Love’s Cunning Ruse

Chapter 303

On the drive to the cemetery, Julien gripped the steering wheel, turning to Julie, “No wonder it wasn’t found abroad. Turns out, Rankin’s final resting place is right here at Whispering Pines.”

It seemed they had been searching for quite some time. After the incident with Davina Field, Julie had asked Julien to help locate Rankin’s grave. Unexpectedly, even with Julien’s capabilities, it had taken this long to find it.

A light drizzle misted from the sky as they passed a florist. Julie asked Julien to pull over, then walked inside the shop.

She lingered among the blooms, contemplating her choice. The florist, eager to help upon learning Julie was visiting a friend’s grave, suggested an array of vibrant flowers, each more beautiful than the last.

Yet Julie’s gaze settled on a secluded corner.

The owner hurried over, “Ah, this is the Bird of Paradise. It’s also known as…”

“Strelitzia,” Julie finished with a smile, and then turned to a bunch of light pink gypsophila nearby. “Could you wrap these up for me?”

Her eyes had been on the Bird of Paradise, but in the end, she asked for the gypsophila to be wrapped. The owner handed Julie the neatly packaged flowers and then watched as she picked a single Bird of Paradise, settling the bill.

Back in the car, Julie placed the Bird of Paradise amidst the gypsophila.

Julien nonchalantly inquired, “What flower is that?”

Julie knew she wasn’t asking about the gypsophila.

“It’s Bird of Paradise, also called Strelitzia. It’s said to be the bird that flies to heaven, carrying all sorts of emotions and yearnings with it. If there’s a heaven, then a good soul like Rankin is surely there. The flower’s message is: No matter when, no matter where, never forget the one who waits for your love. It just… felt right for him.”

Julien remarked, “A flower is just a plant. All those nice and sad meanings, we attach them ourselves.” After saying this, noticing Julie’s expression, Julien quickly added in a softer tone, “But if there really is a heaven, he’s probably there.”

For Julie, hearing such words from Julien was nothing short of miraculous. She knew it was just an attempt at comfort.

“Julien, can I ask you something?” Julie asked tentatively, wary of broaching a sensitive topic.

Julien replied,

mentioned earlier about

don’t know.” Before Julie could finish, Julien’s curt reply cut

interruption, but there was a silence that followed.

abruptness, sensing it might have upset Julie, and she explained further, “I mean, I haven’t figured out what’s really going on

explanation, a flicker of excitement crossing

the National Security Agency at the moment, right? So why are you

momentarily lost, her mind

something else was inside, only to find out they were

must be jumping to conclusions. Julien quickly interjected, “Don’t get the wrong idea; it’s not what you think.”

do you think I’m thinking?” Julie teased, her gaze playful.

Julien remained silent.

case, right? The

Julie had seen through the

a guess, “Hayden?”

imagine anyone else?”

her head. No one but Hayden would dare such

and Hayden,

nothing more to it,” Julien stated.

you going to tell me about

much to say.” After a pause, Julien added, “Quad Dylan has a big mouth.”

She could only imagine the look on Hayden’s

an end to the topic. But Julie just couldn’t stop herself, and what had started as a playful banter turned serious as she locked eyes with Julien and said, “You know, Julien, you and him, you’re both pretty tough. But when two tough people get together, it can take a lot longer to work things out. Like you said that night, have

about the elephant in the room. And yeah, I’m not the best at this stuff either. Even my relationship with Kieran got pretty messed up sometimes. But we complement each other’s personalities, and we do sit down and talk things out, every once in a while.” Julie had known since she met Julien that her experiences were more complicated than most, which made her way of thinking quite unique.

to boys, yet lacked the dependency and softness expected of girls. She was used to solving problems on her own, rarely shared her feelings, and had spent

even threatening to shut her up. But over time, Julie

was a friend Julien cherished deeply-someone who would tell you the hard truths even if it

didn’t respond to Julie’s words. Instead, she parked the car at the base of the hill and

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