Chapter 140: A Birthday Worth Remembering
A Birthday Worth Remembering
Then, with a faint glimmer of hope still lingering in his eyes, the elderly bodyguard looked toward Julian D’Aurelius pitifully and said,
"Sir... I only have one arm left. I... I can’t break it myself."
His voice carried both fear and humiliation.
Before Julian could respond—
Jareb immediately stepped forward with the enthusiasm of someone who had been waiting for exactly this moment.
"I’ll help you."
He rolled his shoulders as if warming up for a workout.
Without the slightest hesitation, he threw a heavy punch.
CRACK!
The old man’s remaining arm snapped with a brutal sound.
The force of the strike made the old man stagger backward violently.
He almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
His face twisted in pain as he bit his tongue to suppress the scream rising in his throat.
Inside his mind, however, he was cursing furiously.
Damn it...
You helpful bastard!
Jareb calmly dusted off his hands as if he had just done something charitable.
Behind them, Julian slowly exhaled a stream of cigarette smoke. His golden eyes were cold and indifferent.
"Get lost."
His voice carried quiet authority.
"And remember to tell the Hall household..."
He flicked the cigarette ash onto the floor.
"...to wash their necks and wait for death by Evan Yates."
The old bodyguard lowered his head immediately.
He didn’t dare argue.
He didn’t dare complain.
Supporting the unconscious Manish Hall with his broken arms, he awkwardly dragged his young master away.
The scene looked almost ridiculous.
Like a cat carrying its kitten away in its mouth.
Step by painful step, he staggered toward the exit of the Melodic Sea music store.
Inside his heart, misery filled every corner.
They had come to Valemont for a simple auction.
But now—
Their trip had turned into a disaster.
They would have to return to Valcenza immediately.
And once the news spread...
The entire capital would likely fall into chaos.
Nearby, Marichi, whose face was still swollen from the slaps earlier, watched her sugar daddy being dragged away.
Fear filled her eyes.
She quickly covered her face with both hands and ran out of the store like a frightened mouse.
Julian didn’t even spare her a glance.
That woman wasn’t worth his attention.
Instead, his gaze slowly shifted toward Jareb.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
This kid...
Ever since witnessing Julian fighting the Scythe Division, Jareb had become something like a walking loudspeaker.
In Jareb’s mind, Julian was unquestionably a Gold Realm expert.
And he spread that belief everywhere he went.
Julian found that extremely satisfying.
That was exactly the effect he wanted.
Keeping someone like Jareb around made things very convenient.
Whenever trouble appeared—
Jareb would automatically exaggerate Julian’s strength and intimidate everyone present.
It saved Julian the trouble of explaining anything.
And more importantly...
It would cause serious problems for Evan’s storyline in Valcenza.
According to the original plot—
Evan was supposed to return to Valcenza pretending to be weak.
He would hide his strength while secretly growing stronger.
But now?
With rumors spreading about a terrifying young Gold Realm expert connected to Evan—
If Evan returned pretending to be weak...
People would laugh at him.
As for the Hall household trying to take revenge?
Julian didn’t care at all.
If they investigated...
Even if they tried to investigate, they wouldn’t be able to find me... because they don’t even know my name.
Meanwhile, standing quietly nearby, Liza Voss felt a chill run through her body.
She had finally recovered from her shock.
Her dark eyes looked at Julian with a completely different emotion now.
Respect.
Curiosity.
And something else she couldn’t quite name.
Young Master Julian was not only powerful—
He was also ruthless.
If someone crossed him...
He showed absolutely no mercy.
Liza still hadn’t fully uncovered the truth behind the past events surrounding the D’Aurelius household.
But in her heart, she already felt something clearly.
She was no longer an outsider.
She had become part of the D’Aurelius household.
And because of that—
Seeing Evan being targeted actually made her feel strangely satisfied.
After all...
Evan and Julian were destined to be enemies.
At that moment—
Several uniformed security guards suddenly rushed into the store.
"Who’s fighting here?"
Their footsteps echoed across the floor.
The commotion earlier had alarmed several neighboring shops.
Someone had reported the disturbance.
The leading security guard immediately recognized Julian.
His expression changed instantly.
He quickly straightened his posture and greeted respectfully.
"Young Master Julian, what brings you here?"
He glanced around nervously.
"I received a report that someone was causing trouble here."
Julian calmly pointed to himself.
"It was me."
The security guards froze.
Their expressions became strange.
For a brief moment, several of them instinctively tightened their grips on the batons at their waists.
After all—
Their job was to stop fights.
But this was Young Master Julian.
If they arrested him...
Their boss might bury them alive tomorrow.
The guards awkwardly looked at each other.
Julian noticed their hesitation.
He sighed slightly.
Then he casually pointed toward the store manager, Celebrimbor.
"Contact your boss."
His tone was calm but carried undeniable authority.
"Either fire this guy and make this girl the store manager..."
He gestured toward Leah, who was still standing nervously nearby.
"...or their music store won’t do business in Valemont anymore."
The security captain swallowed hard.
"Understood, Young Master Julian."
He immediately nodded.
Not even two minutes after Julian and Liza left the store—
Celebrimbor’s phone rang.
When he saw the caller ID, his expression changed.
"President... hello... this is Celebrimbor."
The moment the call connected—
A furious roar exploded from the other side.
"You useless bastard!"
"Get out of that store within five minutes!"
"You won’t receive a single Euro this month!"
Then—
Click.
The call ended.
Celebrimbor stood frozen.
His face turned pale as paper.
Nearby, Leah’s phone vibrated.
She opened the message.
It was from Hello Messenger.
A notification from the company’s HR department.
She stared at the screen.
Then stared again.
She had been promoted.
Store Manager.
For a moment, she thought it was a joke.
But after confirming it was real—
Tears suddenly filled her eyes.
She began crying with joy.
Unfortunately...
The handsome young man who had helped her had already left.
She didn’t even have the chance to thank him.
—
After leaving Melodic Sea, Julian spent the rest of the day with Liza.
They bought clothes.
They ate at several restaurants.
They even stopped by an arcade and played games together.
For Liza Voss, the entire day felt almost unreal.
Every year on her birthday—
She had always been on missions.
Assassinations.
Surveillance.
Danger.
But this year...
Everything was different.
Now she wore a short white tank top beneath a light jacket, the soft fabric outlining her toned abdomen.
The jacket remained half-open, revealing the elegant lines of her waist.
Her short skirt swayed lightly with each step, showing her long, beautifully shaped legs.
Her figure was petite but striking.
Her A-cup chest rested modestly beneath the fitted top, giving her a youthful and athletic charm.
Below that, her narrow waist curved naturally into wide, peach-shaped hips, creating an alluring silhouette.
Her thighs were firm and smooth, shaped from years of physical training.
Every step she took carried a quiet strength.
Yet her face—
That was where the true charm lay.
Her long black hair had been styled by the shop assistant earlier.
It was now straight with a slight soft wave at the ends, framing her delicate face.
Her black eyes were bright and lively.
Her cheeks carried a faint natural blush.
When she smiled—
She looked less like a deadly assassin...
And more like a sweet, innocent girl enjoying her first carefree day.
The only thing that made her slightly self-conscious—
Was the skirt.
It was a little shorter than she was used to.
Sometimes she would subtly tug it down.
Even so—
She was incredibly happy.
Julian noticed her expression immediately.
Her joy wasn’t fake.
It was genuine.
Inside his heart, he sighed quietly.
Poor girl...
What kind of life did you live before...
Just eating, shopping, and playing games makes you this happy.
He looked at her with a relaxed smile.
"Is there anything else you want to eat or play?"
Liza shook her head gently.
"This is enough."
Her voice was soft.
"Let’s go home."
She was already more than satisfied.
Julian nodded.
"Alright."
"I’ll take you home."
Soon they returned to the sports car, carrying several shopping bags.
Liza’s apartment was located in a high-end building near the company.
When they arrived, they carried everything upstairs together.
At her door, Liza pressed her fingerprint on the lock.
The door opened with a soft click.
Julian stepped inside.
He looked around.
The room felt... empty.
Clean.
Neat.
But almost completely undecorated.
Apart from basic furniture, there was nothing.
It barely looked like someone lived there.
"Your room is too plain."
Julian said with a smile.
"I’ll have someone send some decorations later."
Liza quickly waved her hands.
"Oh no, that’s not necessary."
"Thank you, Young Master Julian. I’m already satisfied like this."
She had lived this way for years.
Simple.
Quiet.
Julian lightly flicked her forehead.
"Why are you being polite with your boss?"
She rubbed her forehead and laughed softly.
After saying goodbye, Julian finally left.
The door closed behind him.
The apartment suddenly felt quiet again.
Liza stood there for a moment.
An odd feeling filled her chest.
The room suddenly felt...
Empty.
Then she remembered something.
She quickly took out her phone.
Opening the gallery, she found a photo taken earlier that day.
It was a picture of her and Julian standing together while shopping.
For a moment she hesitated.
Then she giggled softly.
And set the photo as her phone’s background.