Julian’s words dropped like a heavy stone thrown onto the surface of a frozen lake, shattering and bone-chilling. The atmosphere at the dining table instantly froze.

Crash!

Richard Sterling slammed his wine glass hard onto the table, the dark red liquid splashing across the pristine white tablecloth like glaring streaks of blood. He gnashed his teeth, his face flushed red with fury, his trembling hand pointing straight at Julian’s face.

"Who do you think you are talking to? Do you have any respect left for this family?"

Julian leisurely set his fork down. Without flinching, he raised his eyes, directly confronting the towering rage of his father in name only. His gaze was so incredibly calm that it was terrifying, especially coming from a face that still carried a trace of immature loveliness. Julian curled his lips into a mocking smile.

"I am talking to the person who just called me ’that kind of person’. What is the matter, Mr. Sterling? The truth is often hard to swallow, but at least I am still standing here talking to you, instead of hiding behind someone else to play dirty tricks."

"You..."

Richard Sterling was about to spring to his feet, but another hand was faster. Up until now, Ethan Caldwell had remained completely silent, because Julian had previously told the man to let Julian handle the talking himself. Ethan could stay quiet while they engaged in a verbal battle. But if that middle-aged man wanted to lay a finger on Ethan’s precious darling, that was naturally something Ethan Caldwell would never allow.

The man easily caught Richard Sterling’s hand, tossed it aside, and then carefully used a handkerchief to wipe each of his own fingers as if he had just touched something filthy. Ethan Caldwell did not even bother to spare the middle-aged man a single glance. He only glanced at Aaron Sterling sitting next to Richard for a few seconds before withdrawing his gaze, looking back at Julian.

Yet, just that fleeting glance of a few seconds was enough to terrify Aaron Sterling into trembling, while Richard Sterling also stiffened in his chair.

He gnashed his teeth, knowing immediately that he never should have called this rebellious son back. Even though he had instructed his wife beforehand to only invite Julian back alone, he himself understood clearly that such a thing was impossible.

This wretched son of his had no real capability, he was only good at clinging to men.

Seeing his father being suppressed, Edward Sterling intended to speak up in his defense: "Julian, this is still home after all, do not go too far..."

Clink.

The sound of cutlery being set down on a porcelain plate rang out once more, not loud but extremely decisive. Catherine Sterling, who had maintained a bland expression the entire time, only now slowly placed her hands on the table.

Just a small movement was enough to make the entire room fall silent. Of course, she had no real qualifications to threaten Julian and Ethan Caldwell. It was simply that the two men did not want to speak up. But the members of the Sterling family were different. They suddenly became strangely obedient.

To the point that Julian had to look at this woman in a different light.

"Have you argued enough?"

Catherine’s voice was not loud, even carrying a hint of exhaustion, but it carried an undeniable weight. She did not look at Julian, but instead turned to look at her husband with a bone-chilling gaze.

"Do you still have the mood to sit here and lecture your children, Richard? Three subsidiaries of the Sterling Group had their credit frozen just fifteen minutes ago. Did you know that?"

Richard Sterling’s face instantly turned from red to a deathly pale. He stammered, "What did you say? How is that possible..."

"Nothing is impossible in this world." Catherine said indifferently, then she glanced over at Edward Sterling: "Whose side you stand on is your business, but do not be stupid enough to stand on the side of a falling tree. If you want to protect someone else, you must first see if you still have a place to stand yourself."

Edward Sterling stiffened, his complexion looking incredibly dreadful. Her gaze finally landed on Aaron Sterling. The young man who was playing the role of an obedient, innocent victim immediately shrank his shoulders, bowing his head deeply and not daring to breathe heavily.

Julian and Ethan stood by the side, like guests watching a highly realistic movie play out right in front of them. Julian was not sure what they were doing, whether this was reality or a play meant for him to watch. But Julian figured it was not all that important anyway.

It was just that if this were the truth, then the memories of this body were indeed lacking far too much. Within this body, the only thing related to his biological mother was sheer indifference. In the eyes of the original "Julian", she was merely a sentimental woman, heavily biased towards her adopted son ut still retaining a shred of pity for her biological child.

But looking at it now, that did not seem to be the case anymore.

Right at this moment, the butler rushed in frantically, his face completely drained of blood.

"Madam... Sir... outside... there is a financial inspection team. In addition, there is also a special investigation unit. They are demanding a complete lockdown and an inspection of the old investment fund records."

Richard Sterling was about to jump up again: "Who permitted them to..."

"Sit down." Madam Sterling’s voice was very ordinary, yet Richard Sterling actually sat back down in his chair.

Ethan Caldwell narrowed his eyes, looking through the window to where the red and blue lights of police cars were flashing faintly in the distance. He spoke up in a deep voice, breaking the suffocating atmosphere: "They are not here for the money, they are here for the name associated with that fund."

She cast a fleeting glance at the two of them for a moment, finally sighing as she said to Julian: "Follow me inside, just you alone."

Julian did not object. Ethan Caldwell was about to follow, but Julian placed a hand over the back of Ethan’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. He looked into those eyes filled with worry and smiled reassuringly: "Let me handle this, I need an explanation."

The answer to his series of questions would also be the explanation for all the grievances this body had been forced to endure. The child named Julian in this world had truly suffered far too much misfortune. Surely, he too would want to clearly know the reason why his own biological parents could be so utterly heartless.

Ethan Caldwell tightly squeezed Julian’s hand for a long moment before letting go. He leaned back in his chair, his cold gaze directed towards the staircase where the two of them had just disappeared.

Catherine Sterling’s tearoom was immersed in a somber scent of incense, so quiet that one could even hear the ticking of the clock on the wall. This room was one of the rooms that, when he still lived in the Sterling household, Julian was strictly forbidden from setting foot inside. Initially, he had heard the servants say that this was Richard Sterling’s work area. He never expected that this place was actually exclusively reserved for Catherine Sterling, purely dedicated to her personal hobbies.

During all those years living with the Sterling family, the original "Julian" had been kept completely in the dark about the entire truth.