Chapter 197: Accept or Reject His Confession?

Chapter 197: Chapter 197: Accept or Reject His Confession?

The fireplace in the snow-covered cabin crackled, snow fell outside the window, and elk ambled through the nearby pine forest.

In a place like a forest wonderland,

Sienna Everett heard it.

Julian Forrester said he liked her...

Her pupils contracted violently. Her mind went blank, and her limbs froze, unsure how to react.

A moment later, the man’s deep, mellow, magnetic voice slowly pulled her back to reality.

His voice was soft and tender, like a lover’s whisper, yet tinged with a hint of bitterness.

"I know you’re always quick to reject your suitors. Besides, there was a time when we were young when you hated me so much."

"You heard I’ve liked someone for many years. To cover that up, to keep you from rejecting me, I could have just made up a name to brush it off."

"But I don’t want you to misunderstand."

He paused, his profound, dark eyes fixed on her, as if all the mountains, rivers, and colors of the world couldn’t compare to her alone.

"Sienna Everett, it’s only ever been you."

"The person I’ve liked for all these years... is you."

Sienna Everett’s eyelashes fluttered unconsciously.

"Julian Forrester, you..."

Sienna Everett’s voice hitched for a moment. Her mind felt like a tangled mass of clouds, unable to form a coherent thought.

’The person Julian Forrester has liked for over a decade is me...’

’Julian Forrester liked me for a long, long time...’

’But... we were so close when we were little, but after we grew up, we were always at odds. Sometimes we’d even fight. How could he have fallen for me?’

Especially that time they had a falling out. When Julian Forrester heard her say she liked her classmate Maxwell Sawyer, he had cornered her in her room. His eyes were chillingly cold as he asked if she had water in her brain, to like just anyone.

’Wait a minute!’

Sienna Everett belatedly put the pieces together.

’Was he... jealous back then?’

Sienna Everett was utterly astonished and carefully replayed the memories in her mind.

At first, she and Julian Forrester had gotten along great. Their grandfathers had arranged their marriage when they were children. Once she was a little older and understood what an "arranged marriage" meant, she started to feel awkward the more she looked at him.

After that, she became unwilling to be too close with Julian Forrester, preferring to run off and play with other kids her age. That was when they started bickering and even fighting.

His attitude toward her became particularly dark and unpredictable whenever he saw her sticking close to the neighbor’s older boy.

Back then, she had thought Julian Forrester was deliberately targeting her.

’So that’s how it was...’

"You’ve been jealous this whole time?"

This completely overturned everything Sienna Everett had ever believed. She blinked her watery eyes and stared at him blankly.

Julian Forrester didn’t deny it. "Yes."

At the time, he hadn’t known what he’d done wrong to be suddenly pushed away by Sienna Everett.

She had even said she hated him, yet she would smile so brilliantly and beautifully for others.

When he heard Sienna Everett say she liked Maxwell Sawyer, his heart felt as if it were being torn apart, and he was filled with anger and jealousy.

But he couldn’t change the fact that she detested him.

Sienna Everett shook her head like a rattle. "No! I never liked Maxwell Sawyer! I thought the arranged marriage was weird back then, and I wanted to call it off, so I deliberately made up an excuse... Mmph—"

As Sienna Everett was talking, the man suddenly pulled her forcefully into his arms.

He held her so tightly it was as if he were embracing his entire world...

Only then did Sienna Everett realize that at some point, Julian Forrester had pulled her onto his lap, and she was now nestled completely in his embrace.

Sienna Everett blinked, shifted her hips uncomfortably a couple of times, and then found a comfortable position on his lap.

She poked his chest with a finger. "Are you blind? How could you possibly like me?"

Julian Forrester: "...Don’t talk about yourself like that."

Sienna Everett pouted. "About your confession just now, I..."

"If you’re planning to reject me," Julian Forrester said, one arm around her waist while the other caressed the delicate skin of her cheek, "then don’t say it."

Sienna Everett: "???"

’I can’t even say it?’

Sienna Everett ground her teeth. "You’re so unreasonable! You’re gonna get hit for that... Fine, I won’t pick on you for now. I’ll tell you this formally: as for your confession, I’ll think about it."

He suddenly let out a soft chuckle.

Sienna Everett didn’t understand. "What are you laughing at?"

Julian Forrester leaned in, pressing his forehead against hers. They were so close their breaths mingled. "You didn’t reject me outright. I’m very happy."

This was much better than any outcome he had imagined.

In every scenario he had envisioned, Sienna Everett would have rejected his confession without a second thought.

Sienna Everett’s heart trembled, and her tone softened. "This is enough to make you happy? Your standards are too low."

"If you don’t want my standards to be so low, then maybe Sierra should agree to let me court you? Hmm?"

"...Let me think about it."

This was all too sudden. Her thoughts were still a tangled mess.

She had always thought of her childhood relationship with Julian Forrester as one of mortal enemies, so she never expected him to suddenly bare his heart and tell her he had been silently in love with her for years.

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t moved.

But this was truly sudden and completely unexpected.

She didn’t want to treat his decade-plus of secret affection carelessly.

So, she wanted to think it over, to not be dismissive of him, and also to figure out her own true feelings...

...

「The next day, the two returned to the country.」

The moment they got back to Veridian Gardens, they saw Keith Sterling waiting in the living room, ready to gossip.

Sienna Everett was still a bit tired from the full day of activities yesterday, so after greeting Keith Sterling, she started heading upstairs to rest.

Just as she started up the stairs, she turned back to ask Julian Forrester, "Did you bring back that little snowman?"

"Right here. I’ve been holding it for you," Julian Forrester said, handing her the small snowman doll.

It was a small souvenir from The Snowcap Resort. Sienna Everett thought it was cute, so she had decided to bring it back.

When the resort manager saw that she liked it, he immediately had a whole collection of snowman dolls in all shapes and sizes sent to her, shamelessly flattering her by saying it was a complete set for the "madam boss."

Sienna Everett had been speechless. "..."

She had only taken two of the cute ones.

She handed one to Keith Sterling. "This one’s for you. The other one is for your brother and me."

Keith Sterling took it delightedly. This little snowman was just too cute!

And the one Sierra gave him was special—it had two little pink blushes on its cheeks. He loved pink!

"Aww! Sis, you remembered I like pink! I’m so touched!"

Keith Sterling was so moved he was on the verge of tears, whimpering with emotion. But when he looked up, he saw that Sierra wasn’t listening to him at all. Instead, she was on her tiptoes, whispering something in his brother’s ear that made him look down and chuckle softly. Sierra even poked his brother’s waist affectionately with her finger.

They looked exactly like a couple in love.

Keith Sterling: "..."

’Is anyone listening to me?! Hey!’

’And what secrets couldn’t he be told!’

’He wasn’t a kid anymore. He could handle R-rated stuff!’

After whispering to Julian Forrester, Sienna Everett ignored Keith Sterling’s babbling and went upstairs to rest.

"Bro, what did Sis just say to you?"

"Nothing."

"..." ’Great. Another day of putting his girl before his bro.’

Keith Sterling narrowed his eyes and rubbed his chin, leaning in shrewdly toward his brother. "Bro, something’s up with you and Sis."

Julian Forrester gave him a slow, deliberate glance, walked over to a nearby sofa, and sat down. He didn’t bother hiding it. "I confessed to her."

Keith Sterling’s eyes widened immediately. "And then? And then? Did Sierra say yes?" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Julian Forrester didn’t answer right away.

"Spit it out, Bro!" Keith Sterling urged, unable to bear the suspense.

"She said she’d think about it."

"’Think about it...’" Keith Sterling fell into deep thought, pacing a few steps in the living room. Suddenly, he darted in front of his brother, his expression grave. "Bro, I’m really experienced when it comes to matters of the heart. Seriously."

Julian Forrester nodded slightly, letting him continue.

Keith Sterling began his serious analysis: "In my experience, if a girl likes you and you confess, she’ll definitely say yes on the spot. A ’think about it’ situation means she doesn’t like you *that* much, and there’s a high probability that after thinking, she’ll reject you..."

Before Keith Sterling could finish, he felt his brother’s gaze, which could freeze a thousand miles, and immediately changed his tune.

"Of course, I noticed just now that Sierra’s attitude toward you is a lot more affectionate, so the probability of her accepting your confession is very high!"

Although Julian Forrester had heard what he wanted to hear, his expression tightened slightly as he mulled over Keith Sterling’s previous words.

’...means she doesn’t like you *that* much, and there’s a high probability that after thinking, she’ll reject you...’

’And on top of that, his and Sienna Everett’s divorce agreement was about to expire...’