Chapter 5

Summer's POV

By the time I finished signing the asset transfer, Julian was getting ready to leave.

He was dressed in a sharp charcoal suit, his tie perfectly straight, looking exactly like the ruthless businessman from the rumors. I ran to the foyer with the documents and handed him a pen.

"Sign this before you go."

Julian glanced at the papers. "You didn't sleep at all last night?"

"That doesn't matter."

"It does." He reached out, his fingers hovering just near the dark circles under my eyes, but he pulled back before making contact. "The doctor said you need rest."

His gesture caught me off guard. Our past was a toxic mess, but his occasional instinct to look after me was so natural it felt like muscle memory.

I pushed the pen forward. "Sign first."

Julian didn't take it. "Are you sure you want to hand these assets over to me? You fought a brutal war with the board for years just to keep control of them."

"That was a debt the old me owed," I said. "I don't want to owe you anything anymore."

He looked down at me, a trace of mockery in his eyes. "You think signing a few papers makes us even?"

"No," I admitted quickly. "But it cuts one of the ropes tying you down."

Julian finally took the pen.

The moment he signed, a weight lifted from my chest. But a second later, he handed the papers back, his voice flat. "There's a Vance Group gala tonight. You're coming."

"Why?"

"You deleted the security restrictions yesterday, and you're transferring assets today. People are already whispering that I'm manipulating an amnesiac to steal the family fortune." Julian looked at me. "If you want to call off the engagement, you need to say it clearly in front of everyone."

I understood. He wasn't stopping me. He was just putting the hardest step of the process right in front of my face.

I nodded. "Fine."

The gala was held at a luxury hotel downtown. When I arrived, the ballroom was already packed. The moment I walked through the door, quiet whispers began to spread like wildfire.

"She actually came."

"I heard she took a nasty spill and woke up a different person. She's actually dumping Julian."

"She chased him like a madwoman for years. Is she just playing hard to get now?"

The whispers weren't quiet. They were meant for me to hear.

I grabbed a glass of water, turned around, and looked at the group speaking. It was one of my uncles, a man known for his sharp tongue.

I smiled slightly. "I was definitely out of line in the past, Uncle. But when you were collecting dividends from the project guarantees I signed, you didn't seem to mind my madness."

His face flushed red.

The surrounding crowd fell silent.

I raised my voice slightly. "Since everyone is here tonight, I want to clarify three things. First, the engagement between Julian and me is officially canceled. Second, all assets under Julian's mother's name have been transferred to an independent trust; no one in the Vance family will touch them. Third, I admit I used toxic methods to keep him here in the past. I was wrong. I will make amends, and we will settle our debts properly."

Someone gasped softly in the crowd.

My father pushed through the crowd, his face twisted in suppressed rage. "Summer, what nonsense are you talking about?!"

"I'm telling the truth," I said, looking around the room. "From today on, stop using my mistakes to force Julian to work for the Vance family. If the Vance Group wants to secure projects, let them do it on merit."

The clinking of glasses stopped completely.

Julian stood on the far side of the room, watching me from a distance. The chandelier light caught his eyes, making the ice in them look a little less cold.

After the gala, I went out to the terrace to catch my breath. Julian walked up beside me and draped his coat over my shoulders.

I didn't take it off. "I'm not cold."

"Your hands are shaking."

Only then did I notice my fingers trembling. I hid them in my sleeves. "It's my first time admitting to a crowd that I was a terrible person. I'm a little out of practice."

Julian was silent for a moment before asking, "What if they keep talking trash about you from now on?"

I looked at the city traffic below.

"Let them," I said. "It's better than making you carry my weight forever."

Muffled voices drifted from inside the terrace doors. Someone whispered that my amnesia was probably fake, while another said Julian was incredibly smart for wrapping a crazy heiress around his finger.

I heard it, and Julian did too.

If this were the past, I probably would have marched inside and smashed a glass to shut them up. Now, I simply placed my cup on the railing and asked Julian, "Did you have to listen to stuff like this all the time?"

"I've heard worse," he said quietly.

"How did you stand it?"

"At first, I just ignored it. Later, I realized... it was useful."

I understood what he meant by "useful." The worse the rumors got, the more guilty the Vance family felt, and the more leverage he gained. I had no right to blame him. Our relationship was completely rotten with mutual interests.

I whispered, "Next time they make up stories about us, I'll clear it up myself."

Julian looked at me. "Aren't you afraid of making an even bigger mess?"

"Maybe," I said. "But it's still better than letting you take the heat alone."