Chapter 220: Chapter 220: The Perfect Act

Helen Lloyd was sitting in her office, and upon laying her eyes on Julian Sterling, she also froze in utter astonishment for a brief moment. Perhaps it was because he was crying far too convincingly, or perhaps it was due to the mark on his cheek, but Helen Lloyd genuinely believed that the two of them had gotten into a fierce argument: “What happened? What is wrong with your face? Did the boss hit you?”

She hastily sprang up from her comfortable chair, approaching closer to carefully inspect Julian Sterling’s face. It was at this precise moment that Helen Lloyd finally realized the mark on Julian Sterling’s face looked rather peculiar. Naturally, it was not some fabricated illusion created by makeup, the reddish blemish appeared remarkably natural and organic. However, upon closer inspection, it did not entirely resemble the aftermath of a physical blow. And right at this exact second, Julian Sterling leaned into a blind spot and subtly gave her a knowing wink.

How could Helen Lloyd not understand the situation after witnessing that. She inherently knew that Julian Sterling was merely pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes.

Nevertheless, her office was not constructed quite like Ethan Caldwell’s private workspace, one entire side of it was composed of transparent glass, meaning anyone standing on the outside could effortlessly peer into the room. Consequently, Helen Lloyd deeply immersed herself in the performance, acting as though she was earnestly comforting a devastated Julian Sterling.

Julian Sterling, proving himself to be even more dramatic than a seasoned opera actor, embraced Helen Lloyd while weeping and pouring his heart out with exaggerated sorrow. The onlookers situated outside could not hear a single word the two of them were exchanging. They could only witness the heart-wrenching sight of Julian Sterling sobbing so violently that he appeared to be choking and unable to catch his breath.

A short while later, after Helen Lloyd had spent some time soothing him, Julian Sterling simply collapsed onto the comfortable sofa inside her office and seemingly drifted off to sleep. She, in turn, moved with the utmost gentleness and tiptoed her way out of the room.

Seeing Helen Lloyd step out, the various assistants gathered around all cast a collective glance in her direction, then peeked back into the room, yet absolutely no one dared to voice any questions. Only Colin Grant, who had just finished resolving a pressing issue in the main conference room, walked over and asked in a hushed, quiet tone: “What is going on, Helen?”.

Helen Lloyd shook her head, choosing not to answer Colin Grant directly, but instead issued a general warning to everyone present: “Recently, the project is reaching an exceedingly critical phase, so CEO’s temper is a bit irritable and difficult to navigate. Exercise a great deal of caution, and notify all the relevant managers to seize the time and immediately revise their respective plans. There is a highly probable chance that they will be summoned for another impromptu meeting.”

“Yes, Mrs. Helen.”.

Helen Lloyd offered a firm nod of acknowledgment before returning to her own office, taking the deliberate action of pulling down the privacy blinds over the transparent glass. At this point in time, Julian Sterling was still lying motionless on the sofa. However, he slightly cracked his eyes open and gave Helen Lloyd another mischievous wink.

As the late afternoon transitioned into early evening, Julian Sterling hailed a cab entirely by himself to return home, not even bothering to call his designated chauffeur to come and pick him up. The gentle, lingering drizzle falling just outside the vehicle’s window served to further amplify the desolate and tranquil atmosphere of the passing city streets. Around that same timeframe, remaining behind at the corporate headquarters, Ethan Caldwell instructed Helen Lloyd to call all the managers back for an urgent, overtime meeting in order to decisively resolve the numerous outstanding issues that were still pending.

When Julian Sterling finally returned home, the serene and incredibly warm ambiance of the spacious apartment seemed to instantaneously dissipate all the chaotic noise and exhaustion of a very long day. He immediately noticed that his backpack and professional work laptop had already been meticulously brought back by an assistant well beforehand, placed neatly and orderly upon the solid table. Inside the immaculate kitchen, there was also a portion of freshly cooked, piping hot food waiting for him, radiating an intensely comforting and familiar aroma. He let out a soft, contented chuckle, proceeded to take a relaxing shower, and subsequently changed into an impeccably comfortable set of pristine white silk pajamas before grabbing his computer and burying himself deep within the plush, soft confines of the living room sofa.

Logically speaking, he had fully intended to spend today reviewing the project’s demo alongside Ethan Caldwell, mutually discussing the intricate graphical details in profound depth. Regrettably, a highly suspicious individual made an unexpected appearance halfway through the schedule, causing all of today’s carefully laid plans to be completely turned upside down, which ultimately meant their shared working time had to be reluctantly postponed.

Julian Sterling powered on his laptop. Ethan Caldwell had already sent him an electronic mail containing a comprehensive selection of visual images directly pertaining to the ongoing project. These particular files were two-dimensional conceptual images meticulously developed by Iris Visuals, vividly displaying the foundational sketches and rudimentary outlines of the environmental background. The man wanted Julian Sterling to thoroughly evaluate whether the ambitious integration between these two distinct civilizations was truly seamless or not, and to determine if they could fluidly and logically interchange with one another.

Julian Sterling briefly skimmed through the visual materials, carefully zooming in on every single edge and obscure corner of the detailed illustration. The sharp, cold metallic structures paired harmoniously alongside classical, vintage patterns looked undeniably impressive, yet he inherently felt that there was still something profoundly crucial missing, a sort of underlying soul that could effectively bind both disparate elements together into one cohesive entity, rather than simply appearing as a superficial, hastily assembled patchwork.

He stared at the screen for quite some time before decisively opting to lay out his premium drawing paper and specialized artistic toolset across the smooth surface of the glass table, thoroughly preparing to experiment creatively for a little while in a determined quest to find genuine inspiration. Regardless, Julian Sterling did not have any mandatory academic classes at the university tomorrow, so he harbored absolutely no fear that staying up exceedingly late tonight would negatively impact his schedule for the following day.

While Julian Sterling was meticulously arranging his drawing stand and specialized pen container, he suddenly discovered a brand-new, impeccably crafted wooden pen box resting quietly in the corner of his storage shelf. The top surface of the box was even engraved with remarkably exquisite, intricate floral patterns. Neatly arranged inside were numerous varieties of premium painting brushes boasting a wide array of distinct shapes, ranging effortlessly from perfectly rounded tips and flat, broad brushes to incredibly fine detailing tools. Julian Sterling gently reached out to touch them for a brief moment, immediately noting that the bristle material was astonishingly smooth, feeling incredibly soft against his skin while also appearing to retain an exceptionally high degree of natural elasticity.

It strongly appeared as though Ethan Caldwell had just recently purchased a completely new, high-quality set specifically for him. This particular man always paid such incredibly close and meticulous attention to all the minuscule details directly involving his demanding design work.

He firmly decided that he would undoubtedly test them out properly with delicate watercolors on another day when he had far more free time, but for tonight, he would gracefully pass on the opportunity. Julian Sterling securely grasped his comfortably familiar set of standard drawing tools, rhythmically tapping the very end of his trusty pen against his chin for a singular, contemplative beat before purposefully beginning to lay down the absolute first, initial strokes of his grand sketch onto the pristine, blank surface of the white paper.

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