Chapter 16

It was finally Friday, a month after Julian had taken Sia fabric shopping.
It was also the day of the fashion show, and Sia was nervous as hell.
“Relax Mom, everything is going to be fine,” Leo reassured his mother, but that hardly calmed her nerves.
“Is she always like this before a show?” Julian asked from beside Leo, careful to keep his voice down so only the boy could hear him.
“Yup!” he answered, popping the p.
Sia took a deep, shaky breath and sat down in her private makeup van and finally looked at the two.
Over the past four weeks, the pair had become as thick as thieves. It had started the day after she’d told Julian she couldn’t play this game with him and he openly challenged her to resist his charms. The next day, she had woken up to find Julian and Leo playing basketball. She had been jealous, of course. She was the one who taught him how to play, and now her son had someone else new to be his guide and buddy. It hurt to grasp that Leo was looking to someone else, but then again, having her son all to herself had become a bad habit. The absence of a father figure had adverse consequences, but she had picked herself up and acted as both his father and mother and done a damn good job of it.
But as she stared out the window at the duo and saw Julian crush Leo to his chest in congratulations after he’d managed a difficult shot, she realized how much Leo must really miss a male presence in his life. He had never known a father’s love. Even when he had one, Arthur had never really cared about him. He had never even taken Leo in his arms.
Maybe in Julian, her son found a companion, a partner, a friend . . . a father.
Sia shook her head as soon as that thought came into her mind. She and Julian hadn’t spoken of the flames between them since that day a month ago. And she didn’t even know if he was still interested in her. Somehow the thought of him not caring for her, not wanting her . . . hurt. Something tightened inside her chest, like cold, icy fingers had just squeezed her heart.
She’d tried to resist the connection that she felt with Julian this past month, but she knew she had failed miserably. And Julian hadn’t shown her any mercy. Be it a deliberate brush of his fingers against her arms, or him helping her pull her hair off her face when she became engrossed in creating a new design, or the occasional stares he’d give her that stripped her to the soul—dear God! How could she ignore a man who was adamant in winning her over?
Even her resolve had begun to falter as an unknown yearning for Julian started to grow deep inside her. If Julian had simply been flirtatious or had tried to outright seduce her, she would’ve been able to resist his charm. But Julian had been kind and compassionate. He’d never made a bold move, only sweet, subtle ones that melted her heart and opened doors to desires she’d never known before.
She could still remember how he always brought her food or drinks when she was busy in her office. She’d shout and threatento kick him out, but he’d simply stay quiet until she got the stress out of her system. Then he’d feed her small bites while she worked on the final designs. She’d never met a man who could stay calm throughout her temper tantrums and still be kind, considerate, and caring toward her.
“You do know that staring is rude, right?” Julian joked, snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see that wide smirk on his face.
Of course, he knew! Of course, he knew just how infatuated she’d become over him. He was trained to notice even the slightest details in a crime scene, so Sia was no difficult feat especially when she was around him 24/7. She wouldn’t be surprised if he’d notice just how easily she blushed when he’d touch her hand by accident, or when Julian would clean the crumbs from her lips with his fingers. How she wished he’d touch them with his lips instead of his hands. She felt frustrated that Julian wasn’t pursuing her like how she knew he usually pursues women. Yes, she had done her homework. Being near Julian was making her a little reckless, but what worried her was that she didn’t seem to mind it.
“So how come you boys are twinning?” she asked deliberately, using the term “boy” to get a reaction from Julian. She hated being the only one feeling affected, and she knew Julian, with his tank-like figure and devastatingly handsome looks, was by no means a boy.
And she wasn’t kidding, either. Instead of his usual company shirt and jeans, he’d chosen to wear a plain red shirt in a black jacket paired with black jeans. Surprisingly, Leo also wore a full-sleeved red turtle neck and black jeans. Both of them looked drop dead gorgeous. But even though Julian wore casual clothes, she was sure there were a few weapons hidden there somewhere.
“Well. . .” Leo gave her a sheepish smile. “Since we’re best buddies now, I thought, why not? You do have to admitwe look hot, don’t we Mom?”
We.
Julian smirked inwardly even though on the outside he had his best poker face on. Leo had said ‘we’ instead of me. Now Sia couldn’t give Julian a negative answer without including Leo. And if she praises her son, she’ll be praising Julian too.
Way to go kid! he thought.
He saw Sia’s inner struggle in her eyes, in the slight twitch in her right eyebrow, and knew that she had come to the same conclusion.
“That you do,” she said finally with a small grin.
Both of their faces lit up like a Christmas tree and Julian gave himself an imaginary pat on the back. But then he saw the slight blush on Sia’s cheeks, and he couldn’t help but let his lips tilt up in a satisfied smirk.
He’d seen the changes in Sia slowly over the past few weeks, how she’d become more aware of him as he would deliberately try to stay away from her. However, caring for her had come naturally. He hadn’t planned to take food or drinks for her in her office when she worked long hours, but his concern for her health had gotten the better of him and he’d soon fallen into the routine of taking snacks to her everyday or sometimes hold pieces of fabric together while she stitched away.And he was more than happy to be there for her and witness all her efforts come to fruition.
Sia looked gorgeous tonight. She wore a red-and-gold embroidered full-sleeve gown which she accessorized with elegant gold earrings and gold high heels. Her eyes had a light gold shimmer on them and her lips were painted wicked red that made him want to kiss her senseless. Her soft, silky hair was tied in an elegant knot at one side of her head and a huge red orchid was placed in it.
Today was a big day for her, not only because it was the first show of the season, but also because Sia will be walking the ramp for the first time, exposing herself to the public.
It was a deliberate move on their part. Julian had wanted to lure Arthur out of his hiding place and catch the bastard before he could strike again. Julian had tried his level best to find out where he was hiding. He even had his men patrol Jasmine Murray’s apartment, but they were unable to find any suspicious figures coming or going out of the house. Finally, he’d become impatient in his waiting game and decided to lay the trap for the evil bastard.
“Ms. Milton?”
A man with a clipboard knocked at the already open door before climbing up the first two steps of the stairs to look up at the trio.
“Yes? Is everything ready?” Sia asked the young man. He stared, starstruck, at Sia. Julian couldn’t blame him.
“Y-yes, Ma’am! The models are ready and they need your final approval,” the man said, finally finding his voice.
“Okay.” Sia got up from her seat, her nerves in a mess and her palms sweaty. “Let the show begin.”