All the wrong places episode 4
đŒALL THE WRONG PLACESđŒ
đ»EPISODE FOURđ»
As expected, she had to dress elegantly. It had been
seven long years since she last dressed up for a ball as
grand as this.
She was wearing an elegant soft pink strapless gown,
adorned with floral appliques on its tight bodice, and
Swarovski crystals on its asymmetrical skirt. Her skirt
displayed her long legs and her silver high-heeled sandals
showed her perfectly pedicured toes. Her hair was neatly
tied in a bun, with a few curled tendrils framing her pretty
face.
She was sure that the dress she was wearing was
expensive, especially since it was a gift from Adrienne.
Adrienne knew she would never spend money on a designer
dress. She was saving as much as she could for Jaredâs
future. An expensive dress sheâd wear only for a night was
definitely out of the question.
In fact, many things were out of the question for Julianne
these days. She only had enough clothes on her closet.
Many of her expensive ones either came as a gift from
Adrienne or a hand-me-down from Masonâs wife, Abi. She
was thankful for them and she always took good care of
whatever she received from them. Whatever money she
could save buying stuff was extra money she could save for
Jaredâs future.
âWow! You look like a princess, Mommy!â Jared was wide-
eyed and full of awe and Julianne couldnât help laughing.
âThank you, sweetheart.â She leaned down and k-ssed
Jared on the forehead. âGo to your nannies. They will look
after you and your cousins.â
âMaybe I do look good. Kids donât lie,â she said to herself.
âThey donât,â Gian said, appearing behind her. âYou look
amazing, sis. You are probably going to be the most beautiful girl in the party.â
âOh my God! Thatâs the last thing I want to happen,â
Julianne said. âTonight is supposed to be some heiressâs
night, remember?â
âWhich heiress?â
âThe one that Adrienneâs brother was going to propose
to. I donât want to steal the sâ±0tlight away from her,â
Julianne said.
âDonât worry, youâre not going to steal the sâ±0tlight from
her,â Adrienne said, appearing in the room, looking stunning
herself, in a soft blue A-line chiffon gown. âThe ring that Jin
is going to propose with is an heirloom with at least a four-
carat diamond in the center. Mother showed it to me and I
think I just went blind. Here, I have a picture. Let me show
you.â Adrienne waved her phone in front of Julianne to show
her a picture of the engagement ring.
âWow! Thatâs spectacular!â Julianne breathed, looking at
the vintage rose gold ring with a huge square diamond in
the center and tiny emerald stones around it.
Julianne sighed, admiring the ringâs beauty, not to
mention the fact that it was handed down to the Starck
brides for at least five generations.
When Julianne was growing up, she had plenty of
diamond jewelries. But all of those were left in her room in
her parentsâ house. And since they had banished her, she
hadnât owned an expensive piece of jewelry. She didnât need
them anyway. Jaredâs future was far more precious for her.
âBy the way, you can borrow my earrings,â Adrienne
said, handing her a small box.
âNo, Adrienne. Iâll be fine. This dress is already
sparkling!â
âItâs okay, youâll look lovelier with these diamond
earrings.â
Adrienne didnât give Julianne much of a choice. She took
out the two carat dangling diamond earrings and started
putting them on her.
âOkay, fine!â Julianne took the earrings from her and put
them on. âIâll return these after the party.â
âNo worries.â
âSo, your brother didnât even choose the ring he was
going to propose with?â Julianne asked. She had nothing
against heirlooms, but if she were to get engaged, she
would prefer to have a ring thatâs originally hers, and
specially chosen by her fiancĂ©, it doesnât matter if it was
made of plastic. But thatâs just her. And she didnât think
sheâd be engaged at all, ever. And besides, the only man
she would have said yes to was lost to her a lifetime ago.
âIt belonged to Jinâs grandmother. Heâs expected to
propose with it,â Adrienne explained. âAnyway, Vanessa
Bernard will not say no to that ring.â
âWhy? Doesnât your brother have any other redeeming
characters?â Julianne teased.
Gian laughed. âWell, he does. If he chooses to be nice, I
guess.â
âStop it, guys. Iâm scared to meet Jin already,â Julianne
laughed. âIâm sure heâs good-looking and heâll be a great
husband. Vanessa Bernard will be making the right decision
tonight.â
âIt doesnât matter. Jin is a great catch anyway. Heâs a
genius in business. Heâs been managing half of our hotels
before he hit eighteen. When he took over the business, we
were number five. Now, weâre number two. Vanessaâs family
couldnât agree on this engagement more,â Adrienne said.
âWhat about you, Adrienne? Do you think youâre going to
like your soon-to-be sister-in-law?â Julianne asked.
âIâve met her a couple of times. Sheâs⊠civil. I know
sheâs not a gold digger. Sheâll be a good match for Jin,â
Adrienne replied. Julianne could tell sheâs using logic over
emotions.
âIâm sure your brother knows what heâs doing.â
âBesides, this may be the only shot Jin will get on
marriage. Heâs doing this because this will be advantageous to his plans for Starck Corp. But if no business is involved, I
know heâd rather stay a bachelor forever.â Adrienne rolled
her eyes.
âYep. Heâll be jumping from one bed to another. Changing
lovers as fast as he changed clothes,â Gian muttered.
âSadly, that is true. Heâs a player with absolutely no hope
of ever falling in love with a woman,â Adrienne said sadly.
âWell, in that case, I hope Vanessa Bernardâs
engagement ring will be all worth it,â Julianne remarked,
stealing one final glance at herself in the mirror.
Gian came up to her and offered his arm. âShall we?â
The party was held in the hotelâs huge ballroom. It was
decorated elegantly, and everyone in attendance was in
their best formal wear. Julianne could hĂŠrdly believe that
this was only a book victory party. Adrienneâs family was
clearly just as influential as Justinâs. And since Jin Starck was
expected to propose to Vanessa Bernard tonight, Julianne
had no doubt that the wh0le of Vanessaâs impressive clan
were also in attendance.
âHow weird is it to propose in public?â Julianne whispered
to her brother.
âItâs expected. Especially in engagements that are pre-
arranged. Or in engagements that were built primarily on
business convenience,â Gian whispered back to her.
âYou mean like this one?â
Gian nodded.
âAre you also arranged to be married someday, G?â
âAs far as I know, I am free to choose my bride. But with
our family, you will never know, right?â
âAnd youâre just going to agree to that?â
Gian shrugged. âDepends.â
âOn what?â
âIf my chosen fiancĂ©e looks like an ogre, then Iâd express
my objections violently.â
Julianne slapped his arm playfully. âYou shallow fool. I
hope you do not find yourself in an ugly predicament like Justin did before. The only thing that saved him was a
miracle, if you asked me.â
âThat and his playful destiny.â
âWell, I pray that destiny doesnât play on you, dear
brother. May your engagement be built on love and the
freedom to love.â
Gian smiled at her and reached forward to k-ss her
forehead. âThank you, sis. I know you meant that wish with
all your heart.â
âI do.â
âAnd I hope someday, you find the man who will stand up
for you and Jared,â Gian said soberly.
âDonât worry about me, G. Iâm happy even if no man
showed up. The only man I will ever need is upstairs
drawing with his pencils and playing with his cousins.â
Gian led her to the corner of the room where Adrienne
stood with Justin.
âYou look wonderful,â Justin complimented Julianne.
âThank you, Justin,â Gian said batting his eyelashes at
him playfully.
âI wasnât talking to you, you oaf,â Justin said raising a
brow at Gian. He turned to Julianne. âI never heard about
your meeting with River Jefferson.â
âAnd you never will,â Julianne said.
âWhy not?â
âWhy are you interested to know?â
âBecause⊠because Iâm your boss and I expect results
on these things.â
âNo, no, no,â Julianne said. âWe both know you didnât
send me there for a meeting⊠Sir!â
âWhat is she talking about, honey?â Adrienne asked her
husband. Curiosity was written all over her face. Itâs clear,
that the matchmaking incident was purely Justinâs doing.
âNothing,â Justin replied curtly.
âThatâs not nothing. Ian sounded upset.â Unfortunately
for Justin, it didnât seem like Adrienne was going to let it go.
âTell her, Justin,â Julianne goaded at him. âTell her that
you sent me to meet River Jefferson, even though you know
well enough that his company is not catering to the
requirement we were looking for. And yet, you insisted he
makes a proposal, and you insisted only I should go and
meet him.â
Adrienne stared back at her husband in disbelief. âYou
didnâtâŠâ
âRiver Jefferson?â Gian asked, annoyed. Julianne knew
that he was just being the same protective brother. Gian felt
a little responsible for what happened to her, because he
agreed to her wish of going on that trip all by herself.
âCome on, guys. Itâs nothing. Just an innocent meeting of
two people.â Justin tried to downplay the fact that he
arranged for Julianne and River to meet.
âSetting up two single people to go meet each other for
dinner is called a blind date, Justin,â Adrienne said, slightly
scolding her husband.
âOkay, okay,â Justin finally admitted to his wife. âCan we
argue on this later? Your parents are coming.â
True enough, an older woman who looked like Adrienne
and a good-looking older man approached them.
âHow are you guys doing?â the woman asked.
âWonderful, Mama,â Adrienne replied. âYou remember
Gian?â
âOf course. How are you, Gian?â
âAbsolutely fine, Madam.â Gian shook the hands of
Adrienneâs parents politely.
âAnd this is Ian.â Adrienne finally introduced her.
Arianna Starck beamed at Julianne. âAt last, we meet, my
dear! Your son is so adorable! And he is right. You are
absolutely stunning.â
âThank you for your kindness and generosity towards my
son,â Julianne said. âHe has nothing but kind things to say
about your family.â
âOh, itâs a joy to have him with us,â Pierre Starck said.
âMama, the arrangements are absolutely perfect!â
Adrienne told her mother.
âOf course,â Arianna said. She leaned in to whisper to
them, âWe donât want the Bernards to be disappointed.
Vanessa is known to have high standards.â
âWhere is Jin?â
âHe should be here any minute,â Pierre replied. âI told
him to hurry because Vanessa Bernard arrived ten minutes
ago. She might not be pleased if her date was late.â
Julianne saw Adrienne roll her eyes. She smiled at her as
if saying, Your future sister-in-law is a bitch!
Adrienne frowned as if saying, I know, right?
Adrienne and Justin seemed to be quite acquainted with
the Starck familyâs circle of friends. Julianne didnât leave
their side, afraid to be lost in the sea of strangers, who were
mostly speaking a language she didnât understand.
Julianne was impressed that Adrienne had started
grasping the language. Justin had spoken French fluently
since he was a teenager. Julianne thought that she should
send Jared to learn the language next year. He is part French
after all.
Julianne lost count of how many people she had met. She
was completely unaware of the attention she was getting
from the younger men in the room.
âThere are many men here who will give River Jefferson a
run for his money, if he doesnât make a move soon,â
Adrienne whispered to her. Her tone was light and teasing.
âWhat do you mean?â
âThere were at least half a dozen men who came up to
me or Justin, asking to be introduced to you,â Adrienne
replied. âAnd why not? You look absolutely divine!â
âWell, before you introduce any of them to me, kindly
mention that Iâm raising a six-year-old boy all by myself,
okay? That ought to stop them.â
âAs if that will work! It didnât stop River Jefferson from
being interested, did it?â Adrienne asked, her eyes twinkling.
Julianne sighed. She must admit that River surprised her
when he still hinted at asking her out after she told him the
story of how she got pregnant.
âWell, if a guy wants to date me, he dates my son. Weâre
a packaged deal. So, itâs good to say that from the
beginning. I donât want to waste my time.â
âSo, how did you find River?â Adrienne asked.
Julianne shrugged. âHeâs⊠okay.â
âJust okay? River is very good-looking. And heâs really
charming. You didnât find him attractive at all?â
âHeâs hot, I agree. But you know⊠I donât know if Iâm
ready to date now. He seems nice and I did enjoy his
company. Iâd be willing to go out with him as a friend, yes.
But more than that, Iâd wait it out.â
âDonât tell me youâre still hung up on Jaredâs father,â
Adrienne said accusingly.
âSsshhhâŠâ Julianne hissed at her. âDonât tell your
husband that. Heâll get mad. You know he and Gian want
nothing more than to murder him.â
âI do too, to be honest. But seeing that youâre still in love
with him, Iâm getting quite curious. Heâs probably a hell of a
guy for you not to forget him after all these years.â
âHe is wonderful, Yen. And itâs not his fault, weâre not
together anymore. I left him. Maybe if it were up to him,
weâd still be together,â Julianne sighed sadly. Her heart
broke a little bit more each day she thought about Jas.
She knew that even though he didnât have much, and
he didnât exist in this glamorous world she lived in, even if
he wasnât rich like her brother and cousins, heâd stand up
for her and Jared. Heâd make it work. And she had no doubt
she and Jared would still live a happy life. No matter how
simple that life would be.
Julianne excused herself to go to the ladiesâ room. She
was barely aware that several pairs of eyes were following
her. Many even tried to say âhiâ and catch her attention. But she wasnât interested. The last thing she needed was
another affair in Paris.
We all know how the last one turned out.
However, she doubted that she would fall in love with
another Frenchman. Jas Mathieu was one of a kind. And
thatâs what made him so hĂŠrd to forget.
As she was drying her hands, a woman with black
hair, dressed in a gold sequin gown entered the ladiesâ
room. Julianne noticed the deep V of her neckline, which
showed a generous amount of cle-vage.
Their eyes met on the mirror and Julianne smiled at
her. She simply raised a brow as she stared at Julianneâs
face and gown from the mirror.
Bitch! Whatâs her problem?
Julianne stopped smiling at her and looked away
instead. She looked rich and pretty for sure, but Julianne
thought she didnât even look half as beautiful as Adrienne.
Adrienne was one of the richest women she knew. She was
rich because of her birth mother, and now, because of her
marriage to Justin. But she never let that go to her head.
Sheâs very kind and generous. She was beautiful in,side and
out.
Julianne dismissed the woman and left the bathroom.
âMademoiselle,â a guy ambushed her as soon as she
got out of the ladiesâ room. He spoke to her in French.
She smiled at him politely. âIâm sorry. I donât speak
French.â Then she quickly turned on her heel and half-ran to
where Adrienne was.
âOh, there you are,â Adrienne said. âA lot of guys here
are asking about you.â
âSeriously?â
âSeriously. I think Vanessa Bernard will be jealous that
sheâs not the star of the night,â Justin beamed. He couldnât
wipe the proud smirk on his face.
âShe will be the star when she gets engaged tonight,â
Julianne said.
âThat is, if my brother decides to show up,â Adrienne
muttered. She sounded annoyed and worried at the same
time.
âMaybe heâs having second thoughts,â Justin
suggested.
âI know my brother. If he puts his heart on a goal, he
will see it through. Unless a life and death situation came
along,â Adrienne said. âHe wanted this corporate advantage
to be number one in the market, more than he wanted
anything else.â
âHowâs Vanessa Bernardâs family hotel doing in the
market?â Julianne asked Adrienne.
âThey ranked sixth to eighth. When we combine
forces, weâd be the unprecedented number one. Jin knew
this well.â
âSo does Vanessa,â Justin said. âI think sheâs getting
impatient that your brother is still not here.â
Julianneâs phone rang.
âExcuse me, guys. This could be important,â she told
Justin and Adrienne. Then she answered the unregistered
number.
âHi,â an unfamiliar male voice said on the other line.
âIâm sorry, who is this?â
âItâs River.â
âOh hi. How did you get my number?â
âWould you believe me if I told you that I had to beg
Justin to give it to me?â
âI wouldnât believe that you actually had to beg him.
Iâll bet he handed it to you on a silver platter,â Julianne tried
to sound annoyed, but she really found it hĂŠrd to get mad at
Justin or River for that matter.
âLetâs pretend I did beg him, okay? Give the guy a
break.â
âFine. Iâll go easy on him,â Julianne agreed. âSo, why
did you ask him for my number?â
âWell, so I could call you, of course.â
âWhy would you want to call me?â
âWeâre best friends already, remember?â Riverâs tone
was light and jolly. It was hĂŠrd for Julianne to snap at him
after that.
She laughed. âVery funny, Mister Jefferson. Seriously,
what can I do for you? Or did you get your Asian operations
up and running overnight?â
âIf that was humanly possible, I would have done it
already.â
âIâm sure you would. We work well with our partners.
Justin is a very generous client.â
âI know he is. Anyway, am I disturbing you? You sound
like youâre in a middle of a gathering.â
âIâm in Paris, actually,â Julianne replied. âAttending an
engagement party.â
âReally? Whose?â
âAdrienneâs brother,â she replied. âBut he hasnât
proposed yet. So technically, itâs not yet an engagement
party until maybe after an hour.â
âHow weird? Heâs going to propose in front of other
people?â
âA hundred other people actually,â Julianne answered.
She found that very unrom-ntic.
âWow. Talk about removing rom-nce in a marriage
proposal.â River laughed. âAnyway, I wonât keep you long.â
âThank you for calling.â
âAnytime. I told you. Iâm your best friend.â She could
almost hear the smile on his voice.
âBye.â
âTalk to you later.â
Julianne stared at his number for a couple of seconds
after she hung up. She found herself smiling. It was hĂŠrd not
to. Even if she feels that heâs interested in her and would
probably ask her out soon, she found it hĂŠrd to repel him.
He was such a positive and happy soul. Even if she wonât end up dating him, sheâd definitely want him to be her
friend.
Maybe River Jefferson was what she needed to
completely forget the father of her child, the love she lost a
long time ago. Maybe he was what she needed to start
believing in love and happily ever after once again.
She went back in,side the ballroom. As she approached,
she saw that Adrienne was talking to a tall guy dressed in
an expensive suit. He had his back on her, so she couldnât
see his face.
âOh, there she is,â Adrienne said. âIan, Iâd like you to
meet my brother. Jin Starck.â
Jin Starck turned around and Julianne looked up at the
man towering in front of her. Their eyes locked. And
suddenly⊠time stood still.
Julianneâs breath caught in her throat and she
completely forgot to breathe. Suddenly, memories of her
past came rushing to her all at once in a speed she couldnât
handle.
That devilishly handsome faceâŠ
Those rare, enchanting eyesâŠ
Tu es ravissanteâŠ
Mon amourâŠ
J’adoreâŠ
Jin Starck stared back at her with a confused expression
on his face. Julianneâs face turned white as she stared back
at those piercing, aquamarine eyes, which were the exact
replica of her sonâs. And before she could open her mouth to
say something, she felt darkness slowly take over her
senses.
Jin Starckâs arms came around her before she came
crashing down the pit of unconsciousness.