The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

Although Mr. Jacobs wasn’t being dragged away, it was clear from the demeanor of his escorts that he was going to be held accountable.

Sarah Lynch grew worried.

Mr. and Mrs. Lynch looked at their daughter, but in the end, they couldn’t bring themselves to blame her. ’What’s the use of blaming her now?’

Her uncle and his family, having heard the commotion, came over.

Mrs. Lynch once again had to endure the glares and admonishments from her side of the family.

"Look at this ’fine’ daughter you’ve raised."

After scolding them, they immediately started calling in favors. They couldn’t let their elderly father—a man who valued his reputation above all else—be subjected to cold interrogation.

Mr. and Mrs. Lynch also started making calls.

Sarah Lynch wasn’t idle, either. Sean Sinclair surely had his own connections, and Spencer Shelby, as the young master of City A’s Shelby Family, had his own resources as well. But Julian Grant was more capable than either of them.

Sarah Lynch contacted Julian Grant.

But she didn’t forget to play the victim to Sean Sinclair and Spencer Shelby, claiming everything she did was for Sean’s sake.

She wanted Sean to feel guilty.

The more guilty he felt, the more his heart would incline toward her.

...

Sarah Lynch invited Julian Grant to have dinner at a revolving restaurant.

She had specifically chosen a silver sequined, open-back long dress, paired with a white fur coat.

When she first met Julian Grant, she had been wearing almost the exact same thing.

Her hair was styled in wavy curls, her red lips glossy and bright.

As Sarah Lynch appeared before him, a single thought filled Julian Grant’s mind: ’Stunningly beautiful.’

The familiar outfit and setting brought back the memory of Sarah Lynch reaching over to push his glass away, leaning in to whisper, "Don’t drink it. There’s something in it."

Julian Grant stood up, calling her name. "Sarah."

He then pulled out her chair for her.

"Thank you, Julian." Sarah sat down, slipping off her fur coat to reveal the smooth, pale skin of her back.

The restaurant was warm, so Julian Grant also took off his jacket, leaving him in a shirt and vest.

"Julian, I’m so sorry it’s taken me this long to treat you to dinner. I should have invited you sooner, but my grandfather got dragged into this mess and fell ill because of it."

Hearing this, Julian Grant asked with concern, "How is Mr. Jacobs now?"

"He came home this morning, and he’s physically all right. Thank you for asking, Julian." Their food had been served. Sarah gave the waiter a small smile, then turned to Julian. "Let’s eat."

Sarah Lynch was slowly cutting her steak when, suddenly, a plate of perfectly cut steak was placed in front of her.

She looked up in surprise.

Julian Grant wiped his hands unhurriedly and said, "Eat the one I cut. Give me yours."

Sarah Lynch smiled radiantly. "Julian, you’re so thoughtful. Your girlfriend is a very lucky woman."

"Who knows where she is," Julian Grant said, his gaze lingering on Sarah. A sense of satisfaction washed over him as he watched her eat the steak he had cut for her.

As he lowered his head to continue cutting Sarah’s original steak, the fact that Sean Sinclair and Leila Jennings were already divorced flashed through his mind.

"Sarah, have you seen Sean since you got out?"

Sarah was taken aback. "Why do you ask?"

Julian Grant gleaned the answer from her expression and concluded, "It seems he hasn’t come to check on you."

Sarah Lynch gave a bitter smile. "Sean is rather busy."

"Busy looking for Leila Jennings," Julian Grant said bluntly, deliberately omitting the fact that Sean and Leila were already divorced. He wanted to make Sarah understand that a man like Sean wasn’t worth it.

Hearing Leila Jennings’s name, Sarah instantly lost her appetite.

"Julian."

"Fine, I won’t say any more."

The two ate their dinner in silence. As they were finishing up, Sarah Lynch raised her glass to him gratefully. "Julian, thank you so much. You’ve been running around trying to clear my name. I really don’t know how I can ever repay you."

Julian Grant raised his glass and clinked it gently against hers. "You helped me once. It’s only natural that I help you."

"I only helped you once, but you’ve helped me so many times." Sarah Lynch bit her lip. "I’m really, truly grateful."

Julian Grant smiled faintly and took a sip of his wine.

Sarah said, "By the way, Julian, my grandfather wants to treat you to dinner to thank you for helping me."

Julian Grant was slightly surprised. He knew Sarah had been raised by her grandfather. ’Mr. Jacobs actually wants to meet me?’

He felt honored.

"When?" he asked.

Sarah didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she asked, "How long will you be in City A? It’s not convenient for my grandfather at the moment. We might have to wait a few days, but I’m not sure exactly how many."

As she spoke, she lowered her gaze, a sad expression on her face.

Julian Grant immediately understood. "Something happened to Mr. Jacobs?"

"Not exactly ’happened,’ I guess. Just today, right after my grandfather told me to invite you to the Jacobs’ home for dinner, people from the institute came and took him away." Sarah Lynch gave a bleak smile. "Julian, my grandfather will be okay, right?"

As a lawyer, Julian Grant knew, even without Sarah spelling it out, just how much trouble Mr. Jacobs was in. One misstep, and he could fall from grace.

Tears welled in Sarah’s eyes. "It’s all my fault. I’m the one who dragged my grandfather into this. If I were as capable as Leila Jennings, no one would be spreading rumors."

"Leila Jennings is certainly impressive, but so are you," Julian Grant comforted her. "Don’t sell yourself short. You’re not unaccomplished; you have research achievements to your name."

’They just don’t compare to Leila’s, that’s all.’

’What’s the point of comparing, anyway? There’s always a bigger fish. Right now, even Leila can’t compare to an academician.’

Sarah said, "Julian, I just hate that I can’t help my grandfather."

Julian Grant thought for a moment, then ordered a dessert for her.

As the dessert was placed in front of Sarah Lynch, the man’s steady voice cut through the silence.

"Don’t worry. I’m here."

The weight on Sarah’s heart lifted instantly, but she kept a worried expression on her face. "Really?"

"Really," Julian Grant said. "Mr. Jacobs invited me to dinner. I can’t refuse an elder’s kind invitation. I’ll head back to City B after I’ve had that meal with him."

Sarah’s eyes lit up with excitement. "But what about your work?"

"I’ll handle it remotely. I don’t have any cases going to trial right now, anyway."

"Thank you, Julian."

"Alright, you’ve said ’thank you’ far too many times tonight."

The two leisurely finished their dinner. After paying the bill, as they were waiting for the elevator, the doors opened to reveal Cherry Cole and Leila Jennings, arm in arm.

Cherry Cole, who had been happily chattering about the restaurant’s menu, saw Sarah Lynch and her face immediately fell.

"Talk about an unwelcome coincidence. I didn’t expect to run into ’Big Sister Number Three’ here." She went right for the jugular.

Even though she knew Leila and Sean were divorced, in her mind, Sarah Lynch would forever be the other woman.

As soon as the words "Big Sister Number Three" were out, the expressions on both Sarah Lynch’s and Julian Grant’s faces changed.

Sarah Lynch retorted, "Miss Cole, you should watch your mouth."

Cherry Cole shot back, "You’re not decent, so why should I be decent to you?"

"You!"

"Miss Cole, you would do well not to slander others so freely." Julian Grant spoke up at just the right moment, but his gaze fell upon Leila Jennings’s face.

When he had seen her photos and videos in the news, he had felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Now, meeting her face-to-face, he finally understood where that familiarity came from.

Leila Jennings’s eyes and nose resembled his father’s when he was young.

In his youth, his father had been a rather refined-looking man.

Leila, wearing her rimless glasses, looked quite refined herself.