Chapter 10

Julian entered the villa, finding nothing but darkness waiting for him. A frown creased his brow as he flicked on the lights. By habit, he reached behind to hand off his suit jacket, only to realize that nobody was there to take it. The empty hallway made him pause, leaving him momentarily thrown off.

Back then, opening this door always revealed Yvonne waiting beneath the warm light, smiling as she came forward to take his suit jacket and coax him toward dinner.

Tonight, the dining table stood bare, and not a soul waited nearby.

A tight line formed on his lips, irritation rising as he wondered why she still hadn't come back.

The noise awakened the housekeeper, Paula Tucker,and she rushed out to see what was happening.

Spotting Julian,she froze for a brief moment before awkwardly taking the suit jacket from his hands. "Mr.Powell, I'm so sorry. We assumed you wouldn't be coming back tonight, so we turned in early..."

Watching Paula struggle with his jacket, Julian couldn't help but think how differently Yvonne would have handled it, always smoothing out every crease.The small detail only soured his mood further.

He cut to the point. "Where's Yvonne? Hasn't Sebastian taken her back from the hospital?"

After a brief pause, Paula spoke up truthfully."Sebastian didn't take Mrs. Powell to the hospital today. She said she could manage on her own and told him to return ahead of her."

The chill in Julian's voice was unmistakable. "She went by herself? Where is she now?"

Paula, flustered, spoke with extra care. "She hasn't come home at all tonight. She called to leave a few instructions... She mentioned she won't be back until you give her an answer about that issue."

That answer caught Julian off guard. "What issue?"

Paula gave a small, puzzled shake of her head, which only deepened Julian's confusion. Pulling out his phone, he typed a message to Yvonne. "Where are you?"

His screen flashed with a red exclamation mark; he had been blocked. The realization left him speechless.

Paula caught sight of his screen and gasped, eyes wide.Yvonne, the woman who had once loved Julian so deeply, had actually blocked him? What could have possibly led to this?

Julian felt Paula's eyes on him, and fury surged through him. He slammed his phone onto the table,then snatched it back, frustration simmering. Without thinking, he searched his contacts and tried calling Yvonne.

The call didn't go through; she had also blocked his number, just as he'd feared. His expression turned even colder.

Paula stood there, shrinking under the tension, eyes downcast.

All at once, Julian spun sharply and headed for the door.

Holding his suit jacket close, Paula hesitated before softly asking, "Mr. Powell, should I have this sent to the cleaners?"

Yvonne used to handle every detail for Julian, so the staff rarely knew what to do on their own.

He stopped in his tracks, irritation lacing his words."Just throw it away."

As Paula started to obey, Julian spun around and walked back to her, his face unreadable. "Hand me your phone." No amount of reasoning could make him accept that Yvonne had really blocked him. He was set on finding out exactly why.

Paula faltered for a moment before gathering the nerve to speak. "Did you and Mrs. Powell have an argument? Maybe a calm conversation can help smooth things..."

A memory of their last argument flashed in Julian's mind. At the time, he'd brushed off Yvonne's concerns,thinking she was making a fuss over nothing.In hindsight, everything had shifted after that night.

Yvonne had pulled away, leaving him uneasy, as if he was losing control over something important.

Maybe he should never have picked that fight with her that night.

He couldn't shake the regret, though his face stayed hard. "Your phone, Paula."

Paula didn't say another word as she handed her phone to him, nerves making her hands shake.

Without a pause, Julian keyed in Yvonne's number smoothly and waited for the call to go through.

The call was answered almost instantly this time, and Yvonne's soft voice came through. "Hello? Paula?" Julian tightened his lips before answering in a low,steady tone, "It's me."