Chapter 49: His friend

That’s exactly what I’m saying," Julian replied calmly, looking straight into Tom’s eyes. "I’m done with them."

Tom’s composure cracked. His tone immediately grew tense, sharp, and strangely anxious.

"Julian, are you out of your mind?!" Tom nearly shouted, leaning closer. "Have you forgotten about Leo Vance?! He’s a fake, adopted intruder who has been living in your house, stealing your parents’ love, and occupying your position as the young master for years! If you just pack up and cut ties now, who wins? Leo wins! As the only remaining ’son’ in the house, he’ll inherit the entire Vance family estate, the company shares, and all their property! Are you really just going to sit back and watch your worst enemy take everything that rightfully belongs to you?!"

Back when Julian was still living under the Vance family roof, he was subjected to endless emotional neglect, harsh verbal abuse, and unfair punishments from his cold parents and arrogant siblings. Whenever Julian was pushed to his breaking point, he would seek out Tom to vent his pain and frustration.

Tom had secretly cherished those moments. Watching Julian—the true blood heir of a prominent family—crawl to him in tears, broken and hopeless, had provided Tom with the ultimate boost to his fragile self-esteem. It was the only time Tom felt powerful and superior. Because Tom is also neglected by his own family

If Julian truly cut ties with the Vance family, stopped caring about their approval, and built a massive, successful life on his own, Tom would lose his favorite emotional punching bag. He would no longer have anyone beneath him to make him feel good about his own pathetic life.

Julian watched Tom’s agitated reaction with a faint, cold smile playing at the corners of his lips. He could read Tom’s true motives as clearly as an open book.

In the original story, Tom had constantly pretended to be the original host’s loyal best friend while subtly feeding his insecurities, encouraging him to make a fool of himself in front of Natasha, and pushing him to ruin his own life. Tom didn’t want Julian to succeed; he wanted Julian to remain a miserable, dependent loser forever.

"Leo can take the Vance family property if he wants," Julian said indifferently, leaning back against his desk.

With billions in spending money provided by Victoria Sterling, he couldn’t care less about the Vance family’s assets. Besides, the Vance family’s business was bound for bankruptcy sooner or later. Even if Leo became the sole heir, it would be entirely useless in the end.

Tom stared at Julian, temporarily struck speechless by the overwhelming confidence radiating from his former friend. This wasn’t the hesitant, self-loathing Julian Vance he had known for years. The man sitting in front of him possessed an aura of calm, unshakeable authority that made Tom feel inexplicably small.

"You... you really mean it?" Tom stammered, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his knees. "You’re just going to let Leo take everything?"

Julian..." Tom tried to speak again.

Julian cut him off calmly. "You don’t need to persuade me anymore, Tom. You know what I went through in that house before. If you’re truly my friend, you should be happy that I’m finally letting go of family ties—unless you don’t actually view me as a friend."

Julian stared intently at Tom, his gaze piercing as if reading right through him.

"How could that be?" Tom forced a dry smile, hiding his discomfort. "Julian, I’ve always considered you my best friend."

"Ya we are best friends ," Julian said coldly, standing up from the desk and reaching for his jacket. "Now, if you don’t mind, Tom, it’s late, and I have a lot of reading to finish before tomorrow’s advanced portfolio management seminar. I think you should head back to your dorm."

"Fine..." Tom muttered, grabbing his jacket and forcing a stiff, awkward smile. "I just... I just don’t want to see you get taken advantage of you, Julian. We’re brothers, right? If you ever need help, you know you can talk to me."

"Sure," Julian said plainly, holding the door open. "Goodnight, Tom."

The moment Tom’s footsteps faded down the corridor, Julian closed the heavy dorm door, turned the deadbolt, and let out a long, exhausted breath.

Finally.

Just as Julian let out a sigh of relief.

Victoria was wearing his oversized white dress shirt. The long hem barely covered her thighs, exposing her smooth, slender legs. Her cheeks still carried a faint, flushed warmth, and her deep eyes shimmered with a unique, captivating charm.

"What are you staring at, julian?" Victoria asked, stepping closer with a slight tilt of her head.

Julian cleared his throat, averting his eyes. "Victoria... it’s late. When are you heading back?"

Victoria smiled softly. "My clothes are wet, so it’s inconvenient to leave now. I’m staying here with you tonight."

Julian glanced at his narrow single dorm bed. "Isn’t the bed too small for you?"

"I don’t mind," Victoria replied smoothly. "Besides, we don’t need much space when we sleep together anyway."

Remembering how tightly she held him throughout the night, Julian conceded. "Alright then."

A faint, teasing smile hovered at the corners of Victoria’s lips as she watched the subtle panic ripple across Julian’s face. . She took another deliberate step forward, the fabric of his oversized white dress shirt rustling softly against her skin. The hem shifted with her movement, brushing high along her slender, bare thighs and drawing Julian’s reluctant gaze back before he forced himself to look away toward the cramped desk.

"You always overthink everything, julian," she whispered, her voice dropping into a gentle, melodic rhythm that felt far too close. The flushed warmth on her cheeks hadn’t faded; if anything, it deepened as she observed his tense shoulders. She reached out, her fingertips lightly grazing his forearm, feeling the pulse quicken beneath his skin. "it’s just one night. You act as though we’re strangers sharing a shelter instead of... this."

Julian swallowed hard, his throat dry. He looked at the single bed again—its worn frame pushing up against the plain concrete wall, barely wide enough for one person to turn over comfortably, let alone two.

"I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable," Julian murmured, though the excuse sounded weak even to his own ears.

Victoria let out a quiet, breathy chuckle that vibrated in the small room. She stepped around him, effortlessly claiming the space, and sat on the edge of the mattress. The bed dipped under her light weight...

_________

At five o’clock the next morning, Secretary Evelyn was jarred awake by her phone ringing frantically on her nightstand.

Furious at being disturbed so early, she grabbed the phone without checking the caller ID and began ranting into the speaker. "Are you crazy?! Calling at five in the morning! Some of us actually sleep!"

Silence lingered on the line for a second before a cold, familiar voice responded. "It’s me. Victoria."

Secretary Evelyn instantly broke into a cold sweat. "President Sterling! I’m so sorry! I thought it was a scam caller... I would never speak to you like that!"

"Come to Capital University," Victoria instructed curtly.

Secretary Evelyn’s heart pounded. Had Master Vance caused some kind of trouble that required her to step in?

"And bring me a fresh set of clothes," Victoria added.

"Huh?" Secretary Evelyn froze, completely stunned.

"Do as I say. Come to the balcony behind Julian’s dorm room. Make sure no one sees you," Victoria ordered before hanging up.

Secretary Evelyn sat dazed on her bed. President Sterling went to the university dorms late at night... and climbed over a balcony wall just to see Master Vance?!

By 5:20 AM, Secretary Evelyn arrived covertly behind the male dormitory building. Using a telescopic extension pole she had brought along, she carefully delivered a garment bag up to the second-floor balcony.

Inside the room, Victoria changed into a tailored dark business suit. Despite its professional design, her figure gave the outfit an effortlessly striking look.

Walking over to the bed where Julian was resting, Victoria leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.

"Julian," she murmured smoothly, her eyes curving slightly. "I’ll come see you again tonight."

Down below, Secretary Evelyn watched in utter shock as President Victoria Sterling effortlessly dropped down from the second-floor balcony and landed on her feet. The image of the legendary, unapproachable CEO climbing dorm walls left her speechless.

Victoria glanced at her indifferently. "Let’s go."

"Yes, President Sterling," Secretary Evelyn snapped out of her daze, quickly following behind. "The buyout of Capital University’s institutional shares will be fully finalized by tomorrow morning."

Victoria nodded silently.

When Julian woke up later that morning, Victoria was already gone. He checked the university online forums out of caution, relieved to find no photos or posts about anyone sneaking into the male dorms overnight.

At nine o’clock in the morning, Ethan Mercer arrived in his lecture hall across campus.

Pulling out his phone, Ethan opened his investment application to check the current standing of his cryptocurrency portfolio, eager to see how much his leveraged Bitcoin position had grown overnight.

As the chart loaded on his screen, his eyes suddenly widened in complete shock.

"How is this possible?!" Ethan gasped under his breath, staring at the red numbers cascading down his screen.