Chapter 424

Juliana was calmly enjoying her meal when suddenly her phone rang like an alarm. She picked it up and nearly jumped—it was her mother calling. “I need to take this. Don’t make a sound, okay? It’s my mom,” she whispered urgently to the man sitting across from her, pressing a finger to her lips. Arthur nodded understandingly, remaining silent so she wouldn’t get into any trouble. “Hi, Mom,” Juliana answered, trying to inject calm into her voice. “Juliana, where are you? Come home immediately. Your father and I need to talk to you—it’s important.” “What’s wrong? Are you okay? Is Dad alright?” Her voice spiked with concern. “We’re fine. It’s not about us. Just come home now. We’re waiting.” “Alright, I’ll be there by two. Will that be okay?” “Fine. But you must come home, understand?” Emma’s voice left no room for argument. Notably, she didn’t mention Arthur during the call. She knew they were together, but right now, her concern was solely for her daughter—anyone else was irrelevant. “Mom