Chapter 69: Chapter 69: A Calculated Encounter

The afternoon air was crisp and chilly, and the streetlights were just beginning to flicker to life as Julian Sterling shouldered a small bag and slowly walked out of his residential compound. Counting down from today, there were only three days left until the detailed plan had to be handed over to Iris Visuals. Come to think of it, Ethan Caldwell had been away in Valkania for nearly a week. Barring any unexpected incidents, he would be returning tomorrow.

For the past few days, Julian’s life had revolved almost entirely around painting, processing the business plan, and occasionally attending classes. His existence had been quite peaceful. It was just a little headache-inducing, as the plan still had many issues that were not yet resolved smoothly. Furthermore, Julian still needed a definitive answer from the technical department before he could begin to construct several core elements.

Besides that, sleeping alone at night these past few days without anyone beside him had made him feel a bit unaccustomed to the solitude.

Julian scratched his hair, hoisted the bag resting on his hip, and rolled a piece of candy around in his mouth. He stood by the curb, watching the flow of traffic for a moment, before stepping into the pedestrian zone and crossing to the other side of the street.

Today, he had to go meet someone.

As Julian crossed the street, he cast his gaze around the area. Ethan’s villa was located in the city center, convenient for reaching the company and close to his school. The surroundings were filled with numerous eateries and miscellaneous coffee shops, some of which operated almost around the clock, ensuring the area was always bustling with activity.

Julian strode toward a nearby coffee shop. He pushed the door open, signaled to the welcoming staff that he had a reservation, and then walked straight to the innermost corner of the shop. There, at a table tucked away in a slightly obscured corner, a man was already seated.

The man was dressed in a formal suit, sitting with his profile turned halfway toward the boy. The first thing that struck Julian’s eyes was the man’s perfectly straight nose bridge. Julian unconsciously rubbed his own nose, then looked at the man again, taking in the long, curled eyelashes and the sharp, piercing eyes.

Hearing the commotion, the man turned around. Upon seeing Julian, he stood up and offered a smile, his tone very intimate.

“It is truly difficult to get a meet with you.”

Julian looked at him, using a voice that sounded utterly innocent to speak.

“Do we… know each other?”

“Oh, I forgot. I heard that when you were hospitalized last time, your memory was slightly affected.” The man smiled at him, acting the part of a gentleman: “I am Gabriel Cole. We met a few years ago. Back then, you helped my aunt, and I even invited you to dinner a few times.”

Julian gave a look of realization, feigning surprise.

“Is that so? But your aunt is…”

“My aunt’s name is Seraphina Cole. In the past, you used to call her Seraphina.”

Julian nodded repeatedly, then scratched his hair with an expression of embarrassment. He stole a glance at Gabriel, his shifting eyes revealing a clear look of naivety, as if he were a young boy who had grown up in some remote countryside – simple, honest, and easy to deceive.

Seeing this, Gabriel Cole pulled out the chair opposite himself and said to the young man, “I know you do not remember, but that is fine. After we interact more, it will become familiar again. Here, please sit down.”

Julian murmured a thank you and sat down. Throughout this process, he kept his eyes on Gabriel in front of him. The more he looked, the more certain Julian became that this man was very likely the other male protagonist of this world.

It was because his appearance and his aura were incredibly powerful.

Naturally, not everyone who was beautiful was a main character, but the majority of those who held the destiny of a world possessed outstanding looks. Ethan Caldwell was also beautiful, very handsome, and exuded a strong masculine flavor, but in comparison, he was distinctly different from the person before Julian now. Gabriel had a face with clearly defined, sharp angles; he was the type of domineering tycoon that everyone often encountered in stories. Of course, Julian had seen photographs of the man, but a picture could not clearly convey the imposing atmosphere of meeting him face-to-face.

The feeling of oppression was very distinct, and there was even a hint of gloominess.

Early this morning, when Julian suddenly received a text message from a stranger, the other party had introduced himself as Gabriel Cole, claiming to be an old acquaintance he had not seen in a long time who wanted to meet to reminisce and offer thanks. In the message, Gabriel had mentioned a great deal, touching upon matters from before Julian transmigrated here, as well as things that had happened after his arrival. These details made Julian suspect that there were a few unclean elements surrounding his life. Julian’s choice to come here today was somewhat risky. Logically, it would have been better to wait for Ethan to return and go with him. But the moment he thought about the possibility of someone secretly monitoring him and Ethan – perhaps even someone close to them – he could not help but shudder.

He guessed that the reason Gabriel sent the message just before Ethan returned was to test him. Perhaps Gabriel was not entirely certain who was behind the scenes, truly disrupting his plans. Therefore, Gabriel was making this move today, borrowing this meeting to probe and investigate.

That was why Julian had taken the risk to come here; for the time being, he did not want to reveal his hand just yet. After all, since Gabriel was suspecting that Ethan was using Julian as a cannon fodder to secretly sabotage his plans, Julian did not mind helping Gabriel authenticate this suspicion.

If it conveniently caused a rift in the feelings between Gabriel and Aaron Sterling, then that would be even better.

After all, Julian believed that for people like Gabriel Cole, the affection between him and Aaron, which had not yet had time to blossom deeply, would not be worth a single penny when compared to ultimate benefits. He only needed to plant a seed of doubt in Gabriel’s heart; it would exist there forever, becoming a boundary that Aaron would find difficult to cross.

If one wanted to destroy these people, the best method was to let them fight amongst themselves. Julian understood perfectly well that if he allowed them to cooperate, his own path would become increasingly difficult to walk. It was better to take advantage of the time when the alliance between Gabriel and Aaron was not yet solid and shatter it completely.

If he could not destroy it, then he must at least leave a crack.

Over the long years and months, who knew when those cracks might turn into their fatal weakness.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep