Chapter 2

Julian stood in the doorway, his gaze sweeping past Aurora and landing squarely on me.

He wore a tailored charcoal suit. He carried an air of effortless nobility, but his eyes were gentle.

No disgust. No shock. He simply gave a polite nod. "Hello. I’m Julian."

Embarrassed, I sat up in bed, wearing an old, pilled set of pajamas, my cheeks red and blotchy from the allergy flare-up.

Beside him stood Aurora in custom Chanel, radiant and flawless.

I wanted the floor to swallow me whole.

"This is my sister, Eve," Aurora said curtly. Her tone carried a reluctant edge, as if introducing an embarrassing second-hand accessory. "She’s frail and rarely leaves her room. We didn't want her disturbing your evening, so we didn't call her down."

My mother hurried over, laughing off the tension. "What a coincidence! Eve and Julian meet after all."

My mumbled, "I'm not feeling well," was instantly smothered.

I was dragged to the dining room and seated right next to the dazzling Aurora Vance.

I didn't need a mirror to know how brutal the contrast was.

While Julian stepped out to take a phone call, I leaned toward my mother.

"Mom, my chest feels tight from the allergy. Can we please call the family doctor..."

My mother shot me a glare, keeping her voice to a harsh whisper.

"Don't cause a scene tonight. Julian is our guest of honor! Grow up, Eve."

I bit my lower lip. "Can I at least go back to my room?"

"Slumping around like an invalid? You want the Sterlings to think we have no manners?"

That dinner felt like torture.

Yet Julian was a true gentleman to the core.

Even as the conversation revolved around private equity and offshore holdings, he never left me out.

"Your room has a very unique aura, Eve," he remarked out of nowhere. "A distinct, beautiful scent."

The entire table went quiet.

Aurora laughed, her tone dripping with disdain. "Eve spends all day tinkering with useless little potions. All those glass bottles give me a headache."

My father shook his head in agreement. "A young woman in this family should study something useful. Finance. Corporate strategy."

For the first time in twenty years, I defended myself.

"It’s not just a scent," I murmured. "I blended it myself. Galbanum at the top, iris and lily of the valley in the heart, resting on a base of wet oakmoss. I call it Valley Rain."

A spark of genuine surprise lit Julian's eyes, quickly followed by admiration.

"Valley Rain. What a poetic name. Crisp, green, and damp with morning mist—it truly feels like a valley after a downpour. You have rare talent."

In twenty years, he was the first person to call my "useless" passion a gift.

In that fleeting second, my heart skipped, sending endless ripples through the dark waters of my soul.

After dinner, Aurora went to fetch her car from the garage.

Julian walked over to me, holding out a sleek, velvet-lined gift box.

"A small token for our first meeting."

Everyone assumed it was expensive jewelry.

Aurora glanced over and smirked.

Back in my room, I opened the box.

It wasn't luxury jewelry. It was a complete set of artisan perfumery instruments and several rare vials of raw botanical absolutes.

Among them was Grasse May Rose absolute—an ingredient I had searched for across months of empty leads.

Tucked inside was a handwritten note in sharp, elegant script:

"To a future master perfumer."