Infinite Wealth: Revenge of the Lost Heir

CHAPTER 20: AN ANCHOR IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM

Julian Vance's footsteps stamped softly on top of the wet sidewalk of the lower district of Manhattan. After leaving the false luxury of the Diamond Gala Room, he cast off the entirety of the cold and lethal "Mr. Black" aura, returning to wear the mask as "Ian", an ordinary young man. The plain black shirt given by Chloe Miller still clung perfectly to his robust body, bringing a remnant of warmth contrasting with the New York night air which was beginning to pierce through the bones.

Just as Julian had just turned near the intersection toward their shabby apartment complex, the silhouette of an extraordinarily familiar girl caught his attention.

Chloe was walking a few meters in front of him. The girl's footsteps appeared a bit slow, reflecting the sense of exhaustion after completing her first shift as Operational Supervisor until late at night. However, her hand still tightly hugged her small sling bag with upright shoulders.

"Just returning home, Miss Supervisor?" greeted Julian, quickening his steps until walking parallel at Chloe's right side.

Chloe was slightly startled, then turned around. As soon as she recognized Julian's handsome face, the line of exhaustion on her beautiful face instantly relaxed, replaced by a spontaneous cheerful gleam. "Ian! You startled me, you know!" Chloe tapped Julian's robust arm gently with the work manifest in her hand. "From where have you been this late at night? And... wow, you truly wore that black shirt."

Julian looked down briefly, donning a thin sincere smile. "I had a brief online work matter in the central district earlier. And of course I wore it, this shirt is highly comfortable."

"Of course it's comfortable, I bargained for it with hard effort from the market merchant," replied Chloe proudly, sneering playfully while crossing both arms in front of her chest. "But I am glad that shirt does not appear to suffer when clinging to your large body."

Chloe's crisp laugh broke out, breaking the silence of the dim, narrow alley. They continued walking together toward the apartment block, throwing light jokes and domestic banter at one another about how talkative the restaurant customers were today. Chloe related enthusiastically how she had to rearrange the messy kitchen inventory, while Julian listened thoroughly, occasionally responding with short comments triggering that girl's uninhibited laughter.

While walking at Chloe's side, Julian secretly observed that girl's face profile from the side beneath the dimness of the streetlights. The faint yellowish light illuminated Chloe's pale skin, reflecting a beauty that was highly natural—without heavy makeup, without falsity.

Julian's thoughts suddenly drifted back to the figure of Amber Miller. The contrast between those two women felt so absolute and slapped his logic. Amber was a manifestation of luxury thirsty for blood; a woman who measured her heartbeat from the sparkle of corporate diamonds, who was willing to betray and sleep with her own biological sibling for the sake of a piece of property stock.

Meanwhile Chloe? This girl beside him was the definition of pure sincerity. She lived in a suffocating simplicity, struggling from dusk until dawn for the sake of paying the rent of a dull room, yet possessed a heart that was so vast to save a stranger lying bleeding in a dirty alley without expecting even a single penny of financial reward.

For the first time since being betrayed and discarded to the bottom of the ravine in Long Island, Julian realized something profound. The betrayal of the Vance family and Amber had briefly made him think that this world entirely contained darkness and material uniformity. However, through Chloe, Julian learned back about the true meaning of life. Life turned out to not entirely be about asset accumulation, digital numbers on the Wall Street stock exchange, or absolute power dominance. Life was about possessing something—or someone—precious to protect.

The protective instinct inside Julian's chest hardened instantly, rooting deep into his soul. Chloe Miller was no longer merely a part-time waitress girl who coincidentally saved his life. This girl had transformed into an anchor for his sanity, the sole reason why Julian chose to not completely turn into a bloodthirsty monster when destroying the Vance dynasty.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Chloe suddenly, stopping her steps precisely in front of the apartment entrance stairs. She stared at Julian with a brow furrowed in confusion because she realized that man had chanced to fall silent for a long time. "Is there something strange on my face?"

Julian flinched slightly from his daydream, then shook his head slowly. His pair of eyes which were as cold as ice softened totally, staring at Chloe with a highly deep gentleness.

"There is nothing strange," said Julian lowly, his voice trembling with a sincerity he rarely showed. "I was only thinking... our new Supervisor tonight looks very beautiful."

Thump.

Chloe was stunned, the sentence of refutation already at the tip of her tongue suddenly held back. Beneath the dimness of the flickering corridor light, she could feel her chest fluttering violently due to Julian's intense gaze. A dense blush of pink spread fast on both of her cheeks, making that girl hurriedly turn her face away and step up treading the stairs in a hurry.

"Y-You must be feeling sleepy, Ian! Quickly enter your room and sleep!" exclaimed Chloe half nervously from behind her shoulder, trying to hide her sweet panic.

Julian chuckled softly, trailing behind her with steady steps. Above the dark New York sky, the financial storm he prepared for Valerie and Arthur Vance might soon completely devastate Manhattan tomorrow morning. However tonight, inside the narrow corridor of number 405, Julian knew he had won the greatest battle inside his soul.