All the wrong places episode 3
đŒALL THE WRONG PLACESđŒ
đ»EPISODE THREEđ»
Julianne got out of the Adamsâs limo in a hurry. It was not
like her to be late for a meeting, but today, she couldnât
help it. The wh0le house was in a chaos. Almost everybody
in the Adamsâs mansion was preparing to travel to Paris and
she was no exception. She promised Adrienne weeks ago
that she would go with them this time and Jared was already
looking forward to it. She couldnât afford to disappoint her
son, or her cousin-in-law.
However, Justin had some last minute requests that she
also couldnât say no to. Today, of all days, was the only time
she could meet with River Jefferson so she could assess the
possibility of a partnershÂĄp with Adams Industries. She had
to finish all her meetings as Adrienne requested her
undivided attention for a full week while theyâre in Paris. She
had to move her meeting with Mister Jefferson until after
office hours. Justin informed her that Mister Jefferson could
only be available at seven in the evening and as a courtesy
for moving it so late, Justin arranged for it to be a dinner
meeting instead.
âReservations for Mister Jefferson,â she told the lady at
the reception.
The lady smiled brightly at her. âSure. Mister Jefferson is
already here.â
âShoot,â she muttered under her breath.
âSweetheart, you may wanna check your hair,â the lady
whispered to her.
âSorry, itâs windy outside,â Julianne said. âThanks.â
She stole a quick look at the mirror beside the counter.
Her hair was disheveled, which was so much unlike her. She
was always org-nized, always on time. She quickly combed
her hair with her fingers as best she could.
She followed the lady as she led her to the VIP section of
the restaurant. A guy with dark blonde hair was sitting on
one of the tables, reading something on his phone.
âMister Jefferson?â
The guy looked up at her with his beautiful green eyes.
He blinked for a while, as if he was not expecting her at all.
When he quickly recovered, he stood up and held out a
chair for her.
âIâm sorry. You must be⊠Ian? Justinâs VP for Corporate
Strategy?â
âYes. Julianne Sanders,â she replied.
âRiver Jefferson,â he held out his hand to her.
She shook his hand and sat the on chair opposite him.
âIâm sorry, I have been expecting somebody else,â River
said apologetically.
âWhat did Justin tell you?â
âHe didnât say much. But he was quite adamant that I
meet with his Head of Corporate Strategy tonight.â
âIâm sorry. Iâm leaving for Paris tomorrow. This is the only
time I have this week. Otherwise, you would have to wait
until next week.â
âNext week, Iâm in Italy. And I wonât be back until end of
the month,â River said.
âWell, thatâs why Justin insisted we see each other
tonight.â
River looked at Julianne for a moment and he shook his
head slightly. There was amusement on his face.
âExcuse me, is something wrong?â Julianneâs voice was
cold. She knew that her hair fell short of VP for Corporate
Strategy material at the moment, but sheâs here to let River
Jefferson know she meant business.
River shook his head. âNothing, really.â
âNo, seriously, tell me,â she insisted.
River smiled at her brightly. Although she already looked
irritated, he didnât seem intimidated or even slightly discouraged. It seemed that nothing could dampen this
guyâs spirit.
âJulianne Sanders, you said, right?â he asked and Julianne
nodded. âAny chance youâre related to Gian Sanders?â
âHeâs my twin brother.â
âSo, youâre related to Justin.â
âYes. Weâre cousins.â
The amusement on Riverâs face seemed to spread even
more.
âIs something funny, Mister Jefferson?â
He shook his head. âIâm not sure yet. But weâll figure it
out together,â he replied. Then he opened his laptop for his
presentation.
Although Julianne was slightly irritated, she was obliged
to listen. She wasnât used to guys saying cryptic things to
her. Most of the guys she met recently were pretty
straightforward. And they always made their interest in her
quite obvious. But River Jefferson didnât do that. Moreover,
he seemed to be enjoying his own private joke.
After the presentation, Julianne was disappointed to hear
that River Jeffersonâs Asian operations would only be fully up
and running by end of the year. They had a very strong
portfolio in the container shÂĄpment business in Europe, but
not yet in Asia.
How could Justin not foresee this? This was just a
waste of her time.
It took a moment for her to realize that River was already
finished with his presentation. He was looking at her
thoughtfully. Julianne shook herself back to reality.
âDoes Justin know that your Asian business is not yet
operational?â
âYes, of course he does,â River said, quite amused.
âWell, I was sent here to look at your Asian container
business portfolio.â
âWhich I assure you, does not exist.â River said smiling at
her.
âIâm sorry⊠I donât get it,â Julianne said, wildly confused.
âWhy would Justin insist I consider your company for
something that you⊠well, something you do not do?â
âMaybe for the same reason, he told me I was meeting his
VP for Corporate Strategy named Ian Sanders. I said it
wasnât that urgent or necessary since your contract with
your Europe shÂĄpping company will only expire in two years.
Iâd love to have your EU contract, but I know Iâm zero on
Asia as of the moment.â
âSo what was the point of this meeting?â
River simply shrugged. âOh, by the way, Justin
conveniently left out the fact that Ian Sanders is a woman.â
Julianne stared back at River Jefferson for a moment.
This guy is only a couple of years older than her, maybe
Justinâs age. With his dark blonde hair, green eyes and
strong built, he was actually smoking hot by every womanâs
standard. Heâs a young businessman who obviously came
from a decent background. Suddenly, Julianne realized that
Justin didnât send her here for a business meeting at all.
âSon of a gun, Iâm going to kill him!â She couldnât help
muttering under her breath.
River Jefferson blinked back at her and then suddenly, he
burst out laughing. Julianne raised a brow at him.
âAnd you find this amusing, why?â she asked him crossly.
River cleared his throat. âWell, actually Iâm flattered. I
know Justin very well. I know how protective he is with his
family. To set me up with his own flesh and blood actually
says a lot about how much he trusted me.â
âI donât mean to be rude, but Iâm gonna have to go.â
She started to gather her things but River reached
forward to gently touch her hand.
âCome on, Ian. Weâre already here,â he said. âIâm sure
youâve had a long day. You might as well let me treat you for
dinner. For your trouble.â
Julianne raised a brow at him, ready to decline his offer.
River shrugged. âWe can plot Justinâs murder, if that will
make you feel better.â
She wasnât inclined to stay. In fact, she usually
automatically turned down potential date invitations. But
she must admit that sheâs been working non-stop for more
than twelve hours. Besides, River seemed like a genuine
guy. He must be trustworthy if Justin trusts him enough to
set them up on a blind date. Moreover, sheâs quite
famished.
âOkay fine. Letâs order food first.â
âGood.â
Julianne ordered steak with lobster and vegetable salad.
She found River staring at her when she finished dictating
her order to the waiter.
âIs there a problem?â she asked.
He shook his head. He turned to the waiter and said, âIâll
have exactly the same as her order.â Then he looked back
at her. âIâm sorry, I know your time is precious. I hope the
food would be good so I could at least make up for wasting
your time.â
âYou didnât waste my time, Mister Jefferson. Justin did.
And Iâm sure youâre a busy man too. So, in a way, he wasted
both our times.â
âBut we both know we love him too much to really
murder him, right?â
âYou two sound really close,â Julianne said, watching
River curiously.
âWe went to Harvard. Became roommates for some
time,â River replied. âI guess, yeah, weâre pretty tight.â
âJustin doesnât trust easily. He must trust you a lot to set
us up.â
River chuckled. âWell, maybe this is the first time heâll
have a lapse of judgment. I have a secret identity he
doesnât know about,â he winked at her. âI could be a
psychopath for all he knows. He just got you in deep
trouble.â
Julianne narrowed her eyes at him. âOr, heâs actually
sending you to your doom. Didnât he tell you I just escaped
from a mental institution?â
âWell, in that case, he couldnât have chosen a better
woman for me.â
Julianne raised a brow at River and looked at him
skeptically. âYouâre kidding, arenât you? Justin wouldnât send
me to a psychopath.â
River laughed. âOf course, Iâm kidding,â he said. âLike
you wouldnât really be an escapee from a mental institution,
would you?â
She shrugged, and then she shook her head slightly as
she sipped her wine. âOh, that is true. Have you ever
wondered why Justin didnât talk about me before? Or why
youâve never seen me in our family photos, or family
celebrations?â
River blinked back at her for a moment. Then he asked,
âHow⊠long exactly were you in for?â
âSeven years, at least.â She kept her face straight, she
didnât even blink.
River looked thoughtful for a while. Then he leaned
forward and whispered, âIs it true they torture patients in
those asylums?â
Julianne narrowed her eyes at him. âLetâs just say that if
you went in there with your sanity intact, you certainly will
leave without it.â
âYou sounded like you survived that place quite well.â
âI did. Although⊠sometimes, I have⊠episodes.â
âWhat happens during those episodes?â
Julianne shrugged. âI donât know. I usually⊠black out.â
She managed to give him an evil smile and a wink.
Instead of being fazed, River raised his glass to her. âTo
Ian Sanders. My kind of woman.â
Dinner was served and for a while they both ate in
silence. Julianne was glad to finally have a decent meal after
the longest day of her life.
Her phone rang. It was from home.
âHello,â
âMommy. All my things are packed.â Jared told her on the
other line.
âThatâs good, sweetheart. Did Nanny pack enough
clothes? Did she pack everything I wrote on the list?â
Jared spoke to his nanny on the background, then he
said, âYes. She said everythingâs ready. What about you,
Mommy? You havenât packed yet.â
âI will pack as soon as I get home, sweetheart.â
âWill you bring a nice dress? Weâre having a party! I
brought a suit.â
âYes, sweetie. I will bring a dress, donât you worry.â
âWhat time will you get home? We might miss our flight.â
âWe have plenty of time still. Donât worry.â
âCome home soon, Mommy!â
âMommyâs just having dinner, sweetheart. I will be home
soon.â
âOkay. Goodnight.â
âNight, sweetheart.â
When she hung up, River was looking at her thoughtfully.
âYour kid?â
Julianne nodded. âThe love of my life.â
âHow old?â
âSix. Heâs making sure I make it in time for our flight.â
âIâm keeping you, I guess.â
âNo. Iâm actually here for the food.â
âRight. Iâm here for the wine,â he said evenly. He took a
sip of his wine. Then he looked at her thoughtfully. âIâm
assuming that since Justin is trying to set you up, you and
your kidâs father are no longer together?â
Julianne nodded and took another sip of her wine. She
felt a little tipsy. The wine was a bit too strong for her and
she had very low alcohol tolerance.
âThat would be correct,â she replied.
âCan I ask why?â
âCan I ask you why you wanna ask why?â she countered.
River shrugged. âMaybe Iâm just bored. I love chatting
over dinner.â
âI donât really tell details of my personal life to total
strangers, but I donât think Iâll see you again after tonight,
so what the hell, right?â She took another sip of her wine.
âAre you sure you can handle the wine?â There was
genuine concern on Riverâs voice.
âSure. Iâm a psychopath, remember?â
âThatâs what I was afraid of. You know⊠the black outs.â
River pretended to be scared.
Julianne laughed. âYou have a weird sense of humor,
Mister Jefferson.â
âSo do you,â River said, smiling at her. âAnyway, you
were going to tell me about the father of your son.â
âHim? Well, heâs gone. I donât know where he is.â
âHe abandoned you?â
âNope,â Julianne shook her head. âI had a whirlwind, fairy
tale rom-nce in Paris. I assumed a different identity. Fake-
named a guy. Fell in love. Spent a magical night together
and then left the morning after to go back to reality.â
River watched her thoughtfully. âSeriously? You gave him
a fake name?â
Julianne nodded and took another sip of her wine.
âMust be the worst time to fake name someone, huh.â
âTell me about it,â Julianne muttered. âAnd Justin and my
brother wanted to hunt him down and make him pay for
abandoning me. They swore to actually cripple him. For
years itâs been their mission to find out who my sonâs father
is, so they can make him pay. I couldnât even tell them that
he didnât deserve whatever they planned to do to him.â
âDidnât you go to find him? Tell him that one night with
him bore you a son?â
Julianne shook her head. âI thought about it. But I always
chickened out. I mean, what do I say to him? âHi, my real
name is Julianne Sanders. Iâm sorry I gave you a fake name.
And oh, just in case youâre interested to know, we have a
son together?ââ
âYeah, something like that,â River said matter-of-factly.
âI couldnât. I was ashamed of what I did, but I didnât
have a choice. I was engaged to somebody elseâan
arranged marriage. My life was complicated. He was just a
simple guy, making something out of himself.â
âIf he loved you, he would understand.â
âHe was struggling to make his dreams come true. I
didnât want to burden him with the responsibility of a son.
And besides, I was banished by my own family. I didnât know
how Iâd take it if he rejected me and my baby too.â
âYou donât know that.â
âI guess I never will,â Julianne sighed. âI did try to
locate him on social media after a couple of years. I couldnât
find him either. After a while, I just stopped.â
âIâm sure your son pretty much makes up for his
fatherâs absence in your life.â
âTrue. My son is the only man I need in my life.â
River chuckled. âMessage received. I will tell Justin to
stop setting us up.â
Julianne smiled at him. She was surprised because she
felt relaxed. River Jefferson was very easy to talk to. She
was amazed about how well he managed their awkward
blind date, how smoothly he had asked her to stay for
dinner and how easy he made it for her to speak about
Jaredâs father.
âYou should be a shrink, you know,â Julianne couldnât
help saying.
âI wanted that. But Iâm afraid, that will strain my
relationshÂĄp with my father even more.â
âWhy?â
âIâm not exactly a product of an ideal setup. I was
born in sin, so to speak. Never met my father until I was in
high school. By then heâd lost his wife and only son in an accident. He was left without a legal heir. After all those
years, he realized he had me.â
âWhat happened after?â
âHe had me checked. Found out I was smart. He paid
my mother a huge amount of money so she would let me
live with him.â
âSounds like you had a good life after that.â
âDoesnât change the fact that I had a rough childhood
before he paid attention to me.â
âSo, youâre still mad at him?â Julianne asked.
âNot really. He knows how to be a mentor, but not
really how to be a Dad.â
âWell, I havenât spoken to my father in seven years.
His last words to me were, âWhen I get back from my golf
game, you better be gone!ââ Julianne felt a knot in her
stomach and she remembered the pain she thought she had
long forgotten.
Tears peered in her eyes and she tried to blink them
back so River wouldnât notice. But it was too late. He was
staring at her sympathetically.
âWhat are you doing to me, Mister Jefferson? I just
met you,â she muttered, fanning her hand in front of her
eyes.
River simply laughed, like it wasnât the first time a
complete stranger opened up her soul to him.
âSee? I feel like weâre best friends now.â He smiled at
her reassuringly.
Despite his own revelation about his broken
relationshÂĄp with his father, Riverâs face remained jolly and
his aura positively bright. Suddenly, Julianne realized why
Justin was trying to set them up. She needed an extremely
positive and contagious person to bring back her old sunny
disposition.
âWell, it certainly is a surprise, but you arenât too bad,
Mister Jefferson. I could understand why Justin would regard
you in high confidence,â Julianne took a last sip of her wine.
âBut Iâm afraid, I have to go. A six-year-old boy is waiting for
me at home and heâll be extremely disappointed if Iâm late
and reeking of alcohol.â
âWell, unless heâs an alcoholic himself, Iâm sure he
wouldnât know the difference.â
âI hope. But heâs an extremely smart boy. I donât want
to risk it.â Julianne motioned for the waiter to bring her the
check.
âI got this,â River said.
âNo way. You pay for yours and Iâll pay for mine.â She
may not have tons of money to spare, but she was no free
rider.
âA gentleman never lets a lady pay.â
âThis is not a date, Mister Jefferson.â
âPerhaps. But Iâm the one who insisted you stay.â
River was quite persistent. âAnd I never let a lady pay when
I dine in the same table as her.â
âWell, okay. If you insist then,â Julianne said in defeat.
âI insist.â
After a couple of minutes, River esc-rted her to the
lobby.
âCan I offer you a ride?â
âNo thanks. Justin made the limo wait for me. You
know⊠just in case I decide to run off earlier than
expected.â
âIâm sure he knows you well.â
âHe does. I almost did run off early, if I hadnât been
starving.â
âI guess I should thank whoever kept you from lunch.
It was a pleasure to have your company, Julianne Sanders.â
âSurprisingly, youâre not too bad yourself, River
Jefferson.â
The limo parked in front of them and River opened the
door for her.
âPerhaps, next time, we can have dinner again. One
that wasnât arranged without our knowledge and consent by the meddling Justin Adams,â River said.
Julianne realized he was giving an indication that he
will ask her out again someday. And to her surprise, she
didnât find that completely repelling.
However, she chose not to reply. She simply smiled
and said, âHave a good night, Mister Jefferson.â
in,side the limo, when she was hidden behind the well-
tinted windows, she stole a full glance at River Jefferson. He
was very handsome. His features were aristocratic but soft
and angelic. She usually fancied guys with rough edges. The
first guy she in love with, Jas Mathieu, was as handsome as
the devil and as hot as hell. He was the complete opposite
of River.
But with all the trouble sheâd been through, all the
pain and all the hĂŠrdshÂĄps that her first love had brought
her, maybe Justin was right after all. Maybe a softer,
brighter and less dangerous looking guy like River Jefferson
was what she needed.
But even if she did entertain the possibility of a
rom-nce with River, there was just one problem.
I think Iâm still in love with the father of my son.