Chapter 312: The Playful Invitation
The Playful Invitation
The next message appeared almost immediately after the first.
"Which little vixen were you playing with last night?"
Julian couldn’t help shaking his head with a helpless smile.
That sounded exactly like Bianca.
Before he could even think of a reply, another notification popped onto the screen.
"It’s okay, I don’t mind. Come home when you’re tired. The kids and I miss you."
A second message arrived before he could react.
"Well... the kids are still in the planning stage, obviously."
"So don’t keep your future wife waiting too long."
Another followed.
"And if some shameless girl is trying to steal you away..."
"Just tell her she’s already too late."
Then came one last message.
"Besides... you’re only allowed to make me jealous a little. Any more than that, and I’ll have to come drag you home myself."
Julian’s mouth twitched.
"The kids?"
He muttered to himself with a laugh.
"We don’t even have a relationship yet..."
Yet Bianca loved saying things like this, acting as though she were already his wife whenever she had the chance. She flirted so naturally that half the time she sounded completely serious, only to follow it with another shameless joke that left him speechless.
Oddly enough...
He had never found it annoying.
Instead, it always made him smile.
He stared at the conversation for a few seconds.
A warmth spread through his chest.
Ever since meeting Bianca, she had never hidden her feelings. Whether teasing him, flirting with him, or openly standing by his side, she always made her intentions crystal clear.
Meanwhile...
He still hadn’t found the courage to confess.
Julian scratched his cheek awkwardly.
Maybe... I’m overthinking it.
She already makes her feelings obvious.
So why can’t I just say it?
He sighed inwardly.
Because if I confessed too soon... if I said the wrong thing and somehow damaged what they already had...
That possibility alone was enough to stop him.
He had stood in the face of danger more times than he could count. He had remained calm when his life was on the line, made impossible decisions under pressure, and walked away from situations that would have broken most people.
None of those had shaken him.
But confessing to the woman he genuinely cared about?
For some reason, that felt infinitely more terrifying.
A single careless sentence could change everything between them.
He wasn’t afraid of rejection.
He was afraid of losing the easy laughter, the playful teasing, the comfortable conversations, and the quiet understanding that had naturally grown between them.
If she started avoiding him...
If things became awkward...
He wasn’t sure he could accept that.
With a quiet sigh, Julian pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the chat window.
His fingers moved over the keyboard.
"Just woke up. What’s up?"
Almost the moment he hit send, Bianca replied.
"The Bear Group... Oh, right. It’s called Blackstone Global Group now."
A second message quickly followed.
"Looks like they managed to offend the Ashbourne family from Silverhaven City. They contacted our family this morning and want to suppress Blackstone Global Group."
Another notification appeared.
"I think it’s the perfect opportunity for us to make some money."
Before Julian could respond, one last message arrived, accompanied by a smug grinning emoji.
"See? Your future wife isn’t just pretty. I can help fill your wallet too."
Julian couldn’t help smiling.
His eyes lit up with quiet satisfaction.
Everything was unfolding exactly as he had expected.
The Ashbourne family’s retaliation had finally begun.
Leaning comfortably against the headboard, he continued reading while absentmindedly brushing a strand of messy hair away from his forehead.
Another message appeared.
"Let’s start with a small goal."
"We’ll short-sell them and make five billion."
Julian let out a quiet laugh.
"Only Bianca..."
He shook his head with amusement.
"Only Bianca could call five billion a ’small goal.’"
To someone else, that amount of money was enough to change generations of a family’s future.
To Bianca, it sounded like pocket change.
The De Dominicis family’s wealth truly lived up to its legendary reputation.
Earlier that morning, during breakfast, Henrik De Dominicis had personally informed Bianca about the Ashbourne family’s proposal.
The De Dominicis family had deep business roots throughout Silverhaven City. Over the years, they had built a close and mutually beneficial relationship with the Ashbourne family.
When the Ashbourne family decided to strike back against Blackstone Global Group, it was only natural that they invited the De Dominicis family to join the operation.
What they didn’t know...
Was that the De Dominicis family had been quietly waiting for an opportunity like this.
Blackstone Global Group had always been a tempting target.
Now that the Ashbourne family had taken the first step, the De Dominicis family could earn an enormous profit while helping an ally at the same time.
The timing couldn’t have been better.
Julian smiled to himself before replying.
"Of course. Anyone who refuses free money would be an idiot."
After sending the message, he placed the phone on his lap for a moment.
Blackstone Global Group and Steffan had already become his enemies.
There was no reason to show either of them mercy.
If someone insisted on handing him an opportunity to profit from their downfall...
He wasn’t foolish enough to refuse.
His phone buzzed again.
"Then why don’t you come to my office?"
"We can have a proper chat. >3<"
Julian smiled almost instinctively.
He could picture the scene perfectly.
Bianca was probably sitting in her spacious office, lazily leaning back in her executive chair, one leg crossed over the other, a playful smile dancing across her lips as she typed each message.
She was definitely enjoying this.
His fingers quickly tapped the screen.
"Sure. I’ll come after breakfast."
The familiar "typing..." indicator appeared almost immediately.
Then another message popped onto the screen.
"What breakfast?"
"Come eat me."
Julian froze.
"..."
His thumb stopped moving.
His expression stiffened.
For several long seconds, he simply stared at the screen as though his brain had forgotten how to function.
"...What?"
He blinked twice to make sure he hadn’t misread it.
No.
Those were definitely the words she had sent.
After recovering from the initial shock, he slowly typed a single response.
"?!"
Barely a second later, Bianca answered.
"A cake I made myself. (u◕ᴗ◕u)"
Julian stared silently at the phone.
Then he lowered his head and laughed.
A helpless, genuine laugh escaped him.
"You really love bullying me..."
He rubbed the bridge of his nose with a sigh.
She had absolutely done that on purpose.
There wasn’t the slightest doubt in his mind.
She knew exactly how that message would sound when he read it.
And just as expected, she had succeeded in making him panic for a few glorious seconds.
The worst part was...
She immediately followed it with an innocent explanation.
Technically, she hadn’t said anything inappropriate at all.
If he accused her of teasing him, she’d probably tilt her head with an innocent smile and ask what he had been imagining.
He wouldn’t have a single piece of evidence.
Every single time he thought he had finally grown resistant to Bianca’s shameless teasing...
She somehow found a brand-new way to catch him completely off guard.
It was almost unfair.
In front of everyone else, Julian was calm, composed, and difficult to shake.
But whenever Bianca was involved...
That composure crumbled surprisingly easily.
Around her, he felt less like the confident man everyone admired and more like an inexperienced young man being effortlessly toyed with by an outrageously beautiful, impossibly wealthy woman who found endless entertainment in watching him become flustered.
She never crossed the line.
She never pushed too far.
She simply nudged him again and again, smiling as she watched every tiny crack appear in his carefully maintained calm.
And somehow...
Instead of feeling annoyed...
Instead of wanting her to stop...
A small smile lingered on Julian’s face.
Because deep down...
He secretly enjoyed every second of it.
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