Chapter 53

"You?"

Shock flashed across Vivian's face.

An unexpected visitor stood before her.

"Am I not welcome?" Julian asked, hands casually tucked in his pockets. The shadow of his cap cast a mysterious aura over his striking features.

Vivian crossed her arms. "We're hardly acquainted."

A hacker like him showing up unannounced set her instincts on high alert.

"Hardly acquainted?" Julian chuckled darkly. "We've been partners in the digital world for years. Never met face-to-face, but we've collaborated countless times. Doesn't that make us old friends, Scarlet?"

Vivian exhaled sharply. So he had known her identity all along—that’s why he let her win at Blackwood Group.

Fine. She’d wanted to meet him anyway.

"Scarlet Phoenix," she said, extending a hand. "But you can call me Vivian."

His fingers closed around hers. "Julian Blackthorn. Though most know me as Haze."

A long-awaited moment.

Ever since Scarlet narrowly defeated him in their first hacker competition, he’d been obsessed with finding her. He’d imagined some grizzled old man—not this stunning woman betrayed by her own husband.

"Blackthorn?"

Not a common surname. Vivian’s eyes narrowed. "Any relation to Frederick Baldwin of Edinburgh?"

"My grandfather." He shrugged, as if admitting he owned a candy store.

Vivian’s jaw nearly hit the floor. "You’re telling me the man who commands an army capable of leveling cities is your grandfather?"

Childhood stories rushed back—Arthur Lockhart’s wartime alliances, the infamous fallout between the Lockharts and Baldwins.

"Funny, isn’t it?" Julian’s gaze turned wistful. "If I’d known the woman my grandfather tried to force me to marry was the legendary Scarlet, I’d have said yes in a heartbeat."

He leaned in. "I’d have treated you like a queen. No cheating. No lies."

Years ago, when the Lockharts faced ruin and Vivian was left alone, Frederick had pushed for their marriage. Julian vanished—not to escape, but to hunt down Scarlet.

And all along, she’d been right there.

"Fate’s a cruel joker," he groaned, collapsing onto her couch.

Vivian tossed him a juice bottle. "Why are you really here? Surely not just to lament missed chances."

Oddly, she felt at ease with him—like reuniting with a long-lost sibling. Would her life have been happier with Julian instead of Nathaniel?

"Hardly." He drained the juice in one gulp and stood. "Do you hate him? Want revenge?"

"I don’t."

Truth. She just wanted her children, her freedom, and to never see Nathaniel again.

Julian shook his head. "The Blackwoods are vulnerable now. Help me, and I’ll make the Lockharts the most powerful family in Newport City."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I expose Scarlet Phoenix." His smile chilled her. "Imagine what Nathaniel would do."

Vivian’s blood ran cold. "That’s blackmail."

He slid a card across the table. "Three days to decide. Call me when you’re ready."