Love’s Cunning Ruse

Chapter 134

That night, way past bedtime.

Julie and Kieran were strolling back home, with the streetlights illuminating their path Taking advice she

got online, Julie pretended to twist her ankle, then grabbed Kieran’s sleeve, shooting him a pitiful look,

“I think I sprained my foot”

Kieran looked Julie up and down, and instead of pushing her away immediately, he looked at her ankle

and asked, “Break a bone?”

Julie was feeling down, “No… no bones broken, but twisted. Hurts a bit. Can we sit down for a while?”

While Kieran was mulling over her request, Julie was already limping towards a bench with Kieran in

tow. She clung to his sleeve as she sat down, then looked at her ankle, pretending to be in pain,

muttered, “What if I can’t walk later? Can you carry me?”

Julie saw Kieran pull out his phone and dial the emergency number.

She quickly snatched his phone away, laughing. “I’m not that bad off. No need for an ambulance. Can’t

waste public resources, right? I’m touched that you care so much.”

Kieran extended his hand, “My phone.”

Julie stuffed his phone into her coat pocket, then covered the pocket, looked up at Kieran and asked,

“What are your thoughts on dating?”

Kieran just looked at her without a reply. The dim light made his facial features more prominent. Julie’s

heart was pounding.

“Do you mind dating while in school?” Julie persisted.

no

Despite Julie’s daily efforts to get closer to Kieran, intimate moments were rare. Most of the time, she

could only daydream while watching his back. Therefore, under the dim light, when Kieran looked at

her, Julie couldn’t meet his gaze and quickly averted her eyes

After a while, Kieran still hadnt answered. Julie cautiously spoke again, “So… do you think you’ll date in

school?”

“No, especially not with you,” Kieran responded firmly.

Julie should have focused on the latter half of Kieran’s answer, but she only registered the first half.

So she excitedly asked Kieran, “So you’ve never dated before?”

Kieran was speechless.

Is your first kiss still intact? Julie’s gaze landed on Kieran’s closed lips and she couldn’t help

swallowing.

Just as Kieran was turning his head away, he turned back to look at Julie

Julie plucked up her courage, cupped Kieran’s face, leaned in like a dragonfly skimming the water,

gently pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth, and then…

Julie’s cheeks were as red as if they had been soaked in red ink. She said to him, “Now, your first kiss

is gone.”

After saying that, she started running, completely forgetting that she had just told him she had hurt her

foot. She ran faster than a rabbit. Falling plane tree leaves landed on her shoulder. She wore a flowing

white school uniform, the skirt flapping in the evening breeze, leaves crunching under her feet

She ran all the way home, her face as red as a boiled shrimp.

Sansa, in a light blue nightgown, walked up to her with a glass of milk, smiled, and brushed Julie’s

messy hair behind her ears, “Why are you back so late? Your face is so red, do you have a fever?”

Julie mumbled, “I’m in heat…”

“Huh?” Sansa’s eyes widened as she sat next to Julie and looked at her.

Julie snapped back to reality and said to Sansa, “No! I mean I have a fever… touch me, don’t I feel like

I’m burning up? Can you call in sick for me tomorrow? Just tell therm I have a high fever!”

Sansa lovingly touched Julie’s head, “If you want to skip class, just say so. No need to fabricate a high

fever.”

Even though Sansa said that, she still helped Julie take a day off and didn’t tell their parents.

From that day on, Julie kept avoiding Kieran at school, afraid that he would confront her. In class,

Kieran always sat in the front row while Julie sat in the back

To avoid Kieran, she would always sneak into class through the back door after the bell rang. A few

minutes before dismissal, she would leave early Although she was caught by the teacher a few times…

But getting scolded by the teacher was still better than getting yelled at by Kieran.

Back then, the Abraham family hadn’t declined yet, so Julie was always surrounded by fake friends.

Many people were curious why she was avoiding Kieran, and told her that many people had confessed

to Kieran recently.

Ever since she gently kissed Kieran last time, he hadn’t come to confront Julie. Even though Julie had

been avoiding him for a long time, he acted as if nothing had happened.

So, after much deliberation, Julie decided to find Kieran and clearly express her feelings. But, when

she plucked up the courage, bought two ice creams, and was ready to make peace with Kieran, she

saw Annalise sitting on the back of Kieran’s bike at the door. They disappeared from her view like a

couple….

In her dream, she was always holding those two ice creams. As the ice cream melted, the cold melted

ice cream slid down her fingertips. Even though it was in a dream, Julie still felt the ice cream was

heartbreakingly cold, numbingly cold…

Subconsciously, she leaned towards a warm place, closer and closer…

Finally, she seemed to have found the source of warmth. She comfortably leaned into the warmth, and

then slowly, peacefully fell asleep.

Kieran looked at the woman lying in his arms, his heart ached as he gently wiped away the tears that

slipped from the corner of her eyes. The clear and translucent tears seemed to seep into his heart…

The next day, when Julie woke up, she found herself on a plane.

She had only taken the regular dose of sleeping pills last night, but she didn’t expect to sleep so heavily

that she didn’t even know she had been carried onto the plane.

She didn’t spot Kieran on the plane. Julie pulled off her blanket and sat up groggily. Her mind was in a

fog for a few seconds before she got her bearings, then she headed off to another cabin.

Just as she got to the cabin door, Karl popped out of nowhere, giving her a polite nad, ‘Moming, Mrs.

Hernandez.”

Julie was too preoccupied to correct Karl’s address. She asked him straight to the point, “Where’s

Kieran?”

“Mr. Hernandez is working. What would you like for breakfast?” Karl asked.

“What can you make?” Julie asked.

Karl hesitated, then said, “Most things. What would you like?”

“Slice up Kieran, marinate him, cook him and bring him to me. Go on!” Julie said.

Karl,… That’s not possible.”

“Is this the flight back to Whispering Pines? Julie asked.

Karl nodded.

“Then tell him to come see me when he’s done working! I don’t mind what I have for breakfast”

Finished speaking, Julie looked around the cabin. She couldn’t find her bag and phone, so she said to

Karl, ‘Also, tell Kieran, if he doesn’t want to crash with me, he better return my stuff.”

With that, Julie went back to her cabin.

Karl was scared of this version of Julie. He quickly relayed Julie’s words to Kieran, “Mrs. Hernandez

said if you don’t want to crash with her, you should return her things.”

Kieran looked up from his computer and glanced at Karl, “Tell her there are parachutes on the plane.*

Karl brought a full English breakfast to Julie, then relayed, “Mr. Hernandez said there are parachutes

on the plane.

Julie put her breakfast on the table, then calmly looked at Karl, “Then tell him, he’s a tyrannical and

dictatorial jerk!!”

Karl went silent.

Julie said quietly, glancing at Karl, who was standing in front of her completely stunned, ‘Alright, you

can leave. Remember to tell him exactly what I said.”

Karl returned to the cabin where Kieran was. Kieran looked up at Karl, “What did she say?”

Karl hesitated for a moment, then replied, “Mrs. Hernandez said you… you have the aura of a king…”

Kieran chuckled, “Just tell me exactly what she said.”

Karl took a deep breath, “Mrs. Hernandez called you a tyrannical and dictatorial jerk…”

After saying this, Karl held his breath and carefully observed Kieran’s expression.

Kieran had already expected Julie to be angry by now. If not for the two bodyguards he arranged at the

cabin door, Julie might’ve stormed in already…

Kieran’s cold eyes were filled with a gentle smile, “Karl, your rhetoric is getting better.”

Indeed it was! Tyrannical and dictatorial, wasn’t that just like a king?

Karl felt lense. Lying surely had its consequences.

He quickly tried to change the subject, “So… do you want to reply to her?”

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I?” After Kieran finished speaking, he whispered something to Karl.

Karl returned to Julie’s cabin once more. After the air hostess cleared away the untouched breakfast,

Julie asked Karl with a light tone, “When’s he planning to throw me off the plane?”

Karl gave a slight smile, “Mr. Hernandez said… Mrs. Hernandez, you’re always right…”

Knowing she was no match for Kieran, Julie didn’t say anything this time.

The plane smoothly landed on Kieran’s private airstrip.

Julie didn’t see Kieran until she got off the plane. But the moment she turned around, she saw the

words engraved on the plane…