I prefer nausea over heartache, so I’m going to take my reaction as a win.
Olivia, who stands beside my ex wearing a beautiful gossamer gown and a stunning diamond ring similar to the one I had before, remains silently poised, although I catch her tipping her chin in my direction in silent acknowledgment.
Julian hooks his arm around my waist, soothing the discomfort away with a brush of his thumb over my hip bone. Where he seeks to comfort me, Oliver would have never bothered, solely because my ex wouldn’t have noticed my uneasiness in the first place. How could he when his focus was always on impressing everyone else in the room?
To think you once compared Julian to him…
I cover Julian’s hand with my own and give it a squeeze.
Oliver gawks. “Julian?”
“Oliver.”
My ex’s sharp jaw clenches. “I had no clue you two were dating.”
“I would have added him as a plus-one on my RSVP had I actually received an invitation.”
His face loses that golden color. “About that…my mother—”
“Is right here!” Mrs. Creswell arrives with her blond hair perfectly coifed and her smile deceptively sweet, while her husband trails behind her, stuffing his mouth with appetizers while looking everywhere but at his wife.
“Dahlia.” She holds out her arms, which I ignore.
Julian makes a soft noise that sounds an awful lot like a laugh.
Her arms drop to her sides. “I’m so glad you could make it.”
“I’m sure you are since you accepted the invitation on my behalf.”
Oliver’s father chokes on a bite of his lamb lollipop.
Mrs. Creswell claps her hands together. “Well, we were so excited to have you here for the final season’s postproduction party.”
“Is that so?”
Her right eye twitches. “Of course. You’re one of the reasons why the show was successful.”
“She was the reason,” Julian snaps.
Mrs. Creswell’s long blink is so unlike her. “And you are?”
“Julian Lopez. My ex-roommate and Dahlia’s new boyfriend.” Oliver manages to keep his sneering to a minimum.
“A new boyfriend already? How fast.”
“I’m sure Oliver can speak from firsthand experience on what it’s like to meet your soulmate, seeing as he got engaged and married all in the same hour.” Julian tucks me closer against him.
Most likely sensing the tension, Mrs. Creswell beckons a cameraman over in the worst attempt to diffuse it. “Oh, great. Let’s take a photo for the papers. Everyone gather around.”
Julian swoops me to the side before the flash goes off, leaving the Creswells gaping and gawking.
“Say the words and we’re out of here.” He cups my chin.
“Did you see the look on his face right now?”
He traces my bottom lip with his thumb. “I did.”
“You’re the best.”
He returns my smile with one of his own. A flash goes off, capturing our intimate moment.
Julian peeks over my shoulder. “Oliver is hating every second of this.”
“On a scale of one to ten?”
“At least a nine.”
“Surely we can do better than that. I want him screaming, crying, and throwing up all at the same time.”
“You’re a vicious little thing, but I love you for it.”
“I’ll show you vicious.” I grab him by his tux lapels and pull him down so I can kiss him.
Julian’s palm finds the small of my back, and he holds me tight as he matches my brutal pace. His kiss is one of passion and possession, making my body tingle and my head spin as our mouths fuse together.
Julian pours everything into every single one of his kisses, making me feel loved, admired, and appreciated.
He is exactly what I want from a partner and more, and I can’t wait to see where this next stage of our life takes us.
“Shit. Where can I find myself someone who kisses me like that?” Arthur asks with a shout, making my cheeks burn.
Julian tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “I spent ten years searching, so best of luck to you.”
Arthur fans himself. “If you don’t marry Julian, I will.”
“Talk about marrying him again and see what happens.”
Arthur holds his hands up. “Okay, vicious little thing. Put those acrylic claws away before someone gets hurt.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
Julian
The only time I leave Dahlia alone is to get us some drinks. Thankfully, she has a few good people in her corner, so I’m able to wait by the bar without worrying over her.
“Did Oliver get the house?” a woman asks beside me.
“He finally pushed the seller into a deal, and we’re supposed to go under contract on Monday,” says the dainty voice that I assume belongs to Olivia.
Oliver’s name has my ears perking up. I’m careful to keep my back to the women as I listen in.
“How much are they selling it for?”
“Eight million.”
“You lucky bitch!” the other woman cries.
Olivia laughs. “I never thought we could find a house for sale in Presidio Heights, but we drove by it one day, and I fell in love with the corner lot on Clay Street. Oliver promised it to me as my wedding gift.”
“Where can I find someone like him?” The other woman gushes as I open the Dwelling app on my phone and log in using my admin credentials. While there aren’t any listings currently available on Clay Street, there are only four corner lots.
“Is it the Edwardian one you mentioned before?” the other woman asks.
“No. That one ended up staying in the family. This one’s got more of a European style to it.”
It only takes me a few clicks to find the only house matching Olivia’s description. I pull up my text thread with Rafa and shoot off a message asking him for a favor.
RAFA
What do you need?
I send him the Dwelling link and a request, to which he responds, Give me twenty minutes.
It doesn’t take me long to find Dahlia and her friends, seeing as they’re the loudest ones here. While I was away, someone dragged one of the outdoor heaters closer to a table, which casts a warm orange glow on the four of them.
“Thank God.” Dahlia grabs the fancy mocktail I ordered and guzzles half of it.
“Thirsty?” I laugh before taking a pull from my beer bottle.
“I’m terribly dehydrated, thank you for asking.” Dahlia taps her glass against mine. “Cheers.” She takes a sip before shutting her eyes with a sigh.
“What are you doing?”
“Tricking my mind into believing this has liquor.”
“If you want—”
“No. They’re not worth screwing up my progress.” She takes another sip of her drink while I drag a chair over and drape my arm across the back of hers.
Her friends continue chatting about the new shows they were hired to help with and how no one will ever compare to Dahlia. I sit back and enjoy their interactions, all of which end with Hannah, Reina, and Arthur arguing over something.
Dahlia’s happiness radiates off her with every grin, laugh, and joke, and I’m honored she invited me here to watch her thrive in front of the family who tried so damn hard to destroy her.