Chapter 117\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJulian, I didn\u2019t. Please, let me go,\u201d Victor pleaded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian\u2019s voice was icy. \u201cIf you won\u2019t say it, I\u2019ll just have someone dig it out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Victor squeezed his eyes shut and blurted, \u201cMiddle school!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian\u2019s knuckles whitened around his collar, his joints cracked, and his veins stood out on his forehead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was about to explode when Victor broke into desperate wails. \u201cBut I didn\u2019t dare! Cuz, she was still living with you back then. I had dirty thoughts, but no guts!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian\u2019s black eyes narrowed sharply. \u201cSo you going abroad six years ago\u2026 Was it because of this?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Victor\u2019s heart plummeted. He hadn\u2019t expected Julian to connect the dots so fast.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back then, everything had been smothered that very night by their grandmother. Julian had not yet had the absolute power he wielded now. In the Sterling family, Eloise\u2019s word had been the law.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Watching Victor squirm like a duck being throttled, Julian no longer needed confirmation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Six years ago, Sydney was only 18. Upon realizing tonight wasn\u2019t the first time, Julian\u2019s rage detonated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He yanked Victor up by the collar, eyes raking him from head to toe, and drove his foot savagely into Victor before the latter\u00a0<\/p>\n
could react.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAhh!\u201d Victor howled as he rolled across the floor and clutched himself, sweat pouring down his face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian turned slightly toward Elliot and commanded. \u201cFind somewhere to dump him. Make it permanent.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Elliot started to respond, but Raymond frowned. \u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Elliot hesitated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian\u2019s gaze sharpened. \u201cSince when do you take orders from him instead of me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJules,\u201d Raymond said steadily, knowing exactly how far to push, \u201cVictor deserves to die, but not tonight. If he dies now, Eloise will lose it and Sydney will pay the price.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was right. Even without killing Victor, Eloise\u2019s fury would land squarely on Sydney.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney stayed at the hotel until she had steadied herself, then finally took a cab home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tiffany heard the elevator and rushed to open the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re back at last! You must not have eaten properly at that banquet. I ordered late-night snacks-\u201d She froze mid-sentence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney\u2019s gown was disheveled, her makeup streaked, and a man\u2019s suit jacket draped over her shoulders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tiffany\u2019s eyes went wide. \u201cWhat happened? Why do you look like this?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething a little unexpected happened at the hotel.\u201d Sydney kept it vague to avoid scaring her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tiffany\u2019s suspicion deepened. \u201cJust a little unexpected?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney forced a faint smile. \u201cYeah. Look at me. I\u2019m fine, aren\u2019t I?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
They were ordinary women in this city.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had once brushed against the Sterling world through adoption, and truthfully, she still could not fully escape it. But she\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\u00a0<\/p>\n
would never drag Tiffany in. She could not even let Eloise know Tiffany existed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Telling Tiffany the truth would only bring useless worry. Neither of them could change anything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tiffany\u2019s eyes welled anyway. She grabbed Sydney\u2019s hand and pulled her inside. \u201cSomeone bullied you again, didn\u2019t they?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney silently lowered her lashes and went straight into the bathroom. She scrubbed herself from head to toe, especially her face. She washed repeatedly-even using alcohol pads-until she finally felt a little clean.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The gown Victor had touched went straight into the trash. Julian\u2019s jacket was scheduled for dry cleaning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tiffany guessed something had happened but did not press. She stayed outside the bathroom door the whole time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Sydney was almost finished, Tiffany hurried to wipe her tears away, then forced a bright voice as if nothing had happened. \u201cCome on! The food\u2019s getting cold. This lamb is amazing, and it\u2019s perfect with a beer.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d Sydney knew there would be no sleep tonight. Eating with Tiffany at least filled the silence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She thought she had hidden it well. But later, when Tiffany had had a little too much to drink, she leaned against Sydney, murmuring like a promise, \u201cSyd, I\u2019m trying to get stronger. One day, I\u2019ll make sure no bastard ever bullies you again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
When The Ocean Learned My Name and Whispered It Back to You by Aurelia Novel 117 Chapter 117\u00a0 \u201cJulian, I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-when-love-is-gone-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22099"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22099\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}