Chapter 5

Julian Thorne had been staring at the door, eyes bloodshot. When he saw me enter, he just rolled over.

"Mr. Thorne, about that money… could you draft a contract for Skylar like that for me too?"

Julian Thorne sneered. "You've been overseas for seven years and can't even get $100,000? You must be living quite well."

Being roasted didn't bother me much. I continued asking, "By the way, how much do you pay your substitutes a month?"

"Get out!"

I was about to argue a bit more when Julian Thorne grabbed my hands, trapping me between him and the bed.

A dangerous glint was in Julian Thorne's eyes as he leaned in closer.

"Be a substitute? Do you even know what you'd be getting into?"

"Do you even know why I saved you back then?"

I froze. When my adoptive father's men caught me, they called me ungrateful and shameless, even threatening to sell me off to a human trafficking ring.

While I was locked in the basement, I heard Julian Thorne had paid money and bought me.

After that, I came here.

My adoptive father was Julian Thorne's paternal uncle, and there was a childhood bond between them. I was worried Julian Thorne would retaliate, so I got him drunk and ran.

Could there be some hidden truth in all this?

*Bang!*

The door burst open, and Ms. Miller pulled Julian Thorne off me. "Mr. Thorne, Miss Thorne has finally come back! Even if you're having an episode, you can't hit her like this!"

Julian Thorne sat on the floor, his gaze practically murderous.

Ms. Miller pulled me back to my original room. "Mr. Thorne is just having an episode. Please don't take it personally, Miss Thorne."

I smiled faintly, shaking my head.

"By the way, Ms. Miller, does Julian Thorne have any kind of… room or secret chamber that only he can enter?"

"He does, but Miss Thorne, why do you ask…?"

I gripped her hand, my gaze sincere. "I want to see it!"

"This…"

Julian Thorne and I grew up together. That kid was always pretty cold and detached. My best friend and I even discussed how if Julian Thorne ever dated, he'd probably first draft a 'Relationship Conduct Rulebook.'

Now, he even had a White Moonlight Shrine of Sorrows, and the object of his obsession was my best friend!

How could I not take some pictures to mock her?

Unable to resist my pleas, Ms. Miller eventually led me to a storage room. "It's this one. He hasn't let anyone clean it since before the New Year. It's quite peculiar."

"Oh, Miss Thorne, even though Mr. Thorne probably wouldn't mind, if he asks…"

I nodded, made a zipping motion over my lips, and turned the doorknob.

As I flipped the wall switch and the lights came on, my jaw dropped.

The room was empty, save for a single safe sitting on a mahogany table.

*This* is supposed to be the White Moonlight Shrine of Sorrows?

I tried Julian Thorne's and my best friend's birthdays. No luck.

That doesn't make sense, does it?

Could it be… my birthday?

I tried it. *Click*. The safe… it actually opened!

"What are you doing?"

My entire body stiffened. I turned around to see Julian Thorne leaning against the doorframe, his expression unreadable.

I swallowed hard. *Oh god, please don't come closer, you're terrifying!*