Chapter 69: Victoria’s Sudden Return

The very second Victoria caught sight of Julian’s sleeping figure, the restless, dark impatience in her heart instantly settled into deep calm.

She slipped quietly into the adjacent bathroom to take a quick, hot shower.

When she stepped back into the dark bedroom, she was wearing only a white, sheer lace nightgown. Her fair, curvaceous figure was faintly visible beneath the sheer fabric.

"My Julian..."

Victoria’s soft, fragrant body slid onto the mattress and pressed directly against Julian’s, her dark, obsessive gaze fixed intently on the man beneath her in the dim light.

"I missed you so much."

Over these past two days away, those seductive video clips and explicit whispers from their previous call had been constantly playing on a loop inside her mind. She had been practically burning up with impatience to rush back to Capital City—to engage in the most intimate, breathtaking acts in the world with her Julian.

Because of that overwhelming craving, she had forced her corporate team to work day and night without rest, finishing her foreign summit duties a full day ahead of schedule.

Deep in his sleep, Julian suddenly felt a soft pair of lips biting down on his own, as though the person over him were savoring some kind of heavenly delicacy.

Half-asleep, Julian thought he was having a vivid dream about eating gourmet food. He smacked his lips slightly in response.

However, just as he was about to literally suffocate from the intensity of the deep kiss, he snapped his eyes wide open in shock!

He immediately felt the heavy, warm weight of a woman pressing down on top of him.

Since the security at Rose Manor was absolute and the only woman allowed into this private master bedroom was Victoria Sterling herself, Julian’s lingering sleepiness vanished into thin air instantly!

"Victoria... when on earth did you get back?" Julian asked frantically, turning his head to dodge Victoria’s burning, relentless kisses.

"I just arrived home this second," Victoria purred, her lips trailing down to his jawline.

"Did I wake my Julian up? Don’t worry about me... go back to sleep. I can take care of everything myself,you don’t need to do anything "Victoria murmured against his neck.

Julian: "..."

How on earth am I supposed to sleep when you’re acting like this on top of me?!

"It seems my Julian isn’t actually too tired after all," Victoria said, her crimson lips curving into a captivating, dangerous smile. "In that case... how about we finish everything we didn’t get to complete during our video call?"

Victoria’s velvety voice carried an air of absolute, undeniable authority.

Inside the quiet master suite, intimate sounds gradually began to rise through the darkness. Articles of silk clothing were shed one by one, scattering across the plush carpet floor.

The cool night air brushing against exposed skin was instantly forgotten beneath the heat of her touch. Julian let out a low, defeated sigh—though there was no real resistance left in him.

You are so hot, Victoria," he murmured, his hands finally moving to frame her face, his fingers tangling in her dark hair as he pulled her down to meet him.

Victoria’s laughter was a soft, breathless sound against his lips before it was swallowed by a deep, lingering kiss. The playful edge in her voice melted away, replaced by a fierce, undeniable intensity that swept away whatever lingering fatigue remained in his bones. Every hesitation dissolved into the quiet rhythm of the room, punctuated only by the rustle of sheets and the steady, racing beat of their intertwined hearts, turning the dark hours into a world that belonged entirely to the two of them.

When Julian finally opened his eyes the next morning, Victoria’s slender, fair arms were still wrapped tightly around his waist, her face resting peacefully against his chest as she slept.

Julian remembered that he still had his final university placement exam to take today. He carefully, painstakingly lifted Victoria’s heavy arm off his torso and slid out of the bed.

He took a deep, shaky breath, steadying his aching legs.

Thank goodness Victoria only drained me once last night... he thought with immense gratitude. Otherwise, there’s no way I would have been able to get out of bed and take my exams today!

---------------

Later that morning, at Capital University.

Ethan Mercer dragged his feet onto the campus grounds, looking thoroughly lost, haggard, and utterly dejected.

Over the weekend, he had taken his carefully prepared investment proposal to countless companies—both large conglomerates and small firms across Capital City—yet not a single investment manager had shown the slightest interest!

Every single executive he met had dismissed his genius plan, declaring that the proposals he wrote were nothing more than worthless garbage!

His investment plan was clearly brilliant! In his previous life, he had built his multi-billion-dollar corporate empire precisely using this exact blueprint, achieving overwhelming success at every turn. How could these short-sighted corporate idiots be so completely blind?!

"Wow! Look at him, he’s so handsome! He looks like an idol straight out of a romance drama! I think I’m genuinely falling in love with Julian Vance!"

A series of excited, high-pitched squeals from a group of female students suddenly rang out near the main driveway.

Ethan Mercer snapped his head over and saw Julian Vance stepping gracefully out of the passenger seat of a multi-million-dollar luxury hypercar.

Julian was dressed casually in a pristine white designer outfit, a rare luxury timepiece gleaming subtly on his left wrist. Bathed in the gentle morning sunlight, Julian looked every bit like an unapproachable, noble young prince.

Ethan’s expression instantly darkened into a bitter scowl.

Julian Vance.

In his previous life, Leo Vance had been his loyal, close brother, while Julian Vance had been nothing more than the pathetic, neglected adopted son of the Vance family. Back in those days, Julian was always the most invisible, timid nobody on campus—wearing cheap, oversized clothes, possessing a completely ordinary appearance, and constantly acting hesitant and cowardly.

His eventual end in the original timeline had been utterly tragic.

Yet in this life, Julian had completely transformed into a totally different person!

A sudden, jarring thought struck Ethan’s mind like a bolt of lightning.

Could it be...?

His own second life had been plagued with endless misfortune, brutal beatings, mounting debts, and constant rejections ever since he woke up. Could all of this terrible luck be directly tied to Julian Vance?!

Could it be... that Julian Vance has also been reborn\ Regress from the future?!

Yes! That made complete sense! If he could be granted a second life through rebirth, then others could certainly be reborn as well! That would explain why Julian had suddenly abandoned his former cowardly persona, discarded Natasha, acquired vast wealth, and systematically ruined every situation!

Driven by this wild revelation, Ethan strode aggressively across the pavement, blocking Julian’s path.

"Julian Vance!" Ethan barked.

Julian paused in his tracks, raising an eyebrow in mild surprise as he looked at the bruised, swollen face in front of him. "Ethan ? Is there something you need?"

Seeing how exhausted and battered the original male lead looked, Julian couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. Looks like the protagonist has been having a truly terrible streak of bad luck lately.

Ethan Mercer stepped closer, his eyes narrowing into venomous slits as he spoke in a low, dangerous whisper.

"Julian Vance... you must hate me very much, don’t you?"

"Do you wish you could kill both Leo Vance and me right now... because of how we tortured you to death in our past life?"

In his previous life, when Julian Vance had died, Ethan Mercer still vividly remembered the burning, resentful look in Julian’s eyes as he stared at him and Leo.

Ethan was utterly convinced that if Julian had truly been reborn with those memories, he wouldn’t be able to maintain his calm composure after hearing those exact words—no matter how well he usually pretended!

Julian Vance raised an eyebrow, looking at him with a composed, unbothered expression.

It seemed that Ethan Mercer had become suspicious of him and was testing him to see if he had also been reborn. Ethan Mercer wasn’t completely stupid after all.

However, Ethan was destined not to discover a single thing. After all, Julian already knew the exact direction the web novel was taking, and he was more than content to live a comfortable, pampered life supported by a wealthy woman.

Julian asked with a thoroughly puzzled look, "You tortured me to death? When on earth did this happen?" I’m standing right here, perfectly fine, aren’t I?"

"Ethan , haven’t you been reading way too many web novels lately? In our real world, we need to follow basic science. There’s no such thing as rebirth or reincarnation."

Ethan stared intently at Julian’s face, but he couldn’t detect a single flaw or flicker of hidden knowledge.

He let out a long breath of relief. It seemed Julian was not a reborn soul after all.

That made complete sense. In web novels, the person who experiences rebirth is strictly the main protagonist. He was the sole protagonist of this world, so how could some random minor character be reborn as well? Not to mention Julian, who was nothing more than temporary cannon fodder in the grand plot.

The massive changes happening now were clearly just a butterfly effect caused by his own rebirth! He was destined to rise to prominence and power sooner or later.

Oh, right!

His investment plan was guaranteed to yield astronomical profits. Rather than letting outside investors take the credit and money, he figured he might as well let his own close brother benefit from it instead!

He could try reaching out directly to Leo Vance!