Chapter 48

After Julian dropped Evelyn off at the villa, he got a call from Victor asking him to come to the bar. Since the place only really opened at night, it was dead quiet during the day. When Julian arrived, Victor was slouched at the bar on the first floor, yawning like he hadn't slept in days. He sat on a high stool, with a freshly squeezed orange juice in front of him. "Well, look who's up before noon. That's rare," Julian teased as he walked over and sat on the next stool. Victor poured him a glass of plain water and slid it over. "Did your dad beat you up again?" The moment he noticed the bruise on Julian's forehead, the sleepiness vanished from his face. He narrowed his eyes slightly, clearly annoyed. Julian didn't usually show up hurt, but it always got ugly whenever he went back to the Everetts' house. Victor used to tag along back in the day, and he absolutely couldn't stand how Bernard Everett always claimed it was "for Julian's own good" while showing zero real concern. Empty wor