Chapter 219: Chapter 219: A Sweet Wound

Upon finishing his rhetorical question, Ethan Caldwell once again decisively and firmly grasped Julian Sterling’s delicate chin, intent on forcing a kiss upon him. This time around, even though Julian had deliberately tried his absolute best to evade the incoming capture, the sheer physical strength contained within the man’s arm was simply far too overpowering, rendering the young man completely incapable of escaping his grasp. Nevertheless, at the precise moment their two pairs of lips finally crashed against one another, Julian still stubbornly kept his teeth tightly clenched together, absolutely refusing to part his lips to allow Ethan any deeper invasion.

“Mmm… let go of me right now…”

Ultimately, Ethan Caldwell was forced to simultaneously employ one of his large hands to gently squeeze the sides of Julian Sterling’s soft cheeks in order to softly compel the young man to part his small mouth, while simultaneously sliding his other hand deep beneath the layers of Julian’s clothing. Ethan caressingly stroked the slender, incredibly smooth waist resting snugly within his embrace in a calculated attempt to distract the young man’s attention. Yet, for some entirely unknown and unfathomable reason today, Julian seemed absolutely determined to fiercely resist Ethan until the very bitter end.

In the end, after a rather intense and heated physical struggle between the two stubborn individuals, that profoundly passionate, fiery kiss surprisingly carried the distinct, unmistakable metallic taste of fresh, crimson blood.

By the time the two individuals finally released their tight hold on one another and pulled apart, the delicate outer corners of Julian Sterling’s beautiful eyes had already begun to flush with a highly noticeable, rosy shade of red due to the sudden lack of oxygen. Before the young man even had an adequate moment to fully process or react to what had just transpired, Ethan Caldwell, who was sitting right beside him, had already swiftly opened the camera application on his sophisticated smartphone. Ethan raised the glowing screen directly in front of Julian’s face for him to clearly see his own reflection, and the older man’s voice dropped into a low, rumbling register that was absolutely overflowing with boundless pampering and deep affection: “Are you entirely satisfied with this outcome now, my dear?”

Displayed clearly upon the digital screen of the phone, Julian Sterling’s pristine, snow-white cheeks had already blossomed with a faint, blooming redness. This was the direct, undeniable result of the older man being slightly too impatient just a few moments prior, inadvertently using a fraction too much physical force and thus accidentally leaving behind a visible, lingering mark on that flawless skin. Furthermore, Julian’s soft lips also sported a very slight, minor scratch that was currently oozing a tiny amount of blood. Coincidentally, this small abrasion was situated right at the very corner of his mouth. Even though the excess, lingering blood had already been tenderly and meticulously licked clean by Ethan Caldwell’s gentle ministrations, the fresh, open wound itself was certainly not something that could be easily or casually concealed from a watchful gaze.

This was especially true when one took into account those enchanting, expressive eyes of his, which currently featured outer corners that were shimmering with a bright, tearful, and incredibly flushed redness. Right now, all the young man had to do was simply pout his lower lip the tiniest, most minuscule bit, and his entire demeanor would instantly and miraculously transform into the absolute picture of a deeply wronged, profoundly pitiful victim who was perpetually on the very verge of bursting into loud, heartbreaking sobs.

“I truly cannot seem to understand you at all sometimes. Why on earth do you persistently insist on deliberately causing yourself physical harm like this in order to be satisfied?” Ethan Caldwell let out a very soft, heavy sigh that was laden with intense, undeniable heartache. He slowly leaned his tall frame downward, gently pressing his own broad forehead intimately against the smooth expanse of Julian’s forehead. In the very beginning, Ethan truly had not completely grasped the underlying intentions behind the young man’s bizarre actions, but after a short while of witnessing this elaborate display, there was simply no conceivable way that the deeply observant man would fail to thoroughly understand the complex, multifaceted personality of his own beloved life partner.

However, since Julian Sterling was so adamantly determined to flawlessly execute this grand theatrical performance right down to the very bitter end, Ethan Caldwell realized that he could only try his absolute best to obediently cooperate and play along with the young man’s elaborate scheme. After all, when all was said and done, executing the plan utilizing this particular, intimate method was still vastly gentler and significantly less heartbreaking to endure than having to genuinely raise his hand and ruthlessly strike the person he loved so dearly.

“Since we have already gone through all the immense trouble of putting on a play, my dear, it is absolutely imperative that we act it out so that it appears incredibly authentic and achieves the highest possible level of realism.”

“You are truly making a profound, monumental sacrifice in the sacred name of art, Julian Sterling.”

“Tsk… you are always exaggerating so much with your words…” Julian Sterling let out a soft, dismissive sound. Following that entirely unbothered reaction, Julian agilely and quickly climbed completely out of Ethan’s warm, inviting lap. Right before he officially prepared to take his leave, the young man did not forget to deliberately plant a loud, affectionate peck directly onto the older man’s handsome cheek, offering the sweet gesture as a form of well-deserved reward: “Tonight, you must make absolutely sure to summon that entire group of troublesome managers to stay behind at the company in order to continue holding your lengthy meetings. There is absolutely no need for you to rush back home early today. Or, alternatively, if you decide to go somewhere else and not return home at all tonight, that would be perfectly fine as well. I cross my heart and promise that I will not be angry with you in the slightest.”

Ethan Caldwell reacted with lightning-fast reflexes, swiftly reaching his hand out to forcefully pull the slender young man backward, securely depositing Julian right back into the familiar confines of his lap: “Has it really come to the point where I do not even possess the most basic, fundamental right to sleep peacefully inside of my very own house anymore?”

“Be a good boy now, my dear.” Julian Sterling gently and rhythmically patted the back of the imposing man’s large hand, his tone strikingly similar to an indulgent parent patiently coaxing a fussy child: “Some other day, I will absolutely make sure to compensate you in a highly worthy and thoroughly satisfying manner. But for now, I really must be going. Please remember to take my personal backpack and hand it over to the security guards who are currently waiting on the ground floor, so that they can safely transport it back home for me, alright?”

Having completely finished delivering his final set of detailed instructions, Julian Sterling decisively and firmly stood up from Ethan Caldwell’s body once more. He merely grabbed hold of his own sleek smartphone before hurriedly moving his feet to quickly jog straight out of the heavy doors of the grand executive office. The young man practically sprinted into the lavish, exclusive elevator specifically designated for the top-tier leadership, swiftly pressing the glowing button to descend directly to the specific floor that housed the private, luxurious workspace belonging to Helen Lloyd.

Taking full advantage of the few, incredibly brief seconds while patiently waiting for the high-speed elevator to smoothly descend, Julian Sterling took the fleeting opportunity to carefully and critically inspect his own physical appearance through the highly polished, gleaming mirrored walls of the elevator cabin.

This expansive mirror undeniably reflected a vastly more authentic and strikingly realistic image when compared to the slightly distorted lens of a phone camera. The delicate outer corners of his eyes were a brilliant, flushed red, currently shimmering with an unshed pool of watery tears. His soft lips were pressed tightly together in an expression overflowing with a profound sense of helpless resignation, clearly exposing the raw, slightly bleeding scratch that was located precisely at the very corner of his mouth. Furthermore, his normally pale cheeks were flushed with a vivid, angry shade of red, making him look exactly as if he had just been forcefully and ruthlessly struck by someone’s heavy hand.

The only minor flaw in this masterpiece was that the deepest, most concentrated patch of red coloring on his cheek was positioned slightly too low, skewing just a fraction toward the bottom of his jawline. If one were to stare at it too closely and analyze it with a highly critical eye, it still inherently gave off a slightly strange, somewhat artificial, and decidedly unnatural feeling. Realizing this slight discrepancy, Julian Sterling utilized his quick wits and immediate reflexes, deliberately raising one of his hands to completely cover and obscure that specific side of his beautiful face.

Yes, viewing the overall picture in this particular, partially concealed manner made his tragic facade look significantly better and vastly more convincing to any unsuspecting observer.

He tried his absolute hardest to meticulously maintain this heartbreakingly tragic, pitifully abused state as he kept his face bowed deeply toward the floor. Julian stepped out of the opening elevator doors, breaking into a series of rushed, hurried little steps as he headed straight toward Helen Lloyd’s private office. Along the short, carpeted journey from the elevator bank to the intended room, it was truly unknown just how many of Ethan Caldwell’s various, highly capable assistants and administrative staff members Julian had managed to quickly brush past. He faintly and indistinctly heard the bewildered sounds of those numerous people offering him highly surprised, concerned greetings, but Julian Sterling absolutely refused to offer a single word of response to any of them. Instead, the young man merely kept his head down, trudging silently and pitifully straight toward the specific office located at the very end of the expansive floor, before forcefully pushing the heavy door open and stepping inside.

Just a fleeting moment before the heavy door of the office managed to swing entirely shut and completely seal the room, it seemed as though all of the stunned individuals who were still standing frozen outside in the corridor could clearly hear the sound of his deeply wronged, heartbreakingly muffled sobs echoing loudly through the air: “Helen… hic…”

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