Chapter 274: Fashion Week

Chapter 274: Chapter 274: Fashion Week

The starry night sky was beautiful.

Vivian Lowell and Julian Faulkner sat together on the rattan chairs on the roof, holding hands and looking at the stars above. The stars were dazzling, twinkling as if they were blinking.

Julian’s thumb absentmindedly stroked the back of Vivian’s hand. Looking at the sky, she said, "Sometimes, I feel quite lucky. It’s so nice, isn’t it, Julian?"

"Mhm." Julian softly agreed. He seemed to be in a very good mood today. With a gentle smile, he added, "I feel the same way. I think I’m very lucky too."

Julian was never one to dwell on luck. To him, his world was shaped by the belief that human effort triumphs over fate. When he was young, with his mother passing away and his father’s betrayal, he had no choice but to shoulder the family’s responsibilities. He had no time to think about love; he only knew the heavy burden on his shoulders.

He acted decisively and ruthlessly, never letting personal feelings get in the way. Others thought someone like him must be cold-hearted and incapable of loving anyone. Even Julian himself thought so.

But after meeting Vivian, he realized that his once monotonous and dull life actually had other options. He could be different. A mutual journey and salvation—Julian suddenly understood that perhaps this was exactly what they shared.

After watching the night sky for a while, the wind began to pick up.

Julian stood up, grabbed her shawl, and reached for Vivian’s hand. "The wind is picking up, and it’s getting chilly. Shall we head back inside and sleep?

"We have to return to Pariden early tomorrow morning. We should rest early and recharge, right?"

Vivian agreed, and the two went back inside to sleep.

Early the next morning, when Vivian woke up, Julian was already out of bed. The sheets beside her retained a faint warmth, but he was nowhere to be seen in the room. It seemed he had gone out again.

Just as Vivian sat up, Julian returned. Just like yesterday, he brought back a bouquet of fresh flowers. This time, however, it wasn’t the lavender Provencia was famous for, but roses.

Yesterday afternoon, when Julian proposed to Vivian, Eleanor Rhodes took photos and, with their permission, posted them online. In less than an hour, the topic exploded on the internet. Everyone was saying how incredibly romantic Julian was to prepare a mountain of roses for his proposal!

With netizens witnessing their love, Vivian felt a warmth in her heart. She didn’t mind the whole world knowing about it. There was nothing wrong with it. She wasn’t afraid of others being jealous. She would fiercely protect her own happiness.

That morning, everyone gathered for breakfast. Grandma Faulkner wore a constant smile on her face, while Mr. Drake’s phone rang intermittently.

After stepping out to take calls several times, Mr. Drake explained, "The Drakes have also come to Gallia and are asking where I am. I couldn’t be bothered to deal with them, so I just brushed them off.

"They just won’t give up. They keep calling every now and then, as if they’re terrified something might happen to me while I’m out here alone."

Mr. Drake didn’t mean that sincerely. Clearly, he knew full well that the Drakes didn’t care about him as a person. They only cared about the wealth and status he represented!

"Mr. Drake, we’re heading back to Pariden shortly. You can just come with us," Vivian offered politely.

Mr. Drake nodded and simply turned off his phone, clearly not wanting those people to bother him anymore.

By the time they returned to Pariden, it was already noon. Exhausted from the journey, Vivian had no desire to go out sightseeing. Having already visited The Caelus Tower and The Lumina Museum, The Argent Cathedral was the only place left on her list.

She had been there a few years ago when she visited Pariden, but later, The Argent Cathedral suffered a massive fire. She heard it had been partially restored, but she didn’t know what it looked like now. It still broke Vivian’s heart. After all, it was a historical monument, and for it to be ruined just like that...

Lost in thought, she stepped out of the luxury van with the others and entered the hotel lobby.

The air conditioning in the lobby made Vivian feel a bit chilly. Just as she was about to pull her shawl tighter, she saw several people walking toward her.

More accurately, they weren’t coming for her; they were looking for Mr. Drake. It was Joy Drake, Hazel Drake, and their elders. Vivian had met most of them before; they always attended the Drake Family’s banquets and events. Like flies swarming to a scent, they rushed over in a flock.

Seeing them, Vivian couldn’t help but recall what had happened on the cruise ship that night. She really had no good impression of Joy. Joy definitely hadn’t been entirely clueless that night, yet she had chosen to sit back and watch the tigers fight, only stepping forward at the very end when things looked bad. Vivian had no desire to be polite to someone like that.

"Grandfather." Joy walked over, seemingly wanting to take Mr. Drake’s arm to support him.

However, the person currently supporting Mr. Drake was Vivian. She didn’t give Joy the chance. Remaining impassive, she looked at Joy and asked, "Can I help you, Miss Drake?"

Joy was a bit irritated but held it in. She simply frowned at Vivian and explained, "Mrs. Faulkner, Grandfather disappeared for a whole day, and we were worried sick.

"Excuse me, but was Grandfather with you yesterday? I’m so sorry to have caused you trouble."

Hearing this, Vivian sneered and retorted, "What do you mean by that? Do you think Mr. Drake is a nuisance?"

Joy’s eyes widened. "Causing trouble" was merely a polite expression; how could it mean anything else! Vivian’s ability to twist black and white was truly getting better and better!

Seeing that Mr. Drake was starting to look at her with displeasure, Joy said awkwardly, "No, it’s not like that. Grandfather, I didn’t mean it that way!"

"Enough." Mr. Drake was also getting impatient. "Joy, I already said I’d come and handle the Fashion Week matters myself. Why did you all have to follow me?

"How is the domestic project progressing? After Fashion Week is over, I want to see results! Otherwise, you won’t need to be in charge of those projects anymore!"

Shocked, Joy quickly explained, "Grandfather, those projects were already mostly finalized before we left. From here on out, it’s just a matter of time!

"Rest assured, since I’ve come to Pariden, all domestic matters have been properly delegated. There absolutely won’t be any problems!"

Seeing this, Mr. Drake merely shot Joy a faint glance. Saying nothing more, he signaled for her not to follow him and walked away first.

Vivian had no intention of lingering either. She and Julian prepared to take the elevator upstairs. As they passed a corner, Vivian suddenly stopped and looked back. Not far away, behind a pillar, a woman dressed in a cleaner’s uniform flashed by and disappeared from her line of sight.

"What’s wrong?" Julian seemed to notice something was off. Following Vivian’s gaze, he looked over, unaware of what had happened.

Vivian frowned, staring in that direction. After a moment of hesitation, she said, "I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but that person looked a bit familiar.

"She flashed by so quickly I didn’t even get a chance to see her clearly."

Julian hadn’t seen anything. Right now, the lobby was full of the Drakes, making the atmosphere chaotic and foul. Not wanting to stay there any longer, he suggested, "Let’s go back first.

"If you run into anything later, just let me know."

"Okay." Vivian nodded in agreement. Suppressing the strange feeling in her heart, she stepped into the elevator.

The Fashion Week event would start in the afternoon. As an invited guest, Vivian didn’t have to walk the runway wearing the brands’ clothes like those celebrities. She only needed to dress up a little and attend. The reporters wouldn’t be staring at her the whole time anyway. There were quite a few international superstars arriving today; Vivian wasn’t exactly their prime target.

However... facts proved that Vivian was wrong.

When she and Julian attended Fashion Week together, a swarm of media rushed forward. Vivian had still underestimated the Faulkner Family’s influence. Julian’s pull in this regard perhaps far exceeded that of an ordinary celebrity. Coupled with yesterday’s mountain of roses proposal, many media outlets now wanted to get first-hand information! Otherwise, relying solely on the single photo Eleanor Rhodes posted online was simply too little.

"Mr. Faulkner, Mrs. Faulkner, was yesterday’s proposal real? When do you plan to hold the wedding banquet? I heard Mrs. Faulkner was seen at the hospital a few times recently. Is she pregnant?"

Faced with the media’s questions, both Vivian and Julian chose to remain silent. Fortunately, Vance Wyatt was also there. He was long accustomed to dealing with these tricky media questions. Only after he sent them all packing did Vivian feel her world quiet down again.

These media outlets were too formidable! Just now, someone had even asked if she was truly pregnant because she attended Fashion Week without wearing high heels. She wondered if these reporters usually went out with magnifying glasses. Not only did they have extensive sources of information—knowing she had gone to the hospital for check-ups several times—but they could also deduce whether she was pregnant!

Yet, it was perfectly understandable. After all, she had been visiting the obstetrics and gynecology department, which meant she was either preparing to have a child or was already pregnant. Combined with the fact that she wasn’t wearing high heels today, it was easy to deduce that she most likely was.

Vivian didn’t want so many people to know about this. The baby was less than two months old; even its hands and feet hadn’t developed yet. If the news blew up too much, it would be terrible if someone used it against them.

Even though Felix Faulkner was temporarily in custody, there were still plenty of people in the business world who were enemies with Julian!