Chapter 2

Julian knew me inside out. He was well aware that I was a total loner with no one to turn to, nowhere else to go.

At the corner on my way back to school, he blocked my path.

The rain came pouring down in sheets, thunder and lightning crashing overhead.

Everyone else rushed to dodge the storm. Julian was the only one moving against the river of people.

I huddled inside a roadside phone booth. The clear glass door between us felt like a wall I couldn't cross.

Julian was pounding on the door, and his fists slammed against the glass with wild desperation.

His voice, thin and shattered by the thunder, barely reached me as he pleaded, "Natalie, we had plans. Why are you suddenly breaking up with me?

"Please, Natalie. Don't break up with me. Let's stay together. We don't have to end this."

The rain came down fast and furious, drenching everything without warning.

Julian stood there in the downpour, completely soaked, looking like a drowned rat.

I swung the door wide open and yelled right in his face, "Julian, your mom handed me 300 thousand dollars.

"I've never even laid eyes on that kind of money before. So what's wrong if I take the money now instead of waiting around for some future that's probably never gonna happen?

"You know me, Julian. I'm all about money."

Julian stood there all alone, silent and soaked in the rain.

Grace rushed over and wrapped her coat tightly around him, trying to shield him from the storm.

Paparazzi were everywhere, and if the video of what just happened got out, Julian's acting career could be over before it even began.

Grace told me straight up that if I kept staying by Julian's side, I'd only ruin his life.

So, with her arrangements, I slipped out of the country with 300 thousand dollars loaded onto my card.

But that video of Julian breaking down in the rain still ended up getting leaked online.

The company rushed to release a statement, saying it was just a scene from a movie set.

Julian got lucky because of that mess. His acting went viral, and suddenly, he was the hottest sensation on the internet.

Our story was like that rainy-night scene. It started in a rush and faded away as fast.

It was over before it had a chance to become anything real.

Real life wasn't some feel-good webnovel.

Five years later, when our paths crossed again, I was still dirt beneath his feet, while he drifted high above like a cloud.

This was something that would never change.

The show's collaboration with Julian wasn't over yet.

But to everyone's surprise, he flat-out refused to come for the final exclusive interview.

I'd just gotten back from overseas, and within my first week on the job, I scored an interview with Julian.

Helen Scott, a reporter in my department who'd been around for five or six years, held a grudge against me from that moment on.

She went straight to our supervisor to complain, saying I'd offended Julian.

I confronted her, looking her straight in the eye. "You got any proof of that accusation?"

Helen gave a calm, mocking look and said, "Please. During that interview, your eyes were glued to Julian. You think I didn't see?

"Women are always swarming around Julian, but it's only ever on his terms. The ones who chase after him rarely get a happy ending.

"Don't let your hopeless crush mess things up for the rest of us."

Our supervisor stepped in to smooth things over and said, "Alright, Natalie. You go and get Julian yourself. Bring him back for the interview."

I couldn't say no. After all, it was my unfinished assignment.

After Julian made his debut, he launched his own film and talent management company.

Besides acting, he spent a lot of time running business operations for his own company.

Booking a meeting with him was impossible. His calendar was already jam-packed for the next six months.

All I could do was time my visits and wait outside his office day and night.

I was barely conscious when, all of a sudden, the lobby erupted in noise.

A cluster of the crew flocked around Julian as he strode in.

I struggled to push my way through the crowd, but a towering bodyguard stepped in, blocking me completely.

"Sorry, please step back," he said, keeping me at arm's length.

I held up my press pass, nearly shouting in panic, "I'm not a fan. I'm a reporter from Riverside Media. I've got a scheduled interview with Mr. Carter."

Julian took off his sunglasses and sized me up, his gaze full of scrutiny.

He gave a mocking smirk and replied, "Ms. Lawson, do you expect me to stick to an appointment because it was on schedule?"

As soon as he finished speaking, I got jostled and swept up by the crowd.

Almost at the top of my lungs, I screamed, "Yes, if you say you'll do something, you have to make it happen."

People whipped their heads around, gawking at me like I'd lost my mind.