Chapter 179\u00a0<\/p>\n
Caleb remained wary of him. He forced a smile. \u201cYou\u2019re overthinking. I just wanted to take her home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian\u2019s gaze was sharp. \u201cDoes she want to?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Publicly, the Hampton and Sterling families had always been business partners. Privately, the two men had grown up together. Now, with Julian and Sydney reconciled, Julian was something like a brother\u2013in\u2013law to Caleb.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Caleb softened his tone to avoid escalating the tension. \u201cEvery couple has quarrels. They fight and make up. It\u2019s not as serious as you think.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the words \u201cthey fight and make up,\u201d Sydney instinctively glanced at Julian, catching the icy flash in his eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Suddenly, Julian reached out, ruffled her hair, and chuckled. \u201cI don\u2019t care if it\u2019s fighting, making up, or fighting and divorcing. Either way, as long as she doesn\u2019t want to, no one\u2019s taking her from me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His usual offhanded drawl carried a steely authority that brooked no challenge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Inside, the others had overheard the tension and approached.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Raymond immediately sensed the sharp edge between the two men. He patted Caleb\u2019s shoulder. \u201cIf Syd doesn\u2019t want to move back, let her stay here. Wait until she\u2019s willing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly,\u201d Bruce added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although he was Caleb\u2019s friend, he had witnessed firsthand how Sydney had been treated before.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCal, frost doesn\u2019t build up overnight. If you really want her to come back with you, it has to be her choice. And with Jules watching over her, it\u2019s not like some other man will get a chance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Caleb studied Sydney in silence for a long moment. Reflecting on Bruce\u2019s words, he grudgingly admitted they had a point. If Marcus ever tried to approach her, Julian would be the barrier.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, he sighed. \u201cFine. Once your anger cools, you can come back anytime.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He glanced at Julian again, uneasy. \u201cI\u2019ll trouble you to take care of her for now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian\u2019s eyes flicked toward Sydney. His tone was lazy, almost teasing. \u201cWouldn\u2019t call it trouble.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right then.\u201d Raymond checked his watch and waved at the others. \u201cIt\u2019s late. Let\u2019s head out. I\u2019ve got to rush back to Brimcrest tonight.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Hutton family\u2019s rules were strict. Tomorrow was New Year\u2019s Eve, and everyone was expected to be at home early.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once the group entered the elevator, Raymond hesitated, then turned back to Sydney. \u201cDidn\u2019t see Tiffany today. Where is she?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s\u2026\u201d Sydney looked to Julian. Seeing him nod, she answered honestly, \u201cShe went home for the New Year.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Raymond frowned slightly, then he gave a small nod. \u201cAll right. Thanks.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
The elevator doors closed, leaving the hallway quiet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney exhaled slowly, then asked, \u201cJulian, is there something between Raymond and Tiff?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had sensed it the day she picked Tiffany up from the police station, but Tiffany had been too ill to talk, and Sydney had held back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian raised an eyebrow. \u201cYou want to know?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGo shower first.\u201d He tugged her back inside, steering her toward the master bathroom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney\u2019s scalp tingled. Her period had just ended. Instinctively, the doctor in her asked, \u201cDid you prepare protection?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian looked momentarily caught off guard, even choking slightly. He covered his lips with a fist and coughed, though he did not stop walking. His dark eyes returned to her. \u201cWhat protection?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCondoms.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland\u2019s breathtaking cold.<\/p>\n
When The Ocean Learned My Name and Whispered It Back to You by Aurelia Novel 179 Chapter 179\u00a0 Caleb remained […]<\/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-22161","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\/22161","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=22161"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22161\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22297,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22161\/revisions\/22297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}