Chapter 26: The Black Card Display

"Y-You... you actually dare to threaten me?!" Elenor Vance’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief.

"Keep pushing me, and see what happens," Julian raised an eyebrow, his gaze dangerously cool.

Elenor choked back her remaining words, glaring at him with bitter anger.

The upcoming engagement banquet was critical. Julian had to be there to fulfill the marriage arrangement with the Ross family. If he backed out, the entire joint venture between the Vance family and the Ross corporation would collapse—unless Leo stepped in to marry Miss Ross instead.

However, Leo was the family’s golden child. His future bride was supposed to be a wealthy, virtuous socialite from a top-tier dynasty. How could they allow him to marry Miss Ross, who had been permanently disabled in a car accident?

Ignoring her glare, Julian pointed to a pair of diamond-encrusted watches inside the glass display. "Wrap these two up for me, please."

The sales consultant’s eyes lit up instantly. Those timepieces were the most expensive flagship set in the entire boutique! Her commission on this single sale would be enormous.

"Right away, sir! I’ll pack them in our signature presentation boxes immediately," she beamed, her smile as bright as a flower.

"Hold on!" Elenor demanded, stepping forward. "How much do those two watches cost?"

The consultant turned politely. "This matching set was hand-crafted by Master Tru himself, inlaid with rare brilliant-cut diamonds. The set is priced at thirty-two million dollars."

"Thirty-two million?!" Elenor gasped, her voice shrill. She turned on Julian, her expression full of disgust. "Julian, you only have the seven million dollars we gave you! How dare you try to buy something worth thirty-two million?! You’re just trying to save face!"

How could she have given birth to such a vain, irresponsible son?

Leo stepped up, offering a smug, patronizing smile to the clerk. "Miss, there’s no need to wrap those up. You can put them back. My brother doesn’t have anywhere near that kind of money."

The sales clerk looked between them, thoroughly confused. Julian’s immaculate tailored style, nonchalant air, and refined presence certainly didn’t look like someone who couldn’t afford a luxury purchase.

"Sir... should I still...?" the clerk hesitated.

Without a word, Julian reached into his inner jacket pocket and slid a sleek black card onto the glass counter. "Swipe it."

The clerk’s eyes went wide. A private Black Gold Card!

"Yes, sir! One moment, please!" She practically sprinted to bring over the high-priority terminal.

Elenor and Leo exchanged sneering glances, assuming the card was merely a customized plastic debit card Julian had applied a black sticker to. Neither recognized the unlisted, tier-one credit card.

Elenor crossed her arms, scoffing loudly. "I’d love to see if that card actually clears. If security kicks you out of the shopping mall, don’t you dare claim to be my son—I refuse to be embarrassed!"

Before the words had even fully left her mouth, a loud, clear chime echoed from the electronic terminal:

[ Payment Successful: $32,000,000. ]

Silence descended over the boutique.

Leo and Elenor stood frozen, staring at the terminal in complete shock.

The payment actually went through?! Thirty-two million dollars, swiped without a second thought?!

Julian casually took the velvet gift bags from the clerk. Walking past the frozen pair, he paused beside Leo and offered a charming, razor-sharp smile. "My dear brother, my dear mother... I will definitely show up at the engagement banquet on time tomorrow. And I promise to bring you a very special gift."

Without waiting for a response, Julian turned and strolled out of the boutique.

"H-How could he possibly have that kind of money?!" Elenor shook her head, her face pale. Even the Vance family’s liquid cash couldn’t be deployed that fast without executive board approval!

Leo’s eyes darkened as a sickening realization struck him. "Mom... do you think Julian is being kept as a sugar baby by some wealthy older woman?"

"Yes! That must be it!" Elenor seized on the idea, her face contorting with rage. "Every single cent of that money was given to him by a rich woman maintaining him! He is an absolute disgrace to our family name!"

A dark, cruel smirk flickered across Leo’s face.

Once Julian married into the Ross family tomorrow, Leo would make sure Miss Ross found out about Julian’s ’sugar baby’ past. With a little extra embellishment, the disabled heiress would make Julian’s life an absolute living hell.

Julian, Julian... you were doing just fine staying broke in the countryside, Leo thought maliciously. Why did you ever bother coming back?

================================

Inside the executive boardroom at the Sterling Group headquarters, a high-level strategy meeting was in full swing.

Bzz.

Victoria’s phone vibrated on the polished mahogany table. She tapped the screen, opening a bank notification alert showing a thirty-two-million-dollar transaction authorized on her secondary black card.

As she read the notification, a radiant, dazzling smile lit up her breathtaking face.

The room of senior executives collectively gasped. In all their years working under the icy, ruthless CEO, they had never seen President Sterling smile so warmly—and all because her phone pinged with a spending alert.

"President Sterling... is everything alright?" a brave vice president asked cautiously.

"My Julian is spending my money," Victoria murmured, her voice laced with sweet satisfaction.

The executives blinked, completely lost.

"That concludes today’s briefing. Meeting adjourned," Victoria announced smoothly, standing up and sweeping out of the boardroom.

Left behind, the executives crowded together in hushed excitement.

"I swear, when President Sterling is in love, she becomes a completely different person! Who knew seeing her partner spend millions would make her this happy?"

"What kind of man do you think her boyfriend is?"

"He must be a refined, mature, brilliant business tycoon to match her energy!"

A female executive rested her chin on her hand, chuckling softly. "Honestly? I bet he’s a gorgeous younger man. President Sterling clearly loves spoiling him like a dominant romance novel CEO."

Over at Rose Manor, Julian pulled his Pagani Huayra into the driveway.

He looked at the luxury watch box resting on the passenger seat. He had deployed his own liquid capital into the stock market earlier, so he had used Victoria’s black card for the purchase. Once his BrightStar Media shares hit their peak payout, he planned to buy her another extravagant gift with his own earnings.

Ten minutes after Julian walked inside, the grand front doors opened, and Victoria stepped into the foyer.

Julian greeted her with a slight frown of confusion. "Victoria? It’s barely mid-afternoon. Why are you back from the office so early?"

Victoria glided over, wrapping her slender arms around his waist and leaning her head against his chest. "Because I missed Julian, so I came home."

She looked up, her dark eyes sparkling softly. "What did my Julian do today?"

"Just a little shopping," Julian smiled, retrieving the velvet box from the hallway table. "I bought these matching couple’s watches. They’re called ’True Love’ timepieces—one for you, and one for me."

Victoria froze, her heart fluttering violently.

He hadn’t just spent thirty-two million dollars on luxury toys for himself—he had spent it specifically to buy a matching couple’s gift for the two of them!

"Let me put it on you," Julian offered gently, unboxing the diamond-encrusted watch. "Let’s see if it fits."

"Mm," Victoria nodded obediently, extending her left wrist.

Julian carefully fastened the sparkling timepiece onto her wrist. Victoria stared down at the gleaming diamonds, her heart melting into complete, overwhelming tenderness. To her, it was the most beautiful thing in the world—because it came directly from Julian.