Chapter 61: Remember to Miss Me

Tom’s brows furrowed slightly. Julian was indeed with another woman; no, to be precise, he was being kept as a mistress by her. It was precisely because of this mysterious woman’s powerful backing that he had possessed the confidence to leave the cannibalistic Vance family behind.

Thump, thump, thump— ℴ

Julian’s heart pounded wildly against his ribs. This was already so thrilling—what on earth was going to happen next...? He couldn’t help but wonder if they would actually be discovered by someone in this quiet grove of trees. Julian felt a complex mix of intense tension, excitement, and an unspoken, subtle anticipation.

"My Julian, I miss you," Victoria whispered softly.

Without another word, Victoria pressed her hot lips onto Julian’s.

Tom secretly aimed his phone and took a photograph. Unfortunately, the dense shadow of the large tree blocked the victoria’s face completely, making it impossible for him to capture her features at all.

Victoria’s lips were burning hot as she kissed Julian. Her kiss was filled with a fierce, domineering possessiveness, as if she wanted to devour Julian whole right there in the dark.

An ambiguous, romantic tension lingered heavily in the night air as their hearts pounded in unison.

Ten minutes later, Victoria finally pulled away from Julian’s lips.

Julian frowned slightly, feeling a bit bewildered. Is Victoria really not going to proceed to the next step here?

"Victoria, why did you call me out here all of a sudden..." Julian asked, puzzled.

"It’s nothing serious. I’m just going on a business trip for two days," Victoria replied smoothly. "Before I leave, I really wanted to see my Julian."

Ever since they had gotten together, she and Julian had never been apart for long. During these upcoming three days away for business negotiations, she desperately wished she could just bring Julian along with her.

"Julian," Victoria’s soft lips brushed tantalizingly against Julian’s, her breath warm against his skin. "Remember to miss me while I’m gone."

"Okay," Julian nodded obediently.

"Also, you are absolutely not allowed to have any contact with other women, understand?" Victoria said in her signature domineering tone. She wanted her Julian to belong exclusively to her—no one else was permitted to touch him.

"Okay," Julian readily agreed without hesitation. "Victoria, don’t worry. I will absolutely, positively never have any ambiguous affairs with other women."

"If any other woman tries to get close to me, I will definitely stay as far away as possible," Julian assured her earnestly.

Victoria’s lips curled into a thoroughly satisfied, radiant smile.

"Then my Julian must remember what he just promised. If Julian ever develops any ambiguous relationship with another woman, he will be severely punished."

Victoria’s velvety voice carried a subtle, dangerous chill: "For example, I would lock my Julian inside the Rose Manor, chain Julian’s hands and feet securely to the bed, and play with him entirely as I please."

In truth, Victoria really enjoyed the visual of Julian tied to the bed. But... she knew she couldn’t keep doing that. Men definitely didn’t like being treated like prisoners. If she overdid it, she would only push Julian further and further away from her.

"Three days and three nights... or maybe seven days and seven nights... that would be so wonderful," Victoria murmured with a sweet smile.

Julian: "..."

Three days and three nights?! Seven days and seven nights?! Is this even human language?!

Most men couldn’t last more than a few hours at most, yet Victoria was casually talking about going continuously for days and nights on end! If that were truly to happen, Julian felt like he would have to carry a cannon and run away from home just to survive!

"So, Julian, you need to behave yourself properly while I’m away, okay?" Victoria’s gentle voice carried an unmistakable underlying warning.

"Okay, I will definitely listen to you!" Julian nodded frantically like a chicken pecking at grain.

"Then my Julian can head back now," Victoria said softly.

"Okay."

Julian prepared to return to his dormitory building, his brows furrowed tightly in thought. The grove was widely known as a popular spot for student couples to have intimate late-night dates. When he had first heard her mention meeting in the "grove," he had genuinely assumed Victoria was going to drag him deeper into the dark woods to do that...

Unexpectedly, Victoria had only kissed him and done nothing else.

Julian felt an unexpected, slight sense of loss in his chest.

"Wait a moment," Victoria called out, stopping Julian in his tracks once more.

Julian’s heart skipped a beat instantly. Could it be that Victoria was just teasing him and is actually trying to seduce him into the grove after all...?

He had initially felt very resistant to the idea, but if Victoria insisted, it wasn’t completely impossible...

"Has my Julian forgotten something?" Victoria raised her beautiful, elegant eyebrows.

"Forgot what?" Julian asked, genuinely puzzled.

Victoria stepped closer to Julian, stood lightly on her tiptoes, and pressed her soft, crimson lips firmly onto Julian’s once again.

"You forgot... the farewell kiss."

Victoria gently pulled away from Julian’s lips, leaning in to whisper intimately right against his ear, "I’ll miss you too, every single moment."

Cough—

Julian’s ears turned noticeably red, and he coughed lightly to hide his embarrassment. "Then... Victoria, I’ll head back to my dorm now."

"Mhm."

Victoria’s deep gaze followed Julian’s retreating figure until he had completely vanished from her line of sight.

Just as she prepared to turn and leave the grove, her eyes shifted toward a dark patch of bushes nearby, and her brows furrowed into a cold frown.

She took out her phone and made a quick call.

"Come over here," Victoria ordered coldly into the receiver.

Within seconds, several tall, dark-suited bodyguards emerged respectfully from the deep shadows in the distance.

"Miss Sterling," they greeted her with deep bows.

"Bring him out," Victoria said calmly, nodding toward the thick bush on the right.

"Yes, Ma’am!" the bodyguards replied crisply.

All this time, Tom had been secretly crouching behind the bushes. He had honestly believed he was hidden so flawlessly that no one could possibly have noticed him.

He curled his lips into a cold, triumphant sneer. Unexpectedly, Julian Vance was actually being kept as a secret sugar baby by a wealthy woman! Capital University had the absolute zero-tolerance policy for students with corrupt moral standing. If he exposed the scandalous fact that Julian was being kept by a wealthy sponsor, Julian would definitely be disgraced in front of the entire student body—and he might even be expelled from the university entirely!

"Julian Vance, oh Julian Vance..." Tom sneered under his breath. "We used to be very good friends who were ostracized together. Since you decided to climb out of this mud on your own, don’t blame me for kicking you right back down into the gutter!"

Before the sneer could leave his face, two towering bodyguards suddenly materialized behind him like ghosts!

They grabbed his arms with crushing force and instantly detained him!

Tom’s eyes widened in absolute shock and panic. "Who are you?! What right do you have to grab me?!"

The bodyguards didn’t bother answering a single word. They simply dragged him roughly through the dark foliage, escorting him straight to Victoria Sterling’s side.

Victoria had her back turned to him at first. Tom could instantly recognize her silhouette from behind—she was the exact same woman who had been intimately kissing Julian just moments ago!

"Following us?"

Victoria turned around slowly, her sharp, icy eyes narrowing as she glared at Tom.

Tom’s heart skipped a beat in sheer terror, but immediately following the fear, a violent wave of intense jealousy erupted deep within his chest.

It had been far too dark in the shadows where Julian and Victoria were standing earlier, so he hadn’t been able to see her face at all from a distance. He had naturally assumed she was elderly mistress keeping a young student.

The reality... was that she was breathtakingly beautiful, astonishingly regal, and very young—not much older than Julian himself!

What makes Julian Vance think he deserves to get involved with an extraordinary woman like this?!

"Miss, I-I didn’t follow Julian on purpose!" Tom explained nervously, his voice trembling as he tried to look innocent. "I’m Julian Vance’s best friend! Julian’s behavior has been very strange these past few days, and I was genuinely worried about his safety, so I just followed him to check on him!"

"I really didn’t mean any harm whatsoever!"

Victoria looked at him coldly. "What’s your name?"

Tom hastily replied, "Miss, my name is Tom."

Tom?

Victoria’s brows knitted together deeply. According to the comprehensive background report her investigators had compiled on Julian, he indeed only had one close friend at the university named Tom, and they supposedly had a very good relationship.

Victoria pursed her lips, her eyes darkening slightly. She wanted only herself to be by her Julian’s side—not even his friends were allowed to occupy his attention. A dark, possessive thought crossed her mind: I want to eliminate him...

Noticing her intense glare, Tom swallowed hard and stammered, "Miss... you are Julian Vance’s girlfriend, right?"

"Mhm." Hearing those words, the suffocating chill emanating from Victoria dissipated considerably.

Seeing the terrifying woman’s expression soften slightly, Tom breathed a quiet sigh of relief, thinking he had successfully managed to talk his way out of trouble.

"Since you are Julian’s friend, I won’t make things difficult for you tonight," Victoria said calmly, her tone devoid of any warmth. "However, whatever you saw or heard in this grove tonight stays strictly between us. If a single word or photo leaks out onto the campus forum..."

She paused, her icy gaze sweeping over Tom’s pale face like a sharp blade.

"I will ensure you are permanently removed from Capital University, and your family will never find employment in this city again."

Tom shuddered violently, feeling a freezing chill run straight down his spine. The sheer weight of authority in her voice told him beyond a shadow of a doubt that she had the absolute power to make good on her threat!

"I-I understand! I swear I won’t say a word!" Tom stammered frantically, shaking his head. "I didn’t see anything at all!"

Victoria gestured slightly with her hand, and the two bodyguards immediately released their tight grip on Tom’s arms, stepping back into the darkness.

Miss, how about I add you on WeChat? If Julian Vance needs anything at all, I can contact you immediately," Tom offered, trying to sound helpful and gain her favor.

"Give him my business card," Victoria said calmly, ignoring his suggestion entirely.

"Yes, Ma’am."

A dark-suited bodyguard stepped forward and handed Tom a sleek business card. The card contained only a single name and a phone number printed in minimalist, elegant lettering.

Without another word, Victoria turned and walked away into the darkness.

"Victoria Sterling?" So She is really business giant victoria starling .

"You may leave," Victoria said coldly, turning her back on him once more.

Tom didn’t dare hesitate for a single second. He stumbled backward out of the grove, practically sprinting toward the student dormitories with his heart hammering wildly against his chest.

As he ran through the dimly lit campus paths, his panic gradually morphed back into a bitter, toxic resentment.

Julian Vance... you got so damn lucky! Tom thought, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists. How did you manage to hook such a young, rich, and powerful woman?!

He pulled out his phone and looked at the blurry photograph he had taken earlier. Although the shadows blocked her face, the intimacy between Julian and the woman was undeniable.

Even if I can’t post this publicly on the forum right now, I still have this proof, Tom sneered inwardly, a sinister glint returning to his eyes. Let’s see how long you can keep playing the rich woman’s favorite pet!

Meanwhile, inside the quiet grove, Victoria watched the shadowy path where Julian had departed earlier.

She retrieved her phone once more and dialed Secretary Evelyn.

"President Sterling," Secretary Evelyn’s respectful voice answered promptly.

"Investigate Tom’s recent actions and monitor his communications," Victoria commanded coldly, her eyes narrowing in the dark. "If he shows even the slightest hint of trying to harm or backstab Julian, handle it immediately."

"Understood, President Sterling. I’ll arrange it right away," Secretary Evelyn replied crisply.

Ending the call, Victoria looked up at the moonlit sky, a soft, fond expression returning to her eyes as she remembered Julian’s flustered, reddened ears earlier.

"Three days..." Victoria murmured softly to herself, stepping out of the grove toward her parked luxury vehicle. "Wait for me to come back, my Julian."