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.

ahead,” Julien replied, unfazed.

about

finish, Julien’s curt reply cut

the interruption, but there

cutting Julie off, but now she regretted her abruptness, sensing it might have upset Julie, and she explained further, “I mean, I haven’t figured out what’s really going on between Hayden and Adeline. I’ll

was surprised by the additional explanation, a

the National Security Agency at the moment, right? So

mind

Julie gently reminded her, “You know, the time you took a bottle filled with vitamins to QuadDylan for analysis, suspecting something else was inside, only to find out they were indeed just

Julie must be jumping to conclusions. Julien quickly interjected,

do you think I’m thinking?” Julie teased,

Julien remained silent.

case, right? The pills in

from him,” Julien admitted, knowing Julie had seen through the facade. There

ventured a guess, “Hayden?”

you imagine anyone else?” Julien asked back.

her head. No one but Hayden

and Hayden, you guys…”

think; there’s nothing more

suggestive, “Aren’t you going to tell me about the vitamins in the bottle?”

much to say.” After a pause, Julien added,

Hayden of being ‘lacking in virtue’ was too amusing to contain. She could only imagine the look on Hayden’s face if he heard it. Concerned, Julie asked, “So, those vitamins from the bottle, did you

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

you two never really sat down to talk 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

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

hear Julie speaking, sometimes even threatening to shut her

Julie was a friend Julien cherished deeply-someone who would tell you the hard truths even if it meant risking the friendship. And that was truly rare.

at the base of the hill and simply said, “We’re here.”

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