens.
It was a rare peace, a brief escape from the danger and schemes that always lurked in their world.
But happiness was fleeting.
Lauren recovered from her illness and soon resumed filming her historical drama, The emperor’s heart.
Lexi had landed the lead role, her first as a main actress, carrying the full weight of production on her shoulders.
Between costumes, makeup, and memorizing archaic lines, Lexi’s days blurred into exhaustion.
Today’s scene was one of the classic rivalries: the proud and arrogant Empress Leah humiliating Marie by forcing her to kneel outside the palace hall.
Lexi’s hands were blistered from the long kneeling, the heavy costume pressing into her skin, sweat dripping down her back under the blazing June sun.
“Lexi,” Lauren’s voice rang with false sweetness, “to wear the crown, one must bear its weight.” Her silk robe shimmered as she glared at Lexi, a subtle venom beneath her politeness.
Lexi tilted her head, a lazy smile playing on her lips, letting the words roll off as if amused.
“Of course. If I’m to be queen, it proves I’m capable. Far better than those who start at the top only to fall into ruin p>
She touched up her makeup, deliberately slowing her responses, savoring the small victories over Lauren’s sharp tongue.
Every moment of annoyance Lauren directed at Lexi felt like a minor triumph.
The director, sitting behind the monitor, watched the tension.
He knew Lauren was deliberately pushing Lexi, but with Sebastian’s implicit endorsement over the production, he dared not interfere.
“Fine, cut. That’s enough for this scene p>
Lauren, furious that the director had sided with Lexi, stomped off, muttering under her breath.
Lexi’s lips curled upward.
Finally, a moment to savor: she, at last, had a chance to triumph over Lauren in this petty little game.