All The Wrong Places episode 28

🌼ALL THE WRONG PLACES🌼
🌻EPISODE_TWENTY_EIGHT🌻

Monday morning, the Adams private jet took Julianne
and two of Adams Industries legal counsels to Detroit. They
checked in at The Majestic, a five-star hotel owned by Starck
Corp.

They spent the wh0le afternoon meeting with the
Japanese clients from Miyako Tech and working on the terms
and conditions of their future partnersh¡ps. Julianne and the
legal team had spent the wh0le weekend checking their
contract offerings, all possible looph0les and all other
alternatives.
She had been relentlessly working since that evening
that Vanessa Bernard paid her a visit. It was her best way to
cope with the twisted pain she felt in her heart.

Jin had been texting her but she didn’t even read most
of his messages. He called plenty of times, but she simply
ignored all his calls. She didn’t want to talk to him. Not yet.
Her mind was confused and her heart was too broken. She
couldn’t decide what to do with him when she was this
emotional. She needed to decide what was right, not just for
herself, but also for Jared.
She was sure of one thing—she would never become
his mistress.

The night after Vanessa left, she searched the internet
for news regarding the charity gala they attended in Paris.
True enough she saw some pictures posted. She found some
of them with Vanessa Bernard, dressed in a gold sequined
gown, with a very long, plunging neckline, standing next to
Jin. Vanessa looked happy, with all smiles, but she couldn’t
make out the look on Jin’s face.
Well, at least one of the things Vanessa said checked
out. She said they saw each other that night. And she did say that Jin left her apartment late, around five. That was
the time he called Julianne to say goodnight.

And during their last conversation, Jin already prepped
her about a talk they would be having. He said he needed to
discuss their future together—their arrangement. And
according to Vanessa Bernard, that arrangement meant that
Vanessa would be the legal wife, and she, Julianne Sanders,
would be the mistress.
Well, Jin must be out of his mind if he thought I would
allow myself to be someone’s mistress!
In the middle of Miyako’s presentation, she received a
message from Jin again. This time she read it.
“What’s going on, ma belle? Is everything okay? I
can’t get ahold of you. Please call me as soon as you get
this.”
She didn’t reply. She refocused herself on the
presentation.

After her meeting with Miyako, she checked her phone
and she received about six more messages and ten missed
calls from Jin. She ignored it and went to have dinner with
her Japanese counterparts, turning her phone off, because it
rang almost every minute, it sounded like a hotline,
disrupting her meeting.
After dinner, she was able to accomplish at least two
things. One, a finalized agreement between Miyako Tech
and Adams Industries. And two, she was able to make Jin
stop bothering her—at least for the night.

Finally, he got the message!
She must admit, her heart was bleeding. She wanted
to gather enough courage for next week. She must prepare
herself with what she needed to say to him. It would be hærd
and she would be heartbroken for the second time, but she
needed to do this. She had to break up with Jin Starck!
He cannot have me and still marry Vanessa Bernard. If
Vanessa was okay with sharing, well, I am not! If he thinks he could have it both ways, well, he’s got another think
coming.

She stared at the mirror before she went to bed. Her
eyes were swollen because she’s been working too hærd
during the day and then crying herself to sleep at nights.
What a fool you’ve been to think that Jin Starck would
choose you over his promise to his parents… over his family
legacy! He would lose everything he’s worked so hærd for in
the last seven years. You… are not worth it!
She must admit, for the past weeks, she was on cloud
nine, and she’d been dreaming. But now, she’s wide awake
and the bitter reality slapped her in the face.
She was in the airport by noon the next day to catch
the flight back to Chicago. She planned to go straight to her
house first to check up on it and see if she and Jared could
finally move back in.

I want to go back to my house and start my life all
over again.
When she landed in Chicago, she was shocked to see
Jin Starck standing at the arrival area, looking like he was
waiting for somebody.
He was wearing a pair of black chinos and a dark gray
high collar sweater with a side zipper. His hair was
disheveled and his beautiful aquamarine eyes looked tired
and weary. He had a cut on his eyebrow and a bruise beside
his l-ips, like he just came from a brawl.
He approached her and her heart pounded loudly
in,side her ribcage with each step he took towards her.
“Oh my God, what happened to you? You look…” she
trailed off. He was bruised but damn, he still looked great.
And the bruise and cuts made him look tougher, even more
dangerous.

“This is nothing. Don’t worry about it,” he said.
“Okay, then what are you doing here?” she asked.
“You weren’t due to be back until the end of the week.”
She was indeed preparing herself emotionally for the
time she would see him again. She was definitely not ready
to face him so soon.
“I was waiting for you,” he replied.
“Why?”
He raised a brow. “You were ignoring my calls, not
answering my messages.”
“I was—I was busy.”
“I was busy too, and I was in different time zones
every forty-eight hours, but I make time to answer your calls
and if I miss any, I call back,” he said in an annoyed tone.
“Have you ever been in a relationsh¡p before? Did you not
think I would be worried sick if I did not hear from you within
a twenty-four-hour period?”
“Now, you know I’m okay,” she said. She had to
remind herself that she was going to break up with him.
“You can go back to Paris now. I’m sorry for any
inconvenience caused.”
He drew his brows together and he stared at her as if
she was out of her mind. “Excuse me? Who are you and
what have you done to my girlfriend?”
Girlfriend?!
She was about to retort back when her phone
suddenly rang. It was Adrienne.
“Hi Yen. I just landed.”
“Good,” Adrienne said. There was something in her
voice that somehow rang the alarm bells in,side Julianne’s
head.
“What’s wrong, Yen?”
“Your parents are here. And Gian’s on the way,”
Adrienne replied. “I’m not sure if I should be telling you this.
But I have a very bad feeling this concerns you or Jared.”
“I’m going there now!”
Jin instantly read the worried expression on her face.
“What happened? Is Jared okay?” He sounded alarmed too.

“He’s fine,” Julianne replied. “But I need to go to the
mansion now. We need to talk. Later. But right now, I need
to go.”
“What’s the problem?”
She shook her head. “It’s not your concern.”
“Arabella…” his voice was firm and serious. “Your
problem is my problem.”
She shook her head. “My parents are not your
problem, Jin. It’s my problem alone! And right now, I need to
go to the mansion, so I can stop whatever evil plan my
father has in mind. I know him. I know he’s out to spread
havoc again!”
Her eyes were teary and she was sure he could read
panic written all over her face. He reached out to cup her
cheeks between his palms.
“Okay, okay,” he said in a more comforting tone. “I’ll
drive you there.”
He bent down to take her bags from her. Then he took
her hand in his and led her out of the airport and into the
parking lot where his green Ferrari was parked.
They drove in complete silence to the Adams Mansion.
Julianne’s thoughts were completely occupied with
possibilities of what her father could be up to now. She was
chewing her thumbnail to distract herself.

I already moved out. Surely, sleepovers are allowed!
What more does he want?
If his father wouldn’t believe that she moved out, she
would show him a copy of her lease to her new house.
What is he up to now?
Knowing her father, it could be anything. He never
failed to surprise or shock her after all these years. She
heard that some of their businesses weren’t doing well. He
was trying to sell off their Paris glass factory because it was
losing a lot of money, but no one wanted to pay the
exorbitant price he was asking for.
But what have I got to do with it? Even if he did
successfully marry me off to Patrick McAllister, I doubt I
would be able to help in that!
Jin parked in front of the mansion. Julianne went down
the car, without waiting for Jin to open the door for her. Her
hands were sweaty and the knot in her stomach kept
getting tighter and tighter.
As she ascended the steps, she felt Jin pull her hand.
She turned back to him.
“Hey, it’s gonna be fine,” he assured her.

She took a deep breath and nodded hesitantly.
“I’ll check up on Jared,” Jin said. “If you need me… just
call, okay?”
Again, she nodded. Jin reached up and gave her cheek
a reassuring car-ss.
Then she turned back and hurried to the tea room.
The door was partially open and she could hear voices
in,side. She decided to listen in first before she entered.
“Why you are taking out your problems on Ian and
Jared is beyond me, Uncle,” she heard Justin say in a grave
tone. She recognized that tone. That’s how Justin usually
sounds when he’s holding on to the last strings of self-
control.

“Julianne does not have any right to the family name
anymore,” she heard her father say. “She lost it when she
had that bastard of hers. And I cannot allo,w that boy to
carry my name too!”
Oh my God!
“So what would you have us do?” she heard Uncle Jac
ask.
“The right thing. Respect my decision and stop
helping that traitor ex-daughter of mine.”
“Edward, you are being very unreasonable!” Christine
said. Julianne could hear the tears in her voice. “Emily, why
are you even allowing this?”
“He’s right, Christine. What Ian did caused irreparable
damage to our reputation. My husband lost deals here and
there. The McAllisters are a difficult family to cross. We’re
still suffering the consequences of Ian’s indiscretion. We are
losing our businesses.”
“You’re losing your business because of your
mismanagement and wrong decisions. Not because your
daughter got pregnant and broke off her arranged
engagement with a spoiled brat from a powerful family,” Jac
said wryly.
“How dare you!” she heard her father raise his voice
angrily. “I do not say anything about your family! How dare
you insult my decisions and my actions?”
“Stop this! Dad, you were out of line,” she heard Gian
say.
“Shut up, boy! Haven’t I taught you to keep your
mouth shut when the adults are talking?”
Damn! He still treats Gian like he was ten years old!
At that point, she couldn’t take it anymore. She
barged into the room and faced her parents.

“What do you want this time, Dad?” she asked, raising
her chin. “I’ve done what you wanted. I moved out of this
house so you would not need to bother Justin and his family
for helping me out. Me and Jared were just here temporarily
because of some works happening in my neighborhood.
Surely, this was not counted. I couldn’t understand what
else you were asking for.”
Her father gave her a contemptuous look, which broke
her heart even more, but she endured it. She refused to
make him see that he was breaking her already broken
spirit.

“I raised you, you ingrate! Gave you the best of life.
And you were born for one purpose in this family! To look
pretty and desirable to a man of good stature, who could be
beneficial to our business. And you couldn’t even do that!”
“Dad, please stop!” Gian pleaded.
“Her only purpose?” Justin echoed angrily. “As in you
had kids because they serve a purpose other than be your
children?”
“I do not like children. But I needed an heir. I wanted a
boy. Ian was supposed to be a bonus. Now, she’s nothing
more than a liability,” her father said dryly. “That’s why I am
here.” Her father looked at her directly. “I want you to
remove my surname on your bastard son’s birth certificate!”
Julianne stared at her father with wide eyes. She could
barely believe what she was hearing.
“Say what?” Jac asked. He sounded like he felt that
was the most ridiculous thing he had heard in his life.
“I gave you my surname,” her father said. “You no
longer have the right to carry it since I disinherited you. And
you most certainly have no right to give it to your bastard.
You have no right to give him my name!”
Julianne’s eyes filled with tears. Her parents refused to
acknowledge or even meet their grandson. And now, they
do not even want him to carry their surname. She looked at
her mother, but she simply shrugged apologetically. She
knew that she was on her father’s side on this. She always
had been.

“Jesus Christ, Dad!” Gian protested. “That’s beyond
going overboard.”
“Shut up!”
“So, what name should she and Jared use?” Christine
asked.
“She can use any name. She could invent a new one if
she wanted.” Edward Sanders spat out the words.
Julianne felt her aunt Christine’s arms around her
shoulder. “You can use Smith.”
“No, Christine,” her father said firmly. “That bastard
cannot use Smith either. We do not want any more
association with them. Bad for business.”

“Oh, sweet Jesus, Edward, you have clearly lost your
mind!” Jac said. “If you weren’t my wife’s brother-in-law, I would punch the living hell out of you right now!”
“If you weren’t my uncle, I would do exactly the
same!” Justin said, reeling with anger.
Julianne finally recovered from her shock. Tears rolled
down her cheeks. She could only be grateful that Jared was
not here or was not old enough to understand all this.
“So…” she sobbed. “So, what name am I allowed to use?
What name would my son use?”
Her father raised a mocking brow at her. “That bastard
can go nameless for all I care…”
“With all due respect… Sir!” they heard a booming
voice at the door, interrupting their thoughts, pulling them
out of the shocked state they were all in.

Julianne turned around and saw Jin Starck standing at
the door. He was sporting a look of wrath on his face. And
before she could even blink, Jin went for her father. The next
thing she saw was Jin holding Edward Sanders against the
wall by his collar.
“You call Jared a bastard one more time and I swear to
God, I will forget that you are Julianne’s father.” Jin said in
gritted teeth.
“Jin!” Adrienne exclaimed. “What are you doing?”
Jin didn’t seem to hear his sister. Everyone else was
either too shocked to move or too happy that someone
finally had the guts to hurt Edward Sanders like he
deserved.

“Jared is your grandson!” Jin barked at Edward.
It took a moment for Edward to respond. “No. That
ba-” Jin gave him another hærd push against the wall,
preventing him from calling Jared a bastard one more time.
Edward took a deep breath and continued, “I disinherited
Julianne when she told us that she was pregnant. That boy is
not my grandson. And he has no right to carry my name, or
my wife’s surname.”
Gian went behind Jin and pulled him away. “Come on,
bro. Let go of my old man.”
Reluctantly, Jin released Edward. “You disinherited her
just because she got pregnant?” Obviously, he never had a
clue about this before. And Julianne wished she told him
about her real status in her family beforehand.

“Because she shamed this family!” Edward replied,
fixing his collar. “She was arranged to be married to Patrick
McAllister! I already promised them she would make good of
that agreement. She knew her responsibilities to this family
and yet she still chose to break it! She brought shame to our
honorable name. And her… son cannot carry that name. He
is not my grandson!”
Jin gave Edward a look of disgust. “You are despicable,
aren’t you, Edward Sanders? No wonder your businesses
were losing out.”
Edward looked surprised that Jin knew that. In a
defensive tone, he said, “Julianne brought bad luck to our
businesses. I was brokering the merger of the year. I lost
that deal. I lost millions! I lost my biggest winery clients for
my glass factory because they were all McAllister’s friends.
Now, I do not want any association with her and her son!”
Her father turned to the others in the room. “You all stay out
of this. For the sake of the peace and status quo in this clan!
You do not want to start a feud. Do not meddle with my
decision regarding Julianne and her son!”
“He has a name!” Jin growled.
“What?” Edward turned to him.
“His name is Jared!” Jin gave Edward a murderous
stare.
“Would you mind your own business? I don’t even
know why you’re in this room!” Edward said.
“I am not a member of your family so I can say or do
whatever I want!” Jin fumed. “And Jared is my business!”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Edward
Sanders asked.
“You don’t have to pressure anyone to drop your
surname in Jared’s legal doc-ments. Julianne would be doing that very soon!” Jin said firmly. “Sanders was not a worthy
enough name for him! From now on, Jared will be using the
name he rightfully deserves!”
Julianne could feel her knees weakening by the
second. Jin turned to her and gave her a meaningful stare.
Then he took a deep breath and said, “He will use the
name… Jared Adrien… Starck.”
Thud!
She was sure she just heard her heart drop to the
floor.

The room fell silent as everybody took time to absorb
what Jin just said. Everybody was looking at him, studying
his face, deciphering his revelation.
“Starck?” Edward echoed. He looked at Jin in wild
confusion.
“Yes! That boy that you were calling a bastard… is my
son!”

Julianne closed her eyes as tears fell from her eyes.
She heard gasps from the others in the room. Everyone
seemed to have stopped breathing.
It was Gian who recovered first. “You f-cking assh-le!
It was you, huh!” Gian went at Jin, pushing him against the
wall. “I did think Jared was a spitting image of you, and I
found that really creepy! I just didn’t think you’d have met
my sister before!”
Jin held his hands up in the air in surrender. He looked
at Gian and said, “Go. Knock yourself out. I know you’ve
been waiting seven years to beat the hell out of whoever
stole your sister’s future. Now, I’m here! Have a go at it!”
Julianne could only stand and watch in horror as
Gian’s fist landed on Jin’s jaw.

Once.
Twice.
Thrice.

Jin didn’t dock, shield or defend himself. He let Gian
beat him up. When Gian was done, Jin held his jaw and shook his head, absorbing the pain. Then he stood up
straight and asked Gian, “You done?”
Instead of replying, Gian punched him one more time
and then gave him a hærd push on the wall. “Now, I’m
done!” he growled.
Jin staggered to his feet and then he straightened his
face and turned to Justin.
“Your turn, bro.”
Justin went to him and Julianne braced herself for the
worst.

Oh my God!
“Honey, no!” Adrienne pleaded. Tears were rolling
down her cheeks.
“It’s okay, Yen,” Jin assured her sister. “They need to
get it out of their systems. I’ve been preparing for this for
quite some time now.”
Justin put a firm hand on Jin’s shoulder and gave it a
hærd squeeze. Then he growled, “This is not the place and
time for that, little brother. You’re lucky my wife is here!”
Then Justin went to Adrienne and gave his wife a tight
embrace, as if he needed to be close to her to calm his
nerves.

Jin s-cked on his bleeding lower lip. Then he took a
heavy breath and said, “What I had with Julianne seven
years ago was short… but it was deep and beautiful beyond
belief.” He turned to Edward. “I get it now. She left me and
came back to her family… obviously to honor your
agreement. Having Jared actually saved her. Because if she
didn’t get pregnant, your decision to marry her off to Patrick
McAllister—that sc-mbag, coward son of the bitch—would
well be the worst thing that could have happened to her!”
Edward turned to Julianne. His face was white. “You
stupid girl! Why did you not tell me about your son’s
father?”
“Would that have made a difference?” Julianne asked
her father coldly, raising her chin to him. “You would have come after him. You and Patrick McAllister would have
searched for him and made his life a living hell if you knew
who he was!”
Edward shook his head. “Well, not if you told me it
was Jin Starck!”
Julianne narrowed her eyes at her father. “You’re
unbelievable, Dad. I always was just a bargaining ch¡p for
you, wasn’t I?”
Edward bit his lip and didn’t answer. But Julianne knew
that what she said was true. After all, Jin Starck was a much
bigger fish than Patrick McAllister.
Tearfully, she looked at her mother in the eyes. But
the latter turned away from her in shame, as she wiped the
tears on her cheeks.
Everybody else was silent. No one even seemed to be
breathing.

Finally, Jin spoke. “She shouldn’t have come back to
you! She should have stayed with me. And I would have
given her her own empire. And my son wouldn’t have to
suffer the consequences of the decision of the callous man
his grandfather was!” Jin gave Edward and contemptuous
glare. “Because of her love for you and your family, she
ended up being at your mercy, and at the charity of
whoever is left in your family that still cared for her.”
No one interrupted Jin’s speech. No one dared.

“You do not use your own children for your own
financial gain,” Jin continued. “Your daughter is smart,
talented, tough… beautiful beyond belief. She’s worth more
than anything you’ve ever owned, ever worked for. You’re a
fool for throwing her away and blaming her for all your bad
decisions.”
Tears kept rolling down Julianne’s cheeks. She was
glad that somebody was finally putting her father in his
rightful place. Justin and his family had always defended
her, but out of respect and to prevent a feud with the
Sanders side of the family, they were trying to resolve the issue diplomatically. But Jin didn’t give a shit about her
father’s feelings, or his wrath at all.
“You son of a…” Edward started.
“You call my mother-in-law that word, and I swear
Uncle Edward! It could well be the last thing you will say!”
Justin bellowed across the room.
Edward glared at Justin. “Of course! You two gang up
on me!”
“They are not ganging up on you, Edward. They’re
telling you what you need hear,” Jac said, a bit more calmly.
But his words were still meant to sting. “You are being an
unreasonable, vindictive prick!”
“How much?” Jin suddenly asked.
All eyes turned on him.
“What?” Edward blinked back.
“How much will it take for you to leave your daughter
alone? Never to bother her, speak to her and most
especially blame her for any of your f-cking bad luck?”
“What—what the f-ck do you mean?” Edward asked.

Although he wanted to sound mad, Julianne could tell from
his voice that he was interested. He was, after all, talking to
the Jin Starck. If there was anyone who could buy him out of
his losses, it was either Justin or Jin!
Jin gave him an evil smile. Julianne could tell he got
her father right where he wanted him.
“I heard your Paris glass factory is on sale, but no one
wants to pay your asking price. It is unreasonable, just like
you are.”
“So? It’s my father’s legacy. I’m not going anything
under twenty mil for that! And what does that have
anything to do with my daughter and why are you…”
Jin cut him off before he could say anything more. “I’ll
give you twenty-five for it, along with the condition that you
stay the f-ck away from Julianne and my son! You’re not
going to see them, bother them… not even speak about
them or say their names from your filthy mouth! And you do not have to worry about Patrick McAllister either. He’s off
your back. You will not be bothered by him and his family
anymore.”
Edward Sanders stopped talking. He looked stunned,
like he’s been hit with a shotgun and he couldn’t believe he
survived it. Everyone else in the room was just as shocked
as him.
Julianne blinked back to reality and when she looked
up, Jin was already in front of her. He had a small cut on his
lower lip, courtesy of the punches given to him by Gian.
He cupped her cheek gently.
“Are you okay, ma belle?” he asked in the gentlest
tone she’s ever heard. She nodded slowly.

Jin wiped her tears with his thumbs. Then he leaned
forward and k-ssed her forehead. “Come. Let’s go home.”
She wanted to stay and explain everything—at least
to Justin and Adrienne. But when she turned back, she found
seven pairs of eyes staring back at them in shock and
confusion. She decided it wasn’t the right time. Jin gave her
an exit window. She should take it.
She nodded at Jin. He wrapped an arm around her
shoulder and led her down the steps.