Dorian had no idea why Royce Butler suddenly erupted in such a fury. He stiffened and took two steps back, nodding quickly.
"Y-yes, sir."
Royce Butler took a couple of deep breaths before sitting back down in his chair.
So, his wife had been cheating on him last night! That woman!
Even though he ended up sleeping with her by accident, what if she had met someone else? Wouldn't he have been wearing a green hat for sure?
"Mr. Butler... President Butler, you just asked for all of your wife's information. We already checked it a year ago when you got married. Should I go fetch it for you?"
"Well, hurry up then!" Royce Butler barked at Dorian.
"Yes, sir!" Dorian immediately left the office. Five minutes later, he returned with Julia Avery's file.
Luckily, Dorian had a habit of keeping all records; otherwise, President Butler would have blown a gasket today!
The file was thin, just a single sheet of A4 paper. Royce Butler's eyes narrowed. "Are you kidding me? This is it?"
Dorian bent over and kept his head low, not daring to breathe too loudly. "Yes, President Butler.
At the time, you thought her background was clean, so you agreed to the marriage."
Royce Butler had completely forgotten about that. He turned his attention to the paper.
Julia Avery, twenty-one years old, a junior at Zenith Film Academy, majoring in acting.
Father: Aidan.
Mother: Penelope.
Half-brother: Grady.
Half-sister: Bailey Avery.
Half-brother: Bradley.
The family owns an ancestral vineyard, Tong Vineyard, which is poorly managed and on the brink of bankruptcy.
The rest is just some trivial information about Julia Avery, barely filling half a page of A4 paper.
"Julia Avery..." Royce Butler softly murmured the name with his thin lips. So, her name is Julia Avery.
The information was from last year, so she should be twenty-two now and about to graduate from college.
Even though last night this woman brought him immense pleasure and he experienced the wonders of a first night, the thought that she might be aiming to cheat on him made his blood boil!
"Where is she now?" Royce Butler lifted his head.
"President Butler, as per your instructions, she was placed in the Prism City villa. She doesn't stay there much, sometimes she stays at school, and occasionally at her brother's place. Now... well, it's May, so she's probably close to graduating," Dorian answered nervously, not daring to miss a single word.
"Has a perfectly good villa but keeps running around!" Royce Butler crumpled the A4 paper into a ball and tossed it into the trash can.
It seemed her plan to cheat on him had been long in the making!
However, fortunately, it hadn't succeeded because he knew last night was her first time.
Lionel Gonzalez had mentioned that a woman's first time would result in bleeding, and he had seen the bloodstains on the white sheets last night.
"Is there anyone else over at Prism City?"
"There's a maid there, a young girl in her early twenties, who's taking care of Madam."
"Go tell her that I'm coming home tonight."
Dorian was taken aback. It had been a year since Royce Butler had gone back, and now he suddenly wanted to return?
However, Dorian didn't dare to ask more questions, especially since Royce Butler was in a foul mood. He just nodded and went to carry out the orders.
Zenith Film Academy
Julia Avery was about to graduate soon. It was May, and she was juggling her thesis and job hunting, feeling completely overwhelmed.
She went home to rest for a bit after being worn out by that man last night. Despite her exhaustion, she dragged herself to school because she needed some materials and was heading straight to the library.
A red Maserati screeched to a halt right in front of her, drawing the attention of many.
The car door opened, and the first thing that caught her eye was a pair of red high heels, followed by a pair of slender legs. Julia Avery recognized her immediately.
It was her sister, Bailey Avery.
"Wow, it's Bailey Avery! What a gorgeous car!"
"Yeah, her boyfriend is the CEO of Artis International. She signed with Artis International early on, and it looks like she's going to be a big star soon!"
People around were murmuring with envy. Julia Avery didn't want to run into her and pretended not to see her, heading towards the library. But that familiar voice called out to her.
"Sis! Long time no see!" Bailey Avery removed her sunglasses and waved nonchalantly at Julia Avery.
Julia Avery closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and turned around with a bright smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Yes, it's been a while. What a coincidence."
In this school, many students were future stars, but Bailey Avery had already become one by her sophomore year.
She used to train in gymnastics and even represented the school in international competitions. Later, she took up acting, signed with Artis International, and in many people's eyes, she was a rising star.
Naturally, her appearance drew a lot of attention, and people began to gather around.
"Bailey Avery has a sister?" someone cautiously inquired.
"Yeah, I've heard Bailey Avery is good at everything, but her sister is good at nothing!
They're both in the drama department, but while Bailey Avery is always the lead, her sister is just an extra!"
Hearing the surrounding whispers, Julia Avery felt a pang of discomfort in her heart.
"Sis, it's great running into you today. Harry and I are getting engaged soon, so you must come to the party."
"Oh, really? After all this time, it's just an engagement?" Julia Avery couldn't help but scoff, her eyes filled with disdain.
The remark clearly stung Bailey Avery, and her face darkened momentarily before she quickly regained her superior demeanor.
"Yes, the Edwards Family is quite prestigious, so things take time. But don't worry, Sis, you'll soon be toasting at our wedding."
Bailey Avery's eyes were full of pride. She had every reason to flaunt in front of Julia Avery.
After all, Harry Edwards used to belong to Julia Avery. Julia Avery didn't show any sign of sadness.
"Alright then, I'll make sure to drink a lot at the wedding. It would be a shame to waste all the effort my dear sister put into winning over my future brother-in-law!"
Bailey Avery knew that Julia Avery's words had a hidden meaning. She was well aware of Julia's sharp tongue. But now, Julia was just a defeated opponent, only able to make snide remarks.
"Sis, I heard no company wants to sign you yet. Are you still doing bit parts? How about I talk to Harry to help you out?"
"No need. I'll find a company to sign with myself. If there's nothing else, I'm heading to the library."
Julia Avery shot her a glance and started to turn away.
"I know you're feeling bad! But who told you not to cherish your opportunities back then?" Bailey Avery had no intention of letting her go easily.
Just as Julia Avery turned, a sapphire-blue sports car zoomed up and screeched to a halt in front of them with lightning speed.
It was a Ferrari LaFerrari!
Under the sunlight, the sapphire-blue Ferrari LaFerrari looked like a beast ready for battle, exuding an aura of menace.
All eyes were drawn to the Ferrari LaFerrari that had just roared onto the campus.
Though the school had seen its fair share of celebrities and alumni driving luxury cars, this particular car was a first for everyone.
Even Bailey Avery couldn't take her eyes off it, her gaze fixed in astonishment. This car could easily buy her Maserati ten times over.
And to think, she had to pester Harry Edwards for ages just to get that Maserati.
The car door opened, and a man stepped out.
Royce Butler.
He wore simple, natural attire: light gray linen pants and a white T-shirt.
His devilishly handsome face came into view, especially those blue eyes that seemed to capture everyone's soul.
The moment Julia Avery saw Royce Butler, her eyes widened, and she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
Could the world be any smaller?
They had just slept together yesterday, and now they were running into each other today.
Royce Butler walked calmly over to Julia Avery, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her possessively into his embrace.
Julia Avery stood there, frozen like a statue. Bailey Avery was utterly confused. Did Julia Avery get a boyfriend?
"Sis, who is this?" Bailey Avery sized up Royce Butler from head to toe.
"Uh..."
"Isn't it obvious?" Royce Butler raised an eyebrow, a smug expression on his face.
Bailey Avery smiled warmly and extended her hand. "So, you're my sister's boyfriend?
Nice to meet you. I'm Bailey Avery, Julia Avery's sister."
Royce glanced at the outstretched hand and instinctively frowned but didn't take it.
"Oh, so what?" Royce asked disdainfully. Bailey was left in an awkward position by his words.
She quickly turned her gaze to Julia. "Sis, why didn't you tell me you had a boyfriend?
Now I can finally relax. I'm glad you've moved on from Harry. You were so heartbroken back then, not eating or drinking. I was really worried about you."
Julia knew all too well that Bailey couldn't stand to see her happy. Even if she had a boyfriend, Bailey would try to ruin it.
Royce wasn't dumb either; he could sense the underlying meaning in Bailey's words.
"I need to get to the library. I'm not sticking around for this," Julia said, eager to leave.
"Alright then, I won't keep you. But when Harry and I get engaged, you must bring your boyfriend along," Bailey said, waving her hand before driving off in her Maserati.
Julia shot a sideways glance at Royce, brushed his hand off, and stormed toward the library with long strides.
"Hey!"
The crowd dispersed.
Julia Avery swiped her card to enter the library and took a deep breath. This library was off-limits to non-students, and even students couldn't get in without their library cards.
She really didn't want to see that man. Julia wandered through the library, weaving between the shelves until she finally found the book she was looking for. Unfortunately, it was placed on the highest shelf, out of her reach.
She jumped a couple of times but couldn't grab it. Just as she was staring up at the book in frustration, a slender, delicate hand reached up and took it down.
Julia looked up to see Royce Butler's mischievous smile.
"How did you get in here?"
"Easy," Royce replied with a smug grin, raising an eyebrow. "I just chatted up the girl at the entrance."
Julia gritted her teeth in anger.
That girl at the entrance!
For the past four years, whenever she forgot her library card, no amount of pleading would get her in. Yet, she let an outsider in so easily.
Blinded by charm!
"We agreed to stay out of each other's way, didn't we? What do you want?" Julia whispered, her voice low.
The library was so quiet that any louder conversation would be overheard by other students.
"You were right last night," Royce said. "We rushed things. We should have figured everything out first."
"Rushed? What do you mean rushed? Didn't we make everything clear?" Julia glared at Royce, her eyes burning with intensity.
Royce Butler leaned in close to Julia Avery, whispering in her ear, "Are you saying I wasn't fast enough yesterday? Should I be quicker next time?"
Julia understood Royce's implication, and her cheeks immediately turned a deep shade of red. She bit her lip nervously.
"What do you want?"
"I don't want anything. Just explain yourself. Why do you want to have a baby?"
Julia glanced at Royce, "This really has nothing to do with you. Even if I am pregnant, I won't cling to you. You can rest assured!"
As she spoke, Julia scanned the surroundings, worried that a classmate or teacher might come by.
Royce propped one arm against the bookshelf, his entire body blocking Julia's way, pinning her against the shelves.
He lowered his gaze, staring at Julia's flushed face. Julia looked up and met Royce's bright, sparkling eyes.
His chiseled features, exquisite face, and those seductive thin lips... Her face turned an even deeper shade of red.
This man was simply a devil!
Julia pushed against Royce's chest with both hands, but he didn't budge an inch.
Just as she was about to pull her hands back, Royce suddenly grabbed one of her hands, pressing it against his chest.
"If you want to touch, just say so. Go ahead, keep touching. I won't charge you!"
Julia Avery's face turned even redder, like a ripe tomato. She felt like she could hardly breathe.
"Who wants to touch you?!" Julia Avery turned her head to the side.
"Then why are you blushing?" Royce Butler released Julia's hand and lifted her chin, making her flushed face look directly at him.
Julia tried to struggle, and although she was quite strong for a girl, she was up against a grown man.
Her strength was no match for Royce Butler's.
"That hurts!" Julia felt like her chin was about to be crushed.
Only then did Royce Butler let go. "So, are you going to talk or not?"
"There's really nothing to say. Even if you know, what difference does it make? It has nothing to do with you.
Please, just let me go. Let's just pretend... it was a one-night stand, and we don't know each other anymore!"
"Oh... really?"
Royce Butler let out a cold snort, pulling out his phone from his pocket. He navigated to a photo in his gallery and showed it to Julia.
"Take a look at this."
Julia's eyes widened in shock when she saw the photo on the screen.
In the photo, she was completely naked. Her body was covered in kiss marks.
She reached out to grab Royce Butler's phone, but he quickly pulled it back. "Now will you talk?"
"You scoundrel!" Julia Avery glared fiercely at Royce Butler. "How dare you take secret photos of me!"
"Yes, I am a scoundrel," Royce replied with a smirk. "And if you don't tell me what I want to know, do you believe I won't send these photos to everyone in the school?"
"…"
"I've got even juicier ones. Want to see?"