Chapter 241:

Julie’s POV

Only one mission dominated my mind: I had to go to Steve now. But anxiety was gnawing at me; I didn’t know if the password was still the same or if someone had changed it. I rushed down the stairs like lightning, my heart pounding with every step. I went to check, and luckily, everything was as it was; nothing had changed.

But the thought of going out alone terrified me. What if that kidnapper was watching? I had to be careful this time. I stopped in my tracks, pressed my hand to my forehead, and whispered, "Think, Julie... think."

That was why I headed straight down to Max’s room. I found him standing before the mirror, getting dressed up. "Where are you going?" I asked, scanning him.

"I’m going out for a bit," he said, adjusting his collar. "I don’t have work today."

"Perfect!" I said with sudden excitement. "I’m coming with you!"

He stopped what he was doing and looked at me in disbelief. "What? Are you crazy?"

I stepped closer, my voice insistent. "Listen, no one will know."

He shook his head in a firm refusal. "No... absolutely not!"

I grabbed his arm, trying to persuade him. "Max, Robert is in bed with a bullet wound, and I urgently need to see my brother."

He frowned in confusion. "Your brother?"

I nodded. "Yes. It turns out he’s working for Carlos now, and I promised him I’d explain everything."

Max took a step back, looking horrified. "Impossible! If they see you with me, they’ll tell Robert immediately... Do you want me to die?"

"They won’t see me," I said confidently.

He scoffed. "What? Do you have an Invisibility Cloak like Harry Potter?"

I exhaled in frustration. "Stop joking. I have a plan."

"And what is it?" he asked skeptically.

I pointed toward the door and commanded, "Get out of the room."

His eyes widened. "What?"

I gave him a light shove toward the exit. "Get out of the room, Max, and don’t come back in!"

"You’re definitely going to drive me insane," he grumbled as he retreated.

As soon as the door clicked shut, I started my plan. I threw open his wardrobe, rummaging through his clothes until I found a pair of oversized jeans and a baggy black hoodie.

I thanked God I was already wearing my sneakers. I threw the clothes on quickly, then pulled all my hair back, tucking it away, and topped it with a baseball cap I found. I pulled the hoodie’s hood over the cap, and when I looked in the mirror, I was stunned; I actually looked like a guy!

I spotted a pair of black sunglasses and put them on to complete the disguise. Then, I opened the door and stepped out.

When Max saw me, his jaw dropped. He stood frozen, rubbing his face with his hand. "What on earth have you done, you maniac?!"

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Max’s POV

When I saw Julie in those clothes, I was completely floored; I couldn’t believe she would actually wear my clothes and look like that. She stood before me, spinning around. "It’s a disguise. How do I look?"

I scanned her from head to toe, scratching the back of my head. "Well, you look like a teenager trying to look older."

My comment didn’t faze her. "Excellent! Let’s go," she said enthusiastically. But as soon as she took her first step, she started walking in a very strange way; she spread her legs wide, thrust her shoulders forward, and held her arms slightly away from her body.

I watched her in disbelief. "What is wrong with you, Julie? Why are you walking like that?"

She stopped and turned to me sharply. "Don’t call me Julie. I am Julian now."

I burst out laughing, shaking my head. "I think you’re taking this disguise a bit too seriously... Do you actually want to become a man? You even thought of a name!"

"Do you want me to get kidnapped again?" she said seriously, adjusting her hood. "This way, no one will know it’s me." I stepped back and looked at her intently. "Fine, I won’t lie you don’t look like Julie." She clapped her hands together. "That’s the goal. Let’s move."

We went upstairs, and when we reached the gate, the guard saw us. "Max, how are you?" he asked.

"I’m good, Stan. You?" I replied calmly.

"I’m good too," he said. Then his gaze shifted curiously to the ’guy’ standing beside me. "And who is this guard?"

I swallowed hard and said quickly, "A new recruit."

Stan stepped closer, inspecting Julie, who tried to maintain her ’manly’ stance. He pursed his lips. "Hmm, looks a bit weak." I grabbed her by the arm, trying to end the situation. "We have to go now. See you later."

Once we were out of the club and away from prying eyes, Julie whispered, "Where is your car?"

I looked at her sarcastically. "I’m Max, not Robert."

"Fine, we’ll take a taxi," she said, adjusting her sunglasses.

I nodded in agreement. We stood on the curb, and I flagged down an approaching taxi. We climbed into the back seat. Julie leaned forward slightly and gave the driver the address in a voice she tried to make deep and gravelly to match her disguise.

I turned to her and whispered cautiously, "Is this your brother’s address?"

She nodded confidently. "Yes, it is."

I leaned back and looked out the window anxiously. "And are you sure Robert won’t look for you in your room?"

Julie sighed, shrugging with forced indifference. "No, he won’t."

I exhaled sharply, my tone laced with tension. "I hope so."

We remained silent for the rest of the journey. Julie watched the streets from behind her dark lenses, her hands clasped over her knees in a tense posture, as if she were trying to convince herself that her crazy plan would go smoothly without being caught especially not by Robert, who never misses a thing.

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Julie’s POV

We finally reached the address; it was a dilapidated apartment building that smelled of age. We got out of the car and hurried up the creaking stairs until we reached the floor. I stopped in front of the door, panting slightly. "This is his apartment. Number 6."

"Alright, knock on the door," Max said, looking around cautiously.

I gave the door several consecutive knocks. After a few seconds, it opened to reveal Steve. He looked at us with extreme suspicion, frowning as he took in my strange appearance. "Hello. Who are you?" he asked dryly.

"Steve, it’s me. Julie," I said in my natural voice.

Steve froze, his eyes widening in disbelief. He rubbed his face with his hand. "What is this? What’s with the getup?"

"Are you going to interrogate me at the door?" I sighed.

He stepped back and made way for us. "Come in."

Max and I entered and sat on the worn-out sofa in the living room. I took off my sunglasses and placed them on the table, then looked at Steve seriously. "I kept my promise. I came to explain what happened."

Steve sat opposite us, interlacing his fingers as he nodded. "Yes, I’m listening."

I took a deep breath, my tone a warning. "Promise me you won’t act crazy."

He looked deep into my eyes. "Fine. I promise."

I swallowed hard, feeling a bitterness in my throat as I gathered my strength. "You asked me what I was doing at the club?"

"Yes," he replied coldly.

I lowered my head for a moment, then looked up at him, the words coming out like gunshots.

"My father sold me."