Driving her car into her private parking lot, Julia found her cousin's Range Rover already parked there.
She drove into another spot and got out, making her way straight into the company building. Whispers followed her as she walked. None of the staff stopped to greet her. Instead, they turned their faces away the moment she met their gazes.
Ignoring them, Julia walked straight toward her father's office, which had remained vacant since his death.
The receptionist looked up and gave her a practiced smile.
"Good morning, Miss Julia," she greeted.
"A good morning to you," Julia replied. Just as she was about to walk inside the office, the receptionist called out again.
"Miss Julia, you'll have to wait for me to inform Mrs. Lilly first."
The smile on her face vanished, replaced with arrogance, as if Julia had overstepped her boundaries.
"Excuse me?" Julia asked, shocked by the sudden change.
"Mrs. Lilly is now the acting CEO," the receptionist said coldly. "I'll need to inform her of your arrival. Moreover, she's with someone inside. It would be rude to barge in, so please wait here."
The nerve.
The audacity.
Julia thought angrily, but her face remained calm, none of her emotions showing.
The receptionist went inside briefly before coming back out.
"You can come in now," she said dismissively. "And please book an appointment next time."
Ignoring her, Julia entered the office.
Lilly was sitting behind the massive desk, lounging in the swivel chair, looking every bit like the CEO. Leo was seated on the lush couch. Both paused their conversation the moment Julia stepped in.
Lilly immediately stood up, surprise flashing across her face.
"Julia! You should have let me know you were coming. I would have picked you up immediately," she said, rushing forward to embrace her.
Julia fought the urge to roll her eyes.
She could easily win an Oscar without even trying.
She stylishly dodged the hug. "I just got out of the hospital."
"Does your mother know about this?" Leo asked.
Julia turned to look at her fiancé, whom she was still thinking about how to dispose of. Maybe it was his black hair that reminded her of Alex, or something else entirely, but she felt irritated the moment she saw him.
"I'll call your mother now. You can't be running around when you just had a fatal accident," he said, already dialing her number.
The more she looked at him, the more she felt sorry for Julia's taste in men. Every part of him was oozing arrogance. The former Julia would have mistaken his actions for care, but now she knew better.
This was control.
He wanted to control every aspect of her life.
"What are you?" Julia mocked calmly. "My father?"
She looked at him with dead calmness, as though watching a clown.
Lilly frowned. Julia had always listened to Leo. Did they have a fight that Leo didn't tell her about? She turned to look at him and found him just as puzzled, phone still in his hand.
"Julia, I don't know whatever happened between you two," Lilly said with self-righteous concern, "but Leo is very worried about you. He rushed to the company the moment he heard you had an accident, trying to help. You shouldn't talk to him that way."
Julia scoffed.
"You said it yourself—he rushed to the company. One would think I was bedridden here." Her lips curved into a sarcastic smile. "He cares more about my workload than my health. How caring."
Lilly flushed at her words.
"I can't believe you're questioning my love for you, Ju," Leo said, walking toward her with a pained look in his eyes.
Julia pushed her hand forward, stopping him from coming any closer.
"Right now, I'd rather not deal with you, Leo," she said coldly. "I have better things to do."
She turned to Lilly. "When is the next meeting?"
"That would be tomorrow," Lilly replied carefully. "But I think it's better you recover first. Moreover, the shareholders are still angry at you."
A part of her hoped Julia would arrogantly show up, so she gets embarrassed by the shareholders that way it would solidify position in the company.
Julia nodded. "Okay."
Then she added, "I expect you to vacate this office before tomorrow."
"Julia, how can you be so ungrateful?" Leo shrieked. "I know you hit your head, but I didn't expect it to do this much damage!"
Julia ignored him, avoiding his hand. She didn't want another bath just yet.
When she reached the door, she paused and turned back to look at the angry duo.
"I'll have my driver send back the engagement ring. I don't think we're compatible, Leo."
Then she slammed the door in their faces.
"Fucking idiot," she murmured as she made her way back to the parking lot.
Her stomach rumbled.
"Right… I haven't eaten anything at all throughout today."
Using Julia's memories, she drove straight to a famous restaurant.
She patted her stomach apologetically.
"Don't worry. Now I have enough money to feed you. No more late-night noodles."