She's My Sleeping Pill

The next day, the news of Cayenne's generous gift to her little brother was spreading all over the city as well as within the circle of the business world.

At the same time, Mr. Sayo received his due punishment. Even when he told the media that it was all Stefan's revenge on behalf of his wife, no one stepped up to side with him. No one wanted to mess with Stefan Dumrique. Perhaps, if it was three years ago when he didn't meet Cayenne yet, they would probably try to go against him since he wasn't that very influential yet.

But now? They'd be stupid to do so.

Not only did he become the sole and legal heir of the Dumrique Empire, but he was a sworn brother to Travis Madrigal, too. Aside from that, Cayenne had been slowly earning a good reputation from many people because of her kindness and generosity.

Going against this couple would only earn the enemies a huge backlash from the public.

Amidst the incident, only one person remained unbothered – Julia.

She expressed her concern toward Cayenne, but she wasn't overly affectionate about it. She even woke up early to meet with Cayenne and Luiz at the orphanage where they would give a lot of school supplies to help the orphans learn basic education. There were many clothes and toys for them, too.

On top of it all, Cayenne was cooking something for lunch along with her team, Luiz and Julia. Seeing Julia with her cousin-in-law, it seemed like the incident where she crashed Justin's farewell party didn't exist. They seemed really close to each other, though Luiz was certain that both his sister and Julia were just acting for their own benefit.

After this event, Julia was often seen with Cayenne and Stefan. She had dinner with them, shop things for Cayenne's foundation, helped Kyle and Jackson in training the newly hired staff for the foundation, and also went with them to buy gifts for Stanley and Jessie's wedding.

If it was in the past, Cayenne would have given in to Julia's acting. Fortunately, Nikolai was always there to remind her not to lower her guard around the woman no matter what happens. Stefan wasn't very trusting of his own cousin either.

On Jessie and Stanley's wedding day, Stefan didn't invite anyone from his father's side. Even though his mother was alive and kicking, the pain that she went through and the accident that left her bedridden for so many years had been engraved in the hearts of the Sugo family members.

However, Ferdinand and Celestine bought gifts for the newlywed and told Elliot to send them in person. Julia also bought a gift for the couple, but she only asked one of Cayenne's bodyguards to bring the gift inside before leaving the venue. She didn't want to make a scene.

It took her a lot of time to clear her name and it wasn't the right time to ruin the good reputation she had been earning thus far.

All this while, Elliot had been monitoring her. He felt that Julia would be the demise of Celestine if not stopped on time.

"What's bothering you?" Celestine asked when she found Elliot sitting on the front porch right after coming back from giving the gifts. "Are you still worried about our relationship being exposed?"

"It doesn't matter to me. I can protect you and I will do so even if it would be at the expense of my life."

"Elliot, you don't have to worry about me. As long as I stay away from Stefan and his family, especially his wife, I won't be in trouble."

"Then, what about your daughter? Are you sure that she won't do anything stupid?"

Celestine stared into space and sighed heavily. She realized a long time ago that after getting kicked out, she was lacking as a mother. Julia would most likely rebel against her for not following the revenge plan they prepared previously, and it was the reason why she asked Elliot to monitor her own daughter. She just knew Julia very well.

"Honestly, I don't want to believe that Julia would turn against me, but I'm not blind Elliot. I noticed some signs and I could tell that she had planned something else."

"So, what are you planning to do with her?"

Celestine started shaking her head helplessly. "I don't know. If I suddenly asked her to go back to Italy, she might do something crazy. Also, it would be difficult for us to monitor her if she stays in Italy. I want to keep her close and keep an eye on her."

"I suggest that you talk to your nephew about your hunches. In that way, should something happen, you won't be held accountable for it."

"You want me to abandon my daughter?"

"No, of course, not. But going to jail with her as an accomplice for whatever crime she is planning or being accidentally killed by a psycho who cared so much for Cayenne and her family – none of them is a better option."

Celestine frowned at Elliot's statement. She had no idea who the psycho that Elliot meant. "Anyway, it's better for you to genuinely side with Stefan and Cayenne now, and maybe he would be lenient with your daughter's punishment if she would really do something foolish."

Meanwhile, the concern of their conversation was happily shopping for some baby clothes in the department store. After buying baby essentials, she paid someone to deliver the items to her secret place – a house she bought away from the city.

"Soon. I'll have you very, very soon," Julia whispered while driving out of the parking lot and going home. When she arrived, Elliot and Celestine were already sitting in the living room, discussing something that only the two of them knew. [How is this man any different than my dad?] Julia asked herself for the nth time since she discovered her mother's relationship with Elliot.

[Indeed, he seems caring, but he's like Cayenne's bodyguards, too – cold-blooded and ruthless.]

"Julia," Celestine called out when she saw her enter the house. "I'm so glad that you are home. Stefan said that there will be a family gathering next Saturday. He wanted us to come."

"Where?"

"To their mansion."

Julia raised her eyebrow for a moment when she heard her mother's words, but when she turned her back, there was a faint smile on her lips.