The Retired CEO's Guide To Being Spoiled-Chapter 138: The Unintended Audience
"Yes, excellent work. Remember to keep a low profile, do not let slip a single vulnerability."
Julian Sterling added a few final words of caution before ending the call.
The room instantly reverted to its inherent tranquility, the silence broken only by the soft, rhythmic cadence of his own breathing. Julian allowed his hand to go limp, letting the mobile phone tumble from his grasp onto the mattress with a dull, muffled thud. He exhaled a long, heavy sigh, feeling the tide of exhaustion once again rising to claim his body.
The conversation had demanded a far greater expenditure of mental energy than he had anticipated. He closed his eyes, acutely aware of the dull, throbbing ache radiating through his lower back and the profound emptiness that seemed to echo within the vast, luxurious chamber.
Ethan Caldwell had not yet returned, of that, Julian was fairly certain.
A sudden, creeping sense of solitude began to weave its way through Julian’s heart. Despite having just meticulously constructed a flawless strategy for self-preservation, in this moment of physical and emotional fragility, he found himself craving the simplest of comforts: a warm embrace, a steaming bowl of porridge, or perhaps merely the imposing, grounding presence of that domineering man.
"Detestable man..." Julian muttered under his breath, pulling the duvet up to cover his head entirely, attempting to coax himself into slumber to escape the gnawing pangs of hunger and the persistent ache in his body.
The room remained silent for a long stretch, but sleep remained elusive, chased away by the raucous complaints of his empty stomach. It began to protest with increasing violence, his stomach cramping in a sharp reminder that the lunch hour had long since passed. Yet, the soreness in his waist and the leaden lethargy in his limbs acted like invisible chains, binding him tightly to the expanse of the massive King-size bed.
Suddenly, for reasons he could not quite articulate, Julian felt an overwhelming wave of self-pity wash over him.
"Detestable man... where on earth has he gone for so long? Goodness knows..."
Julian mumbled, his voice thick with nasal congestion and dripping with petulance. In truth, since waking up, Julian had no idea where the man had vanished to. A sliver of rationality suggested that Ethan Caldwell might have gone to work. However, a hopeful part of his heart simply wished that Ethan had merely gone downstairs to fetch water, or attend to some trivial matter, and would reappear at any moment.
It was just that this "moment" was stretching into an eternity, and Julian stubbornly continued to wait.
He drifted in a haze of semi-consciousness. Just as Julian was on the precipice of sinking into sleep once more, the phone beside him vibrated violently again. The shrill ringtone tore through the peaceful atmosphere, shattering the silence.
Julian frowned in annoyance, but then the corners of his lips curved up into a faint smile. It must be Ethan calling. Perhaps the man was in the kitchen, calling to ask if Julian wanted anything specific to eat, or simply to tease him a little.
With that assumption firmly planted in his mind, Julian did not bother to open his eyes to check the screen. He groped blindly for the device, slid the answer button, and pressed it to his ear. He cleared his throat, deliberately modulating his pitch to sound as soft, sweet, and pitiably coquettish as possible, a tone he knew for a fact would melt that man’s heart.
"Hello... Hubby... Why have you been gone so long? I’m starving~"
The sentence was drawn out, sugary as honey mixed with rock candy, sounding both pitiful and undeniably seductive. Julian closed his eyes, anticipating a low, magnetic chuckle or a soothing word from the other end of the line.
Instead, what greeted him was a deathly silence that stretched for three agonizing seconds.
Then, a familiar voice rang out. However, it was not the deep, warm, magnetic baritone of Ethan Caldwell. It was the loud, horrified screech of... Lucas Hill.
"Oh my God! You... who on earth are you talking to? Hubby? Julian, did you take the wrong medicine or are you possessed by a demon?"
Lucas’s scream was like a bucket of ice water dumped straight onto Julian’s face, snapping him fully awake in an instant. The drowsiness evaporated completely, replaced by an explosion of embarrassment that sprouted like mushrooms after rain. Hot blood rushed to his face, spreading all the way down to his neck.
Julian’s eyes flew open, staring fixedly at the name "Lucas Hill" displaying clearly on the screen.
Damn it! Why is it this guy again!
"You... why the hell did you call back?" Julian turned his embarrassment into anger, immediately changing his tone and shouting to cover his humiliation. But because his voice was still hoarse, the shout carried no authority whatsoever. Instead, it sounded like a sick cat trying to hiss.
On the other end, Lucas seemed to be struggling to suppress his laughter, the sound of snorting breath coming through the speaker in a very punchable manner.
"Whoa, why so tense? I just accidentally hung up too early and forgot to mention the main point. Who would have guessed I’d be treated to such a spectacular display of whining. Tsk tsk, truly "Hubby, I’m starving~". Listening to it gave me goosebumps all over."
Lucas mimicked his tone in a distorted and taunting way. Julian ground his teeth, gripping the phone so tightly his knuckles turned white. If Lucas were standing in front of him right now, Julian swore he would grab a pillow and beat him into a memory.
"Do you believe I will block your number this instant?" Julian growled a threat.
"Okay, okay, sorry boss, I was wrong." Lucas hurriedly backed down when he realized his friend was truly about to lose his temper. "Don’t block me, this is important business regarding money. If you block me, you’ll lose a pile of cash, and that’s on you."
At the mention of money, Julian’s rationality finally returned. He took a deep breath, trying to regulate his breathing and the chaotic emotions swirling within him.
While Lucas was still mumbling and letting his imagination run wild about the colorful married life of his friend, Julian finally regained a semblance of composure. But evidently, he remained sprawled on the bed, refusing to move an inch. This laziness seemed to have seeped into his very marrow.
"If you have something to say, spit it out quickly." Julian Sterling commanded, his tone having regained some of its usual composure, though the rasp of lingering exhaustion still clung to the edges of his voice: "Do not squander the precious little time I have for rest."
It was only then that Lucas Hill seemed to jolt awake from his fit of amusement: "Ah, right, correct. I actually sought you out today for a matter of significant import. Otherwise, I would have happily left you to continue rolling around in bed with that certain someone of yours."
