Chapter 56: Chapter 56: The Gamble

Since awakening in this body, Julian Sterling had never intended to set foot in the business world. The moment he came back to life, he only wanted to live out his days in peace. But the peaceful life Julian yearned for was too difficult to achieve, perhaps because human life was inherently this way. If he had woken up in the body of an ordinary person, he would have had to struggle with the daily grind for food and clothing. Awakening in a wealthy family, whether it was the Sterlings or any other clan with a bit of fortune, meant he had to face power struggles, fights for money, and turbulent undercurrents.

Julian was the one who understood best the ugly, rotten reality hiding behind the vermilion gates and gilded towers, the glorious wealth of the upper class. The more he understood, the more weary he became. But for his own sake, for his own life, and to secure an existence free from humiliation, Julian was forced to dip his hands into this commercial battlefield.

He did not know what the future would hold, nor how far the path of cooperating with Lucas Hill to build his own force would lead. But he had to try. After all, this life was inherently a gamble. Heaven had favored him with a substantial initial capital, and there was someone standing beside him like Ethan Caldwell whom he could exploit for connections, why not take the risk?

A hundred years of a human life leads to only one result. What was there to fear about death? Julian had already died once.

And 99% of gamblers quit before hitting the big jackpot.

Moreover, what Julian was building was a contingency force for himself. If Ethan Caldwell treated him like this for his whole life – regardless of whether it was love or not, as long as this indulgence did not disappear – he would absolutely never mobilize this force.

Perhaps it was because he had spent too much time in this body, seeing clearly the injustice and the cold-blooded cruelty of the Sterling family, that the lingering, undissipated resentment of the original Julian was gradually infecting him.

In his previous life, Julian had been a prominent CEO who could summon the wind and rain, possessing both money and power. But what was his nature deep down? In truth, he was just a cowardly weakling who dared not talk back to his father, obeying the man’s every word. Thirty years of life, aside from the polished, golden exterior, was no different from a pet bird locked in a painted cage.

In this life, he had someone by his side doing their utmost to help him, so why shouldn’t he take revenge?

Perhaps the affection and indulgence Ethan Caldwell held for him would not last long. But at the very least, it was enough to topple the Sterling family.

As long as the protagonist and the harem of men surrounding Aaron Sterling were still there, Julian feared he would not escape a miserable fate. Fighting against a protagonist in a world where that person was the darling of the heavens meant that unless Aaron died, Julian himself would have no place to exist.

Julian snapped out of his chaotic thoughts, his fingers rubbing the seam of his collar. He took a breath, then lifted both arms toward Ethan Caldwell: “Dress me.”

One could say Julian was being vain or acting spoiled, but he accepted it because he didn’t know what else to do. Right now, his waist hurt, his legs were sore, and that certain place didn’t even need mentioning – it was in a truly wretched state. His personal activities today relied almost entirely on Ethan.

It couldn’t be helped; who asked Ethan to be the ringleader who caused all this trouble?

However, Ethan took it as an honor, looking incredibly happy to take care of him bit by bit. He set the clothing box aside, pulled Julian onto his lap, and leisurely unbuttoned Julian’s shirt.

Julian’s skin was very white. If it had been pale and sickly when they first met, this skin was now like a supreme treasure. Rosy white, soft as if water would drip if pinched; usually, Ethan had to handle him with extreme care, otherwise, he would certainly leave marks.

Obviously, handling him with care was fine at any time, except when they were in bed.

The pale yellow shirt slipped off his shoulders, revealing creamy skin covered in blue and purple bruises. The most tragic areas were his chest and shoulder blades. His chest had been bitten until it was red and swollen; the two poor little buds were still slightly puffy. His shoulder blades were covered in hickeys, pink and red, and there was even a faint bite mark.

The marks stood out on his snow-white skin, making one want to pin this person down and bully him even more.

Ethan inhaled deeply, suppressing the desire that was tending to rear its head, and slowly took off Julian’s trousers.

The legs that were once slender and white now looked very pathetic, especially the inner thighs. They were red, swollen, and covered in bite marks and kisses – traces that extended from his thighs all the way to that sensitive place before disappearing behind his small briefs.

Ethan stripped off all his clothes, leaving only the briefs, and then slowly dressed him again, piece by piece.

Boxer shorts, dress shirt, waistcoat, shirt stays, and finally trousers and the suit jacket on the outside.

Ethan even tied the necktie for him with his own hands.

“Truly beautiful.” Ethan adjusted Julian’s collar and clicked his tongue in praise. The young man, just around twenty, wearing a perfectly tailored suit, exuded an air that was both serious and yet retained a hint of childish mischief.

However, for some reason, he still felt it lacked something compared to his imagination. Ethan pondered for a moment, then suddenly picked him up, his hands supporting Julian’s buttocks: “Shall I take you to admire your own handsomeness?”

After speaking, he carried Julian toward the corner of the walk-in closet, where there was a large mirror, a full-body mirror specialized for artists. Ethan carried him there because he wanted Julian to see this beauty for himself.

As for why he didn’t walk there himself?

Because Julian was still in the phase where he could not get out of bed.

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