Chapter 149\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney\u2019s eyes flicked guiltily to the jacket in Julian\u2019s hand. \u201cAlright.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Since they\u2019d all been drinking, Marcus had taken a cab, while Sydney arranged for a driver to drive them back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her afternoon nap had left her wide awake, but Julian-after a few extra glasses with Alan-leaned back and closed his eyes. Liquor and sandalwood clung faintly to him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney usually hated the smell of alcohol on people, yet somehow it wasn\u2019t unpleasant on Julian.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The car fell into silence. Sydney turned to the window and watched the city lights flicker past, trying to remember the last time she and Julian had sat together without fighting. Years, at least-so long she couldn\u2019t recall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She still carried the weight of that unanswered question: why had he dropped her so easily?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018He\u2026 is probably still angry. Angry that I defied him three years ago, marrying Caleb and humiliating him in public. That\u2019s why every meeting since our reunion in Storia has been laced with tension,\u2019 she thought.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat root was always meant for Mr. Conton.\u201d Julian\u2019s voice cut into the quiet. It was hoarse from the drinks, and it lacked its usual edge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney froze, startled he would even bother to explain. She turned to him. \u201cWasn\u2019t it for Ms. Lindstrom\u2019s father\u2026?\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the auction, he had said someone wanted it badly, and that he\u2019d be in trouble if he didn\u2019t win. Could that someone have been Alan all along?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian didn\u2019t open his eyes. Half-lidded in the passing streetlights, he murmured, \u201cWhat does her father have to do with me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That settled it. Charlotte wasn\u2019t the woman in his heart. If she were, he would have cared about her family too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018So then\u2026 who is it?\u2019 The thought startled Sydney. \u2018Whoever it is, it isn\u2019t my business.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright,\u201d she said lightly. \u201cI didn\u2019t realize you knew Alan\u2019s tastes so well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For someone so cold, it surprised her that Julian would know what Alan liked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian, even slouched, still sat taller than her. He looked down for a long moment before his brow furrowed. \u201cWho told you I was thinking about his tastes?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe because they were rarely this civil, Sydney\u2019s guard slipped. Without thinking, she blurted, \u201cThen whose tastes? Don\u2019t tell me it\u2019s mine?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After all, she had wanted that root badly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian\u2019s gaze locked onto hers, sliding down to her lips. His eyes churned with something unspoken. \u201cThat\u2019s exactly whose.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney\u2019s breath caught. Her lips parted in shock, but before she could speak, the car jerked into a sharp turn and braked hard at the curb.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sudden stop threw her forward, tumbling into Julian\u2019s lap. His hand clamped around her waist instantly, and he held her tightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her skirt slipped, baring a strip of skin beneath his palm, hot and unyielding against her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
GIRIDEST BU\u00a0<\/p>\n
Heat shot through her chest, searing her veins,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry, someone ran a red light,\u201d the driver said quickly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words snapped Sydney back. Flustered, she scrambled upright, but in the struggle brushed against something beneath the fabric that burned hotter than his hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian\u2019s breath came rough. His grip tightened. In one swift motion, he pulled her fully onto his lap. His mouth dipped to her ear, and he whispered, \u201cMove again, and I\u2019ll show you what a taboo relationship feels like.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/2\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 149 Chapter 149\u00a0 Sydney\u2019s eyes […]<\/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-22131","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\/22131","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=22131"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22131\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22267,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22131\/revisions\/22267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}