Devil's Prisoner of Love by Prefer

When Aurora called out Julian's name and saw the way his eyes sparkled with joy, like a sly fox, she couldn't shake the feeling that she had somehow fallen into a trap.

"Isn't this form of address a bit too much?" she asked cautiously. After all, they had only known each other for a week.

"What's wrong with it? We've already watched movies together for several days. What's the big deal in calling my name?" Julian's casual rebuttal left her speechless.

Aurora opened her mouth, trying to respond, but even though his reasoning made sense, it still felt strange to her.

"What about the collaboration?" Aurora redirected the conversation, focusing on the business matter. Julian's overly accommodating attitude made her feel like she was dreaming.

"Don't worry. I'm the lead for this project. As long as I give the green light, it's ninety- nine percent a done deal."

Julian wasn't bragging. Years ago, after finding the Barnet family in New York, his grandfather, Maxwell Barnet, had been determined to keep him by his side.

But Julian's mind was set on Aurora. If he stayed in New York to develop his career, wouldn't that mean he'd rarely get to see her?

So, he had refused Maxwell's offer, claiming he wanted to return to Clothville. Back then, he was still full of resentment toward Joaquin, and the Alvarez family didn't like him either, leaving him in an awkward position.

Fortunately, he had a sharp mind. He started with small businesses, and Maxwell, aware of Julian's stubborn personality, discreetly enlisted the help of old friends in Clothville to support him.

Later, after meeting Irene, he connected with Nick. By then, Nick was already a successful figure and lent Julian a helping hand.

No one achieves success alone in a short period, and Julian was no exception. Neither was Aurora.

name for himself, Maxwell repeatedly tried to bring him back to

Lila. Lila was too young, and Phil was

grew larger, Maxwell eventually stopped pressing him to return, instead sending Phil to work under him to learn. If Julian didn't want to inherit the

short on successors, she would have long since stepped down as vice president-such a

Julian explained his situation, he admitted he was wary of using his own company for fear of arousing

plan worked perfectly. Even Mr. Elderstone hadn't suspected anything and had willingly proposed the wager. Since Mr. Elderstone had

hearing about the project. That very

truth, the deal was orchestrated for Aurora's sake. Of course, as businessmen, they weren't doing it for nothing-they would profit

family had painstakingly set this trap, and now that Aurora had stepped into it, there was no way Julian would

Julian had agreed to her proposal. The entire dinner felt like

wasn't until Julian dropped her off at the villa and told her to meet him tomorrow for an on-site inspection of the project that Aurora

stay up too late tonight. Get some rest.

well. Even though he had agreed to the collaboration, she would want to gather as much information as possible to ensure everything went smoothly.

increasingly accustomed to his touch. She even found herself

placing a hand on her stomach, Aurora felt conflicted. On one hand, she wondered where

at her. She spent

her dreams were different. Sometimes, they were on a boat in

dream of having once lived with Julian? While she missed him during the day, it wasn't to such

cut ties with Julian after this project. She couldn't risk falling in love with

Julian wouldn't deceive her. She knew

contract so easily felt unreal. She had approached Julian with her intentions, only to find

too well-almost like a male lead in a drama doting on