"I just thought of some sad things, that’s all." Yvette understood and turned back to continue staring at Julian Sterling. "I thought you liked Julian. But even if you do, it’s useless. Julian doesn’t see you at all. Continuing to pursue this will only hurt you." She seemed to be comforting Gloria Galloway on the surface, but in reality, she was mocking her for not being able to get Julian’s love. Gloria’s body started to tremble slightly. She wanted to speak up and refute Yvette, but when she looked up and saw her beautiful profile, she couldn’t say anything. It wasn’t until the shoot ended today that she bid farewell to Julian, not knowing when she would see him again in the next month. "Gloria, see you in a month. Oh, by the way, Julian’s birthday is in two days. I’m inviting his friends to the apartment; you should come too." She spoke with a bit of a nonchalant tone. Gloria felt her self-esteem being trampled into the ground and quickly turned around to get in the car. After leaving, her tears immediately fell, large and unstoppable. Standing where they were, Yvette and Julian also got into the car. Julian was somewhat pleased that after all these years, Yvette still remembered his birthday. "Julian, you said you’d make our relationship public. Is that true?" Yvette suddenly snuggled into Julian’s arms, rubbing her head against him as she spoke. Julian nodded and immediately took a selfie of the two of them with his phone. "Yvette, if you’re willing, we can go public right now." Yvette smiled, her face flushed, and nodded. Julian immediately uploaded their selfie to Weibo, adding a few heart emojis. This was the first time since Julian debuted that he publicly acknowledged his girlfriend. The post instantly shot to the top of the trending list, with everyone searching for the background of the woman involved. However, to avoid causing trouble for Yvette, Julian had long since erased any trace of the Jacobs Family from the internet, so even if netizens tried to investigate, they wouldn’t find any clues. Best Actor Sterling’s voluntary announcement of his romance rocked the entertainment industry. Gloria’s phone was almost blowing up with calls, after all, she was Julian’s manager, yet she didn’t know about him going public with his relationship. It wasn’t until these calls prompted her that she went online to check Weibo. It was an incredibly sweet selfie. It was rare to see such an expression on Julian’s face. Gloria’s fingers clutched tightly, staring blankly at the photo. Julian really likes that woman. Announcing their relationship so quickly, it’s probably a first. Gloria looked for a long time, then threw the phone onto the sofa, wishing she could bury herself away and not pay attention to any news. But thinking of how Julian was likely discussing marriage with Yvette made her heart tremble. "Gloria, are you okay?" Samantha Sullivan walked over to her, holding her hand. She had already seen the news online and knew Gloria had feelings for Julian. But it seemed destined to be an unrequited crush. Gloria’s eyes had a subdued look, and before long, tears flowed down her cheeks into her hair. As Julian’s personal assistant, everything about him should go through her approval. Yet she was the last to find out about Julian going public with his relationship—how ridiculous. He didn’t even think to inform her, his assistant. After crying for a while, Gloria looked up at Samantha. "I’m okay, just feeling bad. I thought I had more time, that I could eventually move him. I didn’t expect Yvette to return so quickly and put me on a month’s break." Samantha sympathetically held her hand. Gloria was no match for Yvette, she knew that from the beginning. "In two days it’s Julian’s birthday. She invited me to go, saying she’ll invite Julian’s friends as well." As a woman herself, she knew Yvette’s real intention was to quickly break into Julian’s social circle and make everyone accept her. "Eleanor will definitely be there then; with her around, it’ll be okay." It seemed only then that Gloria remembered Eleanor Hollis and quickly called her. Eleanor had been lazy these days. Probably because she had been on high alert recently. Now that she finally had some downtime, she’s been staying in bed. Upon hearing from Gloria, she almost immediately nodded. "You come with me then, it’ll be fine. Yes, yes, I’ll be going with Hugo Quinn." After the call, she nestled into Hugo’s embrace. "In two days, it’s Julian’s birthday. You’ll definitely go to his place, right? Take me along." Hugo rubbed her head and nodded slowly. In the next two days, everyone seemed to be at ease. Eleanor picked out what she would wear today, put on some light makeup, and stepped out arm-in-arm with Hugo. Yvette had decorated the apartment beautifully and even made a cake herself. Julian was smiling the whole time, seeing her busy here and there, his heart felt warm. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩 When Eleanor arrived, Evan Yancy and Jude Shaw were already there. She greeted them and then sat down on the sofa with Hugo. Yvette, wearing an apron, brought over a lot of fruit with a smile, looking very much like a housewife. Everyone understood this was a declaration of her identity—that she would be the mistress of this house. Her assertive announcement made Jude and Evan uncomfortable, but seeing how Julian indulged Yvette, they had no choice. They had always known that Yvette was Julian’s Achilles’ heel. The doorbell rang again, and Yvette hurried to open the door. "Gloria, you’re here, come in and sit." Yvette spoke with the tone of a hostess. Gloria felt completely uncomfortable and couldn’t stand Yvette’s hypocritical face. Her eyes caught sight of Eleanor, and she quickly walked over to sit by her side. Eleanor patted her on the shoulder discreetly, offering comfort. "Yvette, stop busying yourself, come and sit." Julian, feeling for Yvette, knew she had prepared many dishes and would be cooking soon. Yvette, who used to be the Jacobs’ heiress and grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth, didn’t know anything about the hardships of life. But now, she could handle so much on her own. Apparently, things hadn’t been easy for her these past years. Yet, she never reached out to him for help. Yvette wiped her hands on her apron and sat next to Julian. "It’s your birthday today, so it’s only right for me to be busy. I’ve also prepared some wine for you guys to drink later." The atmosphere was a bit awkward because, besides Julian, no one else joined in the conviviality.