Chapter 6

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For whatever it worth, Juliette did not feel uncomfortable. In fact, this was the warmest dinner she had ever been to. Dinner at the Cai mansion was always too quiet or too intense. If it was not them being completely silent, then it would be Mr. Cai interrogating every single one of them. Especially Juliette.

Both Mr. Montagov and Mrs. Montagova were surprisingly welcoming of her. She thought because she was their rival's only daughter, she would be hated in the family. Everyone seemed well toward her, but not Roma. He had been showing his displeasure toward her, especially because she was the reason he had to stay proper for the night.

"You should eat more. Don't you like the food? I'll ask the maid to cook something else. What do you want, Junli?" Mrs. Montagova asked, concern lining her voice.

Juliette choked on her broccoli. "No, no. It's fine, I'm good."

"Don't be shy. All guests are welcomed in this house," Mr. Montagov said.

Juliette did not know what to say to that. Mr. Montagov did not exactly look like the friendly type of person, but he was quite well in communicating with outsiders. Especially considering the fact that Juliette was his enemy's daughter - one he had been going against for so long. She offered a little smile before returning her focus toward the food.

Juliette reached her hand out to pick a strawberry and Mrs. Montagova did not waste her time as she helped Juliette with the bowl. For some reason, she was familiar and foreign at the same time. Had they met before? Surely, they must have met considering her surprise upon seeing Juliette just now as well as the comment she made.

Juliette looked so much like her mother.

Juliette was aware of this. Her mother was very much not their chosen daughter-in-law for her father, but defying the family had always been the tradition. Her mother came from a wealthy family, and realizing the years she never got to spend with her mother, Juliette supposed she did not know much. But, there was one thing - her father's family hated her too, just because she was basically a copy of her mother.

Or, maybe they expected a male direct heir.

Being a girl really put a lot of burden on her shoulders.

"How have you been, Miss Cai? It seems you are raised well in the West."

"I'm fine. Still surviving, I suppose," Juliette said, stuffing a chocolate-soaked strawberry into her mouth.

She wasn't sure if the comment from Mr. Montagov was supposed to be a praise or a satire. But, she'd rather not dwell on that and finish all the strawberries in the basket. It seemed Alisa noticed her interest toward the strawberries, so she quickly handed her the untouched strawberries in the girl's plate.

Mr. Montagov, although friendly, was still keeping the line between them. Professionalism and business came first, she supposed. At least he was a good father, unlike her own. Sure, his business was his priority, but sending his daughter away just because she looked like his deceased wife? Well, sorry. She would have gotten sad at him if only the red room incident didn't happen.

Juliette shook her head at the sudden reminiscent. Don't ever think about it.

Roma was quiet in his seat, his eyes latched to his phone with the same arrogant expression he had when she went in his way just now. Smug bastard, Juliette thought. He looked like every typical white bad boy she'd seen in dramas on TVs. He looked every bit of those flirty delinquents in her school that would never stop their attempts at looking under the girls' skirts. Juliette was only lucky she had taekwondo that those boys didn't dare come close to her.

Oh, but those kind of boys were the best actors. The teachers would have suspected them to be involved in the biggest case, and they could somehow parade around the school, pretending as if they were innocent by putting on their flirtatious facades as if they were not about to be thrown into detention for the hundredth time after school finished. Yes, she knew it was normal, but there were times when they got on her nerves, especially when they started making noises at the back of the class.

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Juliette took another bite of the strawberry, then another, and another, and another, and.... another. Man, she was a strawberry addict. But, it did not slip away from her side-eye that Roma had been observing her quietly for the whole time. No one seemed to notice, but Juliette did. So, she looked up and returned him the same stare, and Roma instantly dropped his eyes to the food in front of him.

"Junli," Mrs. Montagova started softly. "Your mother was a kind person, and I know this is a bit late, but I am truly sorry for your loss. You were so young."

Juliette could only offer a bitter smile. "Do you know my mother?"

"Hani was the sweetest person I've ever known. We studied in Washington together and became best friends soon after. We were from two different worlds, you know. She was this typical rich girl, and I was just a simple girl."

"How long have you been in Shanghai?" Juliette asked, curiosity clawing inside her.

Mrs. Montagova smiled. "Probably around 25 years? I moved here after graduating, just because Hani wanted to show me this place. And then, I found Nikolai," Mrs. Montagova explained, blush spreading on her cheeks as she glanced in her husband's direction. He gave her a little smile.

Oh my, put a trigger warning for someone single like me!

Juliette gulped down a glass of water. "Can I use the loo?"

"Sure! Roma-ah, show her-"

"It's fine. I can ask the maid."

Juliette left her bag on her seat and hurried out of the dining room. She walked faster, ignoring the lump in her throat and the loud hammering of her heartbeat. There was no reason for her to act this way. Her mother had died a long, long, long time ago. It had been confirmed that she died in a car crash and the culprit had been thrown into jail. But, why did she feel like there was an untold truth?

The clues left for her had made it looked like the accident was planned thoroughly with complete abhorrence. There was a letter her mother had written to her and she was supposed to read it on her fifteenth birthday. Nurse had been the one handing several letters of her birthday wishes, as well as the letter from her mother. She died when Juliette was five. How did she know what to write once Juliette turned 15? It was obvious everything was meticulously planned.

She slipped into the guest bathroom and as soon as the door was locked, Juliette leaned against the door before silently sliding to the marble floor beneath her. Her whole body was trembling viciously and she couldn't think straight. All her past were scattering everywhere in every inch of her mind, mixing and bumping into each other like it was some kind of bumper car ride. Her head was a jungle of mess, and she needed something to distract her.

Just... something.

"Cai?" a voice came from the outside, knocking and twisting the locked doorknob. Roma.

Juliette exhaled a shaky breath, curling into herself as she tried to block the catastrophe playing inside her head. It had been three years since she found herself in this same exact position - eyes shut tight, palms against ears and fingers in her hair, pulling and shaking, curling into a ball and shaking visibly - and Juliette only wanted to die at the long gone sensation. She used to be like this - a mess of a traumatized young girl.

She had been to therapy in New York and received treatments from counsellor. But, none seemed to be very much of a help considering the amount of time she thought and dreamt about red room. Damn it, that fucking shit was haunting her goddamn sleep every night. She could hardly count her sleep at some point in her life.

"Cai," Roma tried again, the sound of doorknob twisting getting louder. "You have been inside for almost twenty minutes. My mother is worried. You better get the fuck out before I kick this door."

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