\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 143\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney held up a dark pinstriped suit. \u201cTry this one? I think it\u2019d look great on you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The associate swore she wasn\u2019t imagining it. At Sydney\u2019s words, the man\u2019s aura softened, even flickering with interest. They looked like a newlywed couple navigating a business partnership, still adjusting to each other.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Only Mr. Hampton\u2026\u2019 The associate bit her tongue. The man himself wasn\u2019t exactly loyal. No wonder Sydney sought comfort in someone so devastatingly handsome.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSure,\u201d Julian said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With broad shoulders, a slim waist, a tall frame, and that striking face, he wore the suit better than any model. Heads would turn.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney finally understood why wealthy women spent lavishly on their boy-toys. Still, when it came time to pay, her heart sank.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian tossed a belt onto the counter. \u201cAdd this. She\u2019s paying.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI said one suit,\u201d she snapped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian tilted his chin at the associate. \u201cDoesn\u2019t a belt count as part of a suit set?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His face was handsome, but his presence was intimidating-and technically, he wasn\u2019t wrong.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The associate could only nod. \u201cYes, it does.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney gave in, her defeat total.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Later, they grabbed dinner upstairs. Many women stole glances their way, eight out of ten at Julian.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It struck Sydney: dressed casually today, Julian looked like a campus heartthrob, nothing like his usual cold, untouchable self. The contrast was magnetic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some women seemed ready to approach him for his number.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Someone familiar beat them to it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSyd?\u201d It was Marcus.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney smiled, setting down her cutlery. \u201cMarc, you\u2019re here too?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust passing by. Saw you and came in to say hi,\u201d he replied.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He wasn\u2019t surprised to see Sydney with Julian. Whatever past tension existed, they were siblings. A shared meal wasn\u2019t odd.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWant to join us?\u201d Sydney asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSure.\u201d Marcus smiled and sat down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In his presence, Sydney visibly relaxed. Despite being raised under Julian\u2019s care, she had grown distant from him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian\u2019s phone buzzed, and he excused himself. \u201cI\u2019ll take this call.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d Sydney nodded, then summoned the server for more dishes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Marcus, still smiling, resumed their earlier conversation. \u201cAbout that idea I texted you this afternoon, what did\u00a0<\/p>\n
you think?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney had only skimmed it, bleary from being woken earlier. She nodded, thinking aloud. \u201cI saw it. I think it could work if we adjust the dosage and test it again\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSyd, Dr. Shepard?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The voice came from behind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Penelope and Caleb approached.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Penelope glanced at Caleb and said pointedly, \u201cSee? I told you Syd and Dr. Shepard were close. You didn\u2019t believe me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Caleb hadn\u2019t expected to find Sydney and Marcus together. His expression remained unreadable as he asked, \u201cSyd, step outside with me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not wanting to make things awkward for Marcus, Sydney rose and followed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moment they were outside, Caleb\u2019s grip clamped around her wrist. His voice was icy. \u201cYou\u2019re coming home with me.\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 143 \u00a0 Chapter 143\u00a0 Sydney […]<\/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-22125","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\/22125","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=22125"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22125\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22261,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22125\/revisions\/22261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}