The Billionaire's Authentic Daughter ▶️

8 8 | J U L I A

His eyes widened at my question and he peered down at his locket which had my photo, the one I had sent him that time when he was on tour and he wanted proof that I wasn't doing anything wrong in his house in his absence.

He began to pull away but I reached out, fingers closing around the pendant.

"Be careful!" He said, lowering his head so that the chain wouldn't snap. Foreheads almost touching, I opened the drum pendant to make sure I had seen right and I was. It was my photo in there.

To keep pictures of your loved ones so that they're always close to you.

"What does this mean?"

He gently pulled it away, then scrambled to his feet. I sat up, looking at him expectantly. He avoided my gaze and took my hand in his and helped me to my feet.

"Answer me," I prodded.

"And if I won't?" Now it looked like he was the one who wanted to be anywhere but here with me. He looked ready to bolt any second now.

I moved forward and grabbed his arm. "Then remove it and we'll pretend I didn't see it."

He snatched his arm back. "I will not not do that," he spoke firmly.

I found myself at a loss for words. I didn't want to misunderstand. Maybe he only just really cared about me.

I smoothed out my expressions. "I didn't see anything." A moment later, I gave him a smile. "God, we've been cleaning up for hours now! Let's finish up here and have lunch. I'm starving!"

I turned to occupy myself with the first thing I saw but I didn't go far. Braxton grabbed me by my shoulders and made me look at him.

"You gave me that pendant, Julia. You know what you said."

To keep pictures of your loved ones so that they're always close to you.

"No," I shook my head and wrestled away from him. "You shouldn't."

"Why?"

"Because I don't–" I stopped, deserve you. But it was so glaringly obvious, speaking it out loud was unnecessary and would only break my heart.

His shoulders sagged. He put distance between us, and nodded. "I see. Sorry I made you uncomfortable. I'm leaving."

Before I could comprehend what happened he was gone leaving me alone in his store room, surrounded with dust and old things and his fond memories with it which I'd probably never get to know.

Horrified, I realized he misunderstood me. He thought I rejected him. He thought I was going to say I didn't love him back–if he even loved me, he might just like me or it was just some passing crush he'd get over in a few days. Either way I couldn't bear the thought of him getting the wrong idea.

I ran after him, asking the maids if they'd seen where he'd gone but they didn't know until I came upon someone who did.

"He just left in his car. He didn't say where he was going," the woman said.

I squatted on the ground, pulling at my hair in frustration.

I guess it was turn to avoid me now because he didn't return home for the entire day. I stopped waiting after dinner and shut myself in my room. If he felt uncomfortable to show himself to me now, I wasn't going to make it hard for him.

In the morning, he had already left before I was out of my room. I went to class and then the library and because I was worried for him, I made a quick stop to the house to ask if he had returned but he never came back during the day. He was probably holed up in the studio.