Perhaps because he was so lost in thought, Julian completely failed to notice the approaching footsteps. It was not until a firm pair of arms wrapped completely around his waist from behind, and the familiar scent of sandalwood drifted past his nose, that Julian snapped back to reality.

He lowered his gaze to the pitch-black metal card bearing the inscription [A-01] in his hand, then nonchalantly tilted his head, rubbing his chin against the shoulder of the man holding him.

"Done changing?" Julian murmured.

Ethan Caldwell gave a hum of agreement. Since he want accompany Julian, he did not wear anything overly ostentatious. It was just that out of habit, he would often wear a button-down shirt when going out. The man straightened the creases of his shirt, then pressed himself closely against Julian once more, burying his face in the young man’s neck to breathe in that familiar scent.

"What are you looking at so intently?" Ethan Caldwell’s gaze swept over Julian’s shoulder, landing on the small object in Julian’s palm.

By the time the man got a clear view of the object in Julian’s hand, Ethan’s eyes darkened slightly. The arms wrapped around Julian’s waist suddenly tightened. Ethan Caldwell reached out and took the card, his thumb pressing hard against the embossed lettering.

"In the pocket of my trench coat." Julian blandly added, his tone as casual as if he were recounting what he had for dinner: "The coat that I haven’t touched for days, which has just been hanging in that corner over there."

Ethan Caldwell remained silent for a moment, the look in his eyes growing increasingly dangerous. Finally, the man spoke: "I will have someone investigate this. There are not that many people who visit this house anyway."

To say there were few was not entirely accurate. Apart from Mrs. Hughes who cooked, there were still the regular cleaners and the person in charge of the laundry. However, it was not as crowded as other mansions, so the scope of suspects could be narrowed down significantly.

"I am not surprised that they could plant someone, or bribe the staff in our house. What surprises me is..." Julian tilted his head back slightly, resting against the man’s shoulder: "Isn’t their reaction a bit too swift? Before this, they clearly had no idea what was going on, but shortly after our conversation at the villa in Kensington city, it seems they have already caught up with the information."

Julian was very pragmatic; since someone had managed to slip something right into his pocket in this highly secure villa, investigating now was nothing more than a futile hindsight effort. This matter certainly needed to be investigated, but the root causes and consequences could already be vividly imagined. What he cared about the most was the reason why they were able to grasp the information so rapidly.

Alright, Julian was a little biased. Because everyone present that day were good brothers, comrades who had fought alongside Ethan Caldwell, therefore Julian did not suspect them. If one were to rule out the possibility that people like Kieran Talbot, Felix Tate, or Louis York could betray Ethan Caldwell, then where exactly did the current loophole exist?

"Let’s skip the investigation of how this thing managed to make its way into our home." Julian reached out, gently taking the card back from Ethan Caldwell’s hand, and casually stuffed it back into his pocket: "What we need to focus on is where on earth they are getting their information."

Suddenly, he felt that going to meet Catherine Sterling today was quite the right decision, even though his previous impression of that woman was merely the image of a weak, biased individual. His impression of this woman was not much, and the original owner’s memories regarding her were also scarce.

It was so faint that it was almost invisible. At the very least, the original owner did not hate her as much as he did Richard Sterling and Edward Sterling.

Seeing the man still frowning slightly, Julian raised both hands to caress Ethan’s angular face, his thumbs gently smoothing out the crease between Ethan’s eyebrows: "Frowning will make you age faster, CEO Caldwell."

Ethan Caldwell let out a sigh. The man took Julian’s hand, pressed a kiss to it against his lips, and then carefully adjusted Julian’s shirt collar.

"Shall I go with you tonight?"

"You’re already dressed like that and you’re still asking me?" Julian extended his index finger, poking lightly at the man’s chest: "Honestly, there’s no need to go to such lengths, it’s just a family dinner. If it were in the past, I might have been afraid of being bullied by that crowd, but this time... they are clearly aiming for something else."

Ethan Caldwell did not reply, merely using his hand to play with Julian’s hair.

...

The Rolls-Royce drove into the Sterling family estate. Looking through the car window, Julian saw that everything was still as extravagant, orderly, and cold as it was in the original owner’s memory. It was just that looking at it now, he felt no sense of familiarity whatsoever. It was as if he were touring a model home.

The moment the car stopped, the butler came out to receive them. He was about to put on a polite, customary smile when he saw Ethan Caldwell step out from the other door, walk around, and take Julian’s hand. The butler’s smile froze stiffly on his face.

"Julian... Madam instructed that only you were invited tonight." The butler spoke up hesitantly.

Before Julian could say anything, Ethan Caldwell completely ignored the butler’s existence, leading Julian by the hand straight towards the main door.

"Tell her to rephrase the invitation."

Ethan Caldwell’s voice sounded extremely flat, but somehow, the butler felt a chilling cold run down his spine.

Upon entering the living room, Aaron Sterling was sitting with his legs drawn up on the sofa, both hands holding a glass of warm water, his demeanor looking incredibly obedient and docile. Seeing the two men walk in, Aaron hurriedly set the glass down and scrambled to his feet. His eyes drooped slightly, blinking a few times as he forced out a smile that was both joyful and mixed with a hint of timid hesitation.

"Julian... you’re back?" Aaron Sterling’s voice was soft, carrying a surge of fake concern so overflowing that it gave Julian goosebumps: "Seeing the uproar about your affairs on the internet these past few days, I was so worried about you... Ah, hello, CEO Caldwell. Did CEO Caldwell bring Julian home?"

He was so well-behaved that it seemed as though he had forgotten he was the mastermind behind Julian’s kidnapping, and had also forgotten how he himself was warned by Ethan Caldwell.

The two of them did not bother to pay him any attention, simply brushing past him. Standing behind them, Aaron Sterling stared intensely at Julian’s retreating back, his eyes turning red. Of course, it was not that he was crying; he was seething with fury. His fingers dug tightly into the hem of his shirt, his lips pursed as he gnashed his teeth in anger.

Normally, he would have definitely put on an act as if he were being bullied by Julian, but at this point, all the cards were practically laid out on the table; he could not afford to put on that facade anymore.

It was just that no matter what kind of front Aaron Sterling put up, the person who had just walked down the stairs - Edward Sterling - would still look at Aaron as if he had just been victimized. It was obvious that his biological brother who shared the same bloodline was Julian, but in Edward Sterling’s eyes, from beginning to end, there was only Aaron Sterling.

Julian also happened to bump into Edward Sterling; seeing the look full of pity and protectiveness on that face, Julian could not help but click his tongue. Could it be... Oh well, it was their family’s business, and he was too lazy to overthink it.

Dinner took place at a long table, where no one seemed to have any appetite to eat.

Richard Sterling sat at the head of the table, his complexion unsightly as he looked at Julian: "You have been causing quite a lot of trouble lately, making the news and then ending up at the police station. The Sterling family does not raise the kind of person who brings such disgrace to the clan."

"I learned it from your precious son, after all. Didn’t he also just go to court for the crime of kidnapping?"