Lost and Found

Late at night, dragging my exhausted body, I returned to the Sand Garden penthouse.

This was an apartment I purchased independently near the company, and Julian was well aware of its address.

Pushing the door open, I immediately sensed his presence.

The man was clad in comfortable loungewear, sitting quietly on the sofa watching financial broadcasts.

“Why are you here?”

“Since you refused to come home, I had no choice but to come stay here with you.”

“Have you eaten?”

I nodded.

“Then go wash up and rest early.”

After I finished my evening routine and walked out of the bathroom, Julian was already waiting on the bed.

The moment I climbed onto the mattress, the man pounced forward to wrap his arms around me.

His large, warm palms methodically stoked fires across my skin, eagerly switching between tender obsession and an attempt to untie my silk nightgown.

I pinned his restless hands down: “Honey, I’m really tired today.”

“Wife, you say you’re tired every single day.”*

He flipped over, pinning my entire body beneath him.

Julian’s deep, bottomless black eyes locked intensely onto mine.

“Clara, my legs are injured, not my manhood.”

“Besides, I’m a normal man. We’ve been separated for half a year, of course I have physical needs.”

He buried his face against my neck, peppering hot, stormy kisses all the way down.

“Wife, I want you.”

Our ten fingers interlocked tightly, pressing heavily against the mattress.

“Don’t refuse me.”

In the end, I found myself utterly incapable of resisting him.

In moments of surrendered psychological defense, I was utterly crushed by Julian’s overbearing dominance.

Though he always wore the mask of a gentle gentleman, in matters of intimacy Julian revealed an overwhelming, dictatorial possessiveness.

The innate desire to dominate engraved in his bones was displayed without a single reservation in these moments.

He was simultaneously tender and frantic, carrying a hint of aggrieved venting as if looking to settle scores, effortlessly shattering my final lines of defense.

My mind was plagued by unsolved riddles, causing my sleep to remain restless and fragmented.

Until the steady, rhythmic breathing of his slumber filled the room, I carefully and quietly slipped out of bed.

Wrapping a coat around my shoulders, I stepped out onto the balcony and lit a cigarette.

Recalling the fragmentary struggles of the past three years.

Ever since Julian’s accident, toward the Vance Corporation I had exercised meticulous caution, pouring heart and soul into every detail.

I personally dragged myself out to drink with bloated corporate executives until I vomited blood, hiding it from Julian out of fear he would worry;

Flying across the globe for projects, barely adjusting to jetlag before plunging into marathon meetings to finalize plans, ruthlessly carving out new business territories;

Countless nights spent pulling all-nighters revising proposals, solely to deliver the most flawless final product.

All of it was done to prove worthy of Vance, and worthy of Julian.

Especially the new venture I personally spearheaded and developed into a massive success, which had now become the corporation’s golden goose generating astronomical profits.

Once a person grows accustomed to standing at the summit, how could they ever willingly retreat to the sidelines as a spectator?

It wasn’t that I never considered talking things through openly with Julian; I simply couldn’t figure out how to broach the subject.

Did I honestly expect to walk up to him and say —— Hand your company over to me?

I lowered my head, watching my hazy reflection shimmering against the balcony glass.

Scarcely three short years had passed, yet power had corrupted me to the point of eroding my original初心 (foundational intent).

I once believed the energy of love could conquer all obstacles and thorns, only to realize by the end that absolute power clutched in one’s own palms was the sole provider of genuine security.

Perhaps establishing the subsidiary ShengYue long ago was a premeditated contingency plan—a fallback to ensure that should assets ever be stripped away, my personal interests remained uncompromised.

A bitter taste spread across my tongue as I questioned when exactly I had turned into such a person.

I still loved Julian deeply, yet simultaneously, I could no longer suppress my voracious hunger for power.

I sat down with Leo to thoroughly map out my calculations.

Business is ruled by cold, hard interests; even if an abdication was forced upon me down the line, whatever rightfully belonged to me could not fall short by a single dime.

As the two of us debated strategy, sudden chaotic commotion echoed from the hallway outside.

I cracked the door open to peek outside, only to discover Vivienne leading a crew of janitorial staff aggressively storming into Julian’s office to clean house.

“Put that potted plant right over there in the corner; a vibrant, green workspace is beneficial for Mr. Julian’s physical recovery.”

“Place this cane rack right here so Mr. Julian can grab it the second he reaches out.”

“All these tea leaves match Mr. Julian’s daily preferences—arrange them neatly on this cabinet.”

They made an absolute racket, stirring up a commotion across the entire floor and drawing curious, gossiping stares from numerous passing colleagues.

Crossing my arms, I leaned against the doorframe, watching Vivienne’s bossy commands with amused detachment.

“Assistant Vivienne, what are you doing?”

“CEO Clara, Mr. Julian instructed me to come help him tidy up his office. After all, having taken care of Mr. Julian for so long, I understand his preferences much better than anyone else.”

Surrounding employees began whispering inquisitively about Vivienne’s true identity.

“Who on earth is she? Why is she acting like she owns the place in the CEO’s office?”

I smiled coldly: “She’s merely the CEO’s nanny. Naturally, she has to cater to the master’s preferences from head to toe.”

Hearing that, Vivienne’s face stiffened in visible embarrassment.

Ignoring her fragile glass heart entirely, I turned to instruct my secretary: “Keep a close eye on them, make sure nobody touches confidential files. If anything goes missing, I’m holding you personally accountable.”*

“Understood, CEO Clara!”

Returning to my office, Leo was still craning his neck in curiosity.

“Who was that, kicking up such a massive storm?”

“A nobody.”

I took a sip of my long-since-chilled coffee and resumed plotting business with him.

Midway through, needing to use the restroom, I stepped outside just in time to catch the sound of Vivienne’s sobbing whimpers echoing from the pantry area, surrounded by several female employees offering comfort.

“Don’t cry, DianDian. Why bother taking that wicked witch Clara’s harsh words to heart? So what if she’s a nanny? At least she gets to stay by CEO Julian’s side every single day!”

“Exactly! What kind of wife only comes home once every blue moon? Who knows what kind of dirty games she’s playing outside!”

“Any woman as aggressively controlling as her will never manage to lock down a man—she’s practically an emotional monster.”

“DianDian, CEO Julian’s treatment of you is clear for everyone to see. Just wait—down the road… let alone his home, even this entire corporation might carve out a spot for you.”*

Vivienne finally sniffled, pretending to act shyly aggrieved: “Sisters, please don’t say things like that…”

I let out a single, sharp snort of sarcastic laughter.

If that little piece of work was ever allowed to step foot into corporate management, my title of CEO would truly be worth less than trash.

After clearing security, Vivienne and her gang strutted out in formation.

Yet the seed of suspicion in my chest had already taken root and sprouted.

With countless qualified personnel available in the company, why did he specifically single out a nanny like Vivienne to tidy his office?

Julian, what kind of dark scheme are you running behind my back?