Chapter 316: A Dance Invitation
A Dance Invitation
Before Julian could react...
She playfully gave him a light slap on the butt.
The crisp sound echoed through the quiet office.
Julian froze.
His eyes widened.
His entire body stiffened.
Inside his head...
Only one thought remained.
[Oh my god.]
[Is this female hooligan at it again?]
The spacious president’s office fell into a strange silence.
Warm sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting golden reflections across the polished wooden floor. The city skyline stretched beyond the glass, yet neither of them paid it any attention.
Julian remained frozen where he stood, still trying to process what had just happened.
Bianca, meanwhile, folded her arms with an innocent expression, as though she hadn’t done anything unusual.
The corners of her lips twitched upward.
She was clearly enjoying herself.
After watching his stunned expression for another second, she finally couldn’t hold back anymore.
"Did it hurt? Want me to rub it for you?"
Her voice carried obvious amusement.
Julian finally snapped back to reality.
He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and forced out a dry laugh.
"That might not be appropriate."
He smiled, but inside...
He was having a completely different conversation with himself.
She keeps doing things like this...
If I retaliate, she’ll definitely hit me harder.
If I don’t... she’ll think she can bully me forever.
For a brief moment, Julian even considered lightly smacking her back just to even the score.
Unfortunately...
He valued his life.
He wisely buried that dangerous thought before it could become reality.
Bianca noticed the subtle change in his expression and almost laughed again.
She knew exactly what he had been thinking.
That was precisely why teasing him was so entertaining.
Seeing her smiling so brightly, Julian quickly decided to change the topic before she came up with another mischievous idea.
He cleared his throat.
"Isn’t this ad supposed to be shot by two people? Which female celebrity are you planning to pair with me?"
His question sounded perfectly reasonable.
Yet his thoughts betrayed him once again.
After transmigrating into a rich, handsome young master...
One of Julian’s biggest regrets was surprisingly simple.
He had never had one of those dramatic scandals with famous actresses that always appeared in novels.
It didn’t fit the image of a classic wealthy villain at all.
Inside his mind...
[In every overpowered novel, those rich villains are surrounded by famous actresses and glamorous celebrities.]
[Meanwhile, here I am, working like an honest businessman.]
[This really doesn’t feel villain-like.]
Bianca lowered her head slightly to hide the smile threatening to bloom across her face.
She had to admit...
Julian’s imagination was far more entertaining than any television drama.
She slowly looked back at him.
"Oh?"
"So..."
"You’re thinking about female celebrities?"
She pursed her lips before pointing gracefully at herself.
"What do I look like to you?"
Julian looked her up and down.
Her long crimson hair shimmered beneath the office lights.
Her elegant business suit perfectly complemented her graceful figure.
Every movement carried confidence.
Every smile seemed capable of stealing someone’s heartbeat.
Still...
His mouth answered before his brain could stop it.
"You look like a fox trying to get a title."
The office instantly became quiet.
Miss. Walker, who was still standing nearby organizing documents, wisely lowered her head.
She silently took two careful steps backward.
Experience had taught her something.
Whenever President Bianca smiled too sweetly...
Someone was about to suffer.
Sure enough—
"I’ll beat you to death!!!"
Bianca grabbed a nearby cushion from the sofa and began smacking Julian repeatedly.
"Ow!"
"Wait!"
"I was complimenting you!"
"President Bianca, violence doesn’t solve problems!"
Julian laughed while raising both arms to shield himself.
The fluffy cushion landed on his shoulders and arms again and again.
None of the hits actually hurt.
But the scene was lively enough that anyone walking in would probably think the two were flirting rather than arguing.
After several playful swings, Bianca finally stopped.
She folded her arms again and looked at him with a small pout.
"Don’t I look like a female celebrity?"
Julian rubbed his shoulder dramatically before answering with complete seriousness.
"Nope."
Bianca’s beautiful crimson eyes immediately narrowed.
She slowly lifted the cushion again.
Julian instantly sensed danger.
"Wait!"
He raised both hands in surrender before she could attack again.
"Which female celebrity is as pretty as you?"
"Plus, you’re so rich."
"Being a wealthy lady suits you better."
He smiled sincerely this time.
There wasn’t even the slightest hint of teasing in his voice.
The compliment made Bianca pause.
For just a brief second...
The playful expression in her eyes softened.
She knew Julian wasn’t exaggerating.
He wasn’t the kind of man who handed out compliments lightly, especially about someone’s appearance. If those words had left his lips, then he truly meant them.
That realization made them unexpectedly precious.
A delicate blush crept across Bianca’s fair cheeks before she quickly hid it behind the confident, composed smile she always wore.
As the head of the De Dominicis Group, Bianca stood among the wealthiest women in all of Valemont.
Years ago, the De Dominicis family had placed the majority of the company’s shares under her control without hesitation. It wasn’t simply because she was family—it was because she had proven, time and again, that she possessed the intelligence, judgment, and determination to protect and expand everything they had built.
Their complete trust in her hadn’t been given freely.
She had earned it.
Watching her, Julian let out a quiet, self-conscious smile.
Compared to Bianca...
His own circumstances were far less straightforward.
To everyone around him, he was already the unquestioned future head of the D’Aurelius household. The title had long since been attached to his name.
But titles and reality were two different things.
His great-grandfather—the current patriarch and the true master of the family’s vast empire—had made his stance unmistakably clear.
Only when Julian eventually had a child...
Only when he presented the old man with a great-grandchild...
Would the family’s wealth, authority, and inheritance officially begin passing into his hands.
Until that day arrived...
He remained exactly what he had always been.
The heir.
Not the owner.
Bianca gave a small, understanding nod.
"Being a wealthy lady isn’t such a bad life," she said with a teasing smile.
She took a slow step toward him.
Then another.
The distance between them disappeared until Julian could catch the faint, elegant fragrance drifting from her perfume—soft, refined, and unmistakably hers.
Before he could react, Bianca lifted a graceful hand and gently pinched his chin between her slender fingers.
The unexpected gesture made him instinctively meet her eyes.
A playful glimmer flickered within her crimson gaze, carrying both confidence and quiet amusement.
"So..."
Her smile widened ever so slightly.
"Come."
She gave his chin the gentlest tug.
"Let me show you my dance skills."
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