Since DeRose already possessed princely good looks and an equally princely-sounding name to go well with his good-guy role, didn't that leave Julian, who already had the temper of a dragon, to play the villain?
It was as if everything that happened between him, Fleur, and DeRose -—
He just could not shake off the idea that all of it were meant to happen, and that they all led to this very moment, and when Julian saw the Frenchman say something that made Fleur flinch—-
He knew, of course.
He knew it was DeRose telling him that Julian had gone after her.
And as Fleur finally turned his way—-
He finally had his answer.
"I love you," Julian said hoarsely.
Fleur's shoulders started shaking harder, and Julian's heart started to break.
"I love you, Fleur."
He couldn't stop saying the words because they were the answer he had been looking for.
He loved her, and even if he had lost her for good, he owed it to Fleur to let her know just how much he loved her, and how goddamn special she was.
"I love you more than anything else—-"
"And you expect me to believe you," Fleur asked brokenly, "after everything you said?"
"Yes."
A despairing laugh escaped Fleur even as her tears fell harder and faster down her cheeks.
"I fucked up, Fleur."
She used to love hearing him say her name like that, but how could she feel the same way now, knowing that he thought her too old for him?
"I fucked up, and it's because I got my hands on Operation Yuletide."
Fleur was visibly stunned, and Julian took advantage of this by cautiously advancing a step.
"You can sue me later on for invasion of privacy, but that's the long and short of it. I read the whole fucking thing, even the stupid feasibility study, and I thought...I thought..." His lips tightened, but because he knew nothing he could do now would ever make up for all the undue hurt he had caused Fleur—-
Julian looked at the Frenchman. "You were the one she wanted to marry from the start."
Fleur let out a shaken gasp.
"She had a whole fucking plan for it, too," Julian said hollowly. "She thinks you're only attracted to women who were experienced so she hired me—-"
Fleur started shaking her head. "Julian, no—-"
"To take her virginity and turn her into a sex goddess...for you."
Philippe, after glancing at Fleur and then back at Julian, decided to keep silent. This, he thought with a good amount of discomfort, was why he preferred to stay away from people who believed in love. Physical attraction was the only thing that should concern two people in a relationship, and anything more than that was an unnecessary complication.
Julian forced himself to meet Fleur's gaze. "I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry I lied. I haven't even spoken to Bridgette for months. And the other day—-" Julian forced himself to retrieve the small jewelry box that he still had in his pocket, even after thinking that Fleur was in love with someone else.
Fleur started to cry in earnest when Julian closed the distance between them and bent down on one knee.
"This was why I couldn't tell you where I went," Julian said rawly as he opened the box and showed Fleur the ring he had badgered the jewelry designer to make for him in a matter of hours. "It has your name on it, along with the date I had it made."
He waited for her to say something. Waited for her to ask all the questions that she had every right to ask. But all Fleur did was stare at him, and after a while he finally understood why she was so silent.
There were no questions forthcoming, Julian realized numbly, because Fleur no longer gave a fuck about him. He had hurt her too much, and with Philippe DeRose as a fallback - a man whom her damn feasibility study showed as her better match - could he blame her for wanting to play it safe by moving on with the Frenchman?
Fleur saw Julian's jaw clench, and even though she knew she should probably make him suffer more—-
How could she when she was just too reasonable where the man she loved was concerned?
How could she waste time making him suffer when, now that the truth was out, she could understand why he had drawn the conclusions he had?
She could feel her heart pounding fast and hard as she waited for Julian to ask her to marry him or even tell her 'I love you' again. She waited and waited and waited...until she saw him start to close the box as if to put it back in his pocket.
"Wait!"
Julian froze.
"W-What are you doing?" Fleur stammered.
"Geting out of your life for good—-"
Fleur shook her head and nearly stomped her foot in frustration. Julian was usually a wickedly self-serving devil. Why did he have to act nice and selfless now of all times?