Chapter 2 - Ungentlemanly

The ambient golden lighting of the five-star restaurant did little to thaw Julian's demeanor. He navigated the sprawling dining room, ignoring the soft jazz playing from the grand piano in the center. The clinking of crystal glasses and the low murmur of high-society patrons faded into the background. After the chaotic events at the university, where his peers were currently suffering under the weight of his academic demands, Julian only wanted a quiet, uncomplicated meal.

His brow furrowed. He spotted his parents, Lin and Artie, seated at one of the most exclusive, private tables near the back. They were not alone. Another affluent-looking couple occupied the seats across from them, and seated directly to the right was a girl roughly his own age. Julian did not need a second glance to deduce the exact nature of this gathering. It was a blind setup.

He approached the table with slow, measured steps, his face a perfect mask of indifference. He bent down, pressing a brief kiss to his mother's cheek. He gave his father's shoulder a light, casual pat.

Lin smiled sweetly, though a flicker of caution betrayed her eyes. "Julian."

He pulled out his heavy mahogany chair and took his seat, keeping his gaze straight ahead. "We have guests."

Lin adopted a cheerful, hosting tone, watching her son's unreadable expression closely. "This is the Montclair family. I have invited them to join us tonight so you could get to know their daughter, Genna."

Julian leaned back in his chair. He stared at his mother. He raised one eyebrow. He offered no greeting, no nod of acknowledgment, and no polite smile. The silence stretched over the table like a suffocating blanket. Everyone sat frozen, waiting for his polite response, but they received none. Julian simply shifted his cold stare from Lin to Artie, letting the quiet humiliation settle into the bones of the uninvited guests.

Beside him, the girl shifted in her seat. She tilted her head, batting her eyelashes in a rehearsed display of innocence. She flashed him a bright, eager smile, trying her absolute best to snag his attention.

Julian picked up the thick, leather-bound menu beside his plate, not sparing her a single glance. "I do not need new friends."

The blunt dismissal hit the table with the force of a physical blow. Artie cleared his throat, looking down at his silverware. Lin’s face flushed in utter embarrassment. She turned to the Montclair couple, flashing an apologetic, strained smile to cover her son's blatant disrespect.

Genna refused to give up. She twisted her upper body toward Julian, letting the scent of her overpowering floral perfume waft into his personal space. "Hello, Julian. I am Genevieve Montclair."

Julian flipped the menu open. He focused his gaze on the entrees, treating the girl beside him like empty air. He spoke directly to his mother. "I will have the beef wagyu steak."

Genna kept her bright, persistent smile plastered on her face, even as her eyes tightened at the rejection. She leaned in a fraction closer, pitching her voice into a sweet, enthusiastic register. "I also dreamed of becoming a doctor. I think doctors are awesome."

Julian paused. His fingers stopped turning the thick parchment pages of the wine list. He turned his head slowly, locking his dark, bottomless eyes onto Genna’s face. The sheer intensity of his sudden focus made her jolt backward, her rehearsed smile faltering.

Julian tilted his head, his voice laced with a faint, dangerous edge of interest. "So you are a medical student too?"

Genna’s breath hitched. She gaped at him, paralyzed by the weight of his earnest, unblinking stare. He waited in silence, stripping away her confidence second by second.

She dropped her gaze to her lap, her voice stumbling over the syllables in sheer panic. "Uhm, no, I am not. I am..."

Julian turned back to the menu before she could even finish her sentence. The feigned interest vanished from his face, replaced by absolute apathy. He closed the leather book and placed it neatly next to his silver fork. "I will have the usual wine."

Mrs. Montclair desperately tried to salvage the plunging mood. She leaned forward, beaming at Lin with an overly familiar, forced brightness. "Your son is very handsome, Ada."

Lin nodded, her smile tight and polite as she tried to ease the suffocating tension. "Thank you."

Seeking an ally, Lin turned her attention back to Julian, who sat in perfect, statuesque stillness. She gestured toward the girl, prompting him to play along. "You are so beautiful, Genna. Isn't she, Julian?"

Julian stared at his mother. He offered no nod, no polite agreement. His calm, unbothered gaze prompted Lin to look away first, turning her attention back to Genna's effortless, sweet smile.

Mrs. Montclair clapped her hands together lightly, the sound sharp in the tense atmosphere. "You two look great together. A very handsome doctor for my beautiful Genna. You simply complement each other."

Julian reached for his crystal water glass. "She might not be beautiful at all, though."

The clinking of silverware died instantly. Every single person at the table turned to gape at Julian. He sat there, a picture of aristocratic calm, looking unconvinced and thoroughly bored.

Lin glared at him, her voice dropping to a subtle, warning hiss. "Julian."

The three guests stiffened, their polite masks cracking into pieces. Julian met his mother's glare with chilling indifference. He rested his hands on the table, speaking in a matter-of-fact, clinical tone. "She has undergone plastic surgery. She did her eyes, her nose, and her lips."

Genna gasped loudly. She turned to her parents, her face draining of color, looking helpless and utterly exposed.

Artie closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling a long, defeated breath. Lin stared at her son in pure disbelief, her jaw slack with embarrassment. The sheer shamelessness of his observation shattered the high-society decorum they had carefully constructed.

Mr. and Mrs. Montclair sat frozen in awkward, deafening silence. They were torn between defending their humiliated daughter and calculating the risks of offending the Blackwood heir. They chose the safety of silence.

Lin leaned closer to the table, her teeth gritted together. "Julian, apologize."

Julian held his mother's furious gaze for a long moment. He slowly turned his head to look at the trembling girl beside him. He delivered his question with casual, devastating precision. "Am I wrong?"

Genna shrank into her plush chair, her shoulders shaking. "No."

A single tear escaped her eye, tracing a slow, tragic path down her cheek.

Lin threw her hands up in exasperation, her voice trembling with rising panic. "Julian!"

Julian remained an immovable glacier amid the escalating tension at the dinner table. "She said it herself. I am not wrong."

Lin squeezed her eyes shut. She inhaled a deep, ragged breath, praying for a shred of patience to loosen the constriction in her chest. Her son's relentless, unusual behavior was creating a social disaster right before her eyes.

Genna sniffled, her voice a timid, fragile whisper. "It is okay, he is right."

She offered a sad, trembling smile. She brought a hand up to her face, swiping at her eye as another tear welled up and fell.

Julian watched her. His calm gaze tracked every micro-movement of her hand, every twitch of her facial muscles. The parents around the table held their breath, practically vibrating with tension, waiting for the Blackwood heir to show a sliver of mercy.

Julian rested his forearms on the table. He spoke in a soft, almost conversational tone. "If you stop poking your eyes with your sharp nails, then maybe you will not tear up so much."

The words cut through the air like a surgical scalpel. Despite the softness of his voice, the accusation rang loud and clear across the table.

Artie’s head snapped up. Lin gasped, her eyes going wide as she abruptly turned to scrutinize the weeping girl.

Genna’s hand froze mid-swipe. She snapped her head up to look at Julian, her expression melting into total, unguarded shock. She had been caught red-handed in the act. Julian stared back at her, his face a flawless mask of expressionless apathy.

The illusion was dead. Lin narrowed her eyes, glaring at Genna with sudden, icy suspicion. Artie straightened his posture, casting a hard, unyielding look at the Montclair couple. Mr. and Mrs. Montclair instantly looked down, studying their empty plates, refusing to meet Artie's piercing gaze.

Julian adjusted his cuffs, his movements precise and unhurried. He directed his words to the girl, his tone devoid of a single ounce of remorse. "I am sorry if pointing out your facial enhancements offended you. I do not mean to be rude. But it is just too obvious not to be noticed."

Genna sat paralyzed, her fake tears drying up instantly under his suffocating scrutiny.

Julian leaned back, casting a sweeping, apathetic glance over the three guests. "I know it is ungentlemanly of me, but I am just not a gentleman at all. Additionally, you are practicing your acting on me. What I hate most is to be fooled."

The Montclair family gaped at him in nervous terror. The social suffocation in the air was palpable. Julian had trapped them in their own deceit, and he offered them zero escape.

Julian picked up his water glass again, taking a slow sip before setting it down. He looked directly at the three people across from him. "I want to eat in peace. Pardon me if I cannot entertain you during this dinner. I prefer a quiet and relaxed ambiance while eating."

The message was crystal clear. The conversation was over, and they were no longer welcome to speak to him.

No one at the table could tell if his initial apology was sincere or laced with lethal sarcasm. His handsome face gave away nothing. He simply looked calm. He looked casual. But as silence reclaimed the five-star restaurant table, the weight of his presence pressed down on them all. If one dared to look closer into his seeming calm eyes, they would find no warmth, no empathy, and no humanity. They were just too calm. They were cold, ruthless, and freezing.