Accidental Marriage With Mr Billioniare
Chapter 237: THE PRESS

Chapter 237: THE PRESS

Astrid stood in front of the mirror, smoothing out her casual yet elegant dress.

The soft, blue fabric hugged her curves in all the right places, and the subtle floral pattern added a touch of whimsy to her overall look.

As she did some touch-ups on her face. Julian appeared behind her, his eyes locked on her reflection in the mirror.

"You look stunning, Astrid," he praised, grinning from ear to ear. "Beautiful," he added.

Astrid turned to face him, a smile playing on her lips. But as she looked into his eyes, she noticed a hint of sadness lurking beneath them. She had noticed for a while now

"Hey, what’s wrong?" she asked, her brow furrowing with concern as she caressed his cheek.

Julian’s smile faltered for a moment before he regained his composure. "Nothing’s wrong, Astrid. I am just...preoccupied with some meetings, that’s all."

Astrid’s eyes narrowed, her intuition telling her that there was more to the story. But she decided to let it slide, for now.

"Okay, if you are sure everything is fine," she asserted

Just then, a soft knock at the door interrupted them.

"Breakfast is ready, sir and madam," one of the maids announced. Astrid’s stomach growled in response, and she smiled at Julian. "Shall we?"

But as they made their way to the dining room, Astrid recalled something, and she paused.

"Julian, where were the guards and maids last night? I didn’t see anyone when we got home last night."

Julian’s expression turned thoughtful, and he paused for a moment before responding.

"I wanted them to give you some space. I know you value your privacy, and I didn’t want to overwhelm you with too many people around. Plus, I figured it would be nice to have some time with just the two of us because of what had occurred last night."

Astrid nodded her head in understanding "Thank you, Julian. It means a lot to me."

As they entered the dining room, Astrid’s phone rang, She smiled apologetically at Julian and answered the call.

"Hey, Astrid! It’s Samuel. I just got the news that our building design has been approved by the president!" Samuel’s voice was bubbling with excitement, and Astrid couldn’t help but catch the enthusiasm.

"That’s amazing news, Samuel! Congratulations to us!" Astrid laughed, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment wash over her.

"We did it, Astrid! We did it!" Samuel exclaimed. "I have already sent you an email with the details. We just need to do some minor revisions, and we will be good to go."

"Awesome, Samuel. I’ll take a look at the email and get back to you. Thanks for letting me know," Astrid said, smiling.

"It was my pleasure, Astrid. You were an absolute joy to work with. I have to say, this was one of the smoothest projects I have ever worked on. The client was great, and your design was incredible," Samuel said, his voice sincere.

Astrid’s face glowed with pleasure hearing this first thing in the morning gave her joy.. "Thanks, Samuel. That means a lot coming from you. I think we make a great team."

"I couldn’t agree more, Astrid. Let’s do it again sometime soon," Samuel said, chuckling as he hung up.

Astrid turned to Julian, a huge grin still plastered on her face.

"What’s all the excitement about?" Julian asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Astrid’s grin faltered for a moment before she launched into an explanation. "That was Samuel. He just told me that our building design has been approved by the president!" she screamed as she jumped into his arms.

Julian’s face lit up with a warm smile. "That’s amazing news, Astrid! Congratulations!" He praised her as she snuggled deep into his chest.

"Thank you," Julain was so proud of her, he didn’t even know she had begun the project already, because of the so-called shit going on in her life.

"I am so proud of you."

********

It was time for them to leave and Julian led Astrid out of the house and the warm sunlight cast a golden glow over them.

They got into Julian’s car, the sleek black BMW purring to life as they drove off.

The moment they drove off, a car that had been parked in front of Astrid’s condo also began following them, without anyone noticing. "Eyes on them all through the night." the man in the backseat announced and the driver nodded.

As they arrived at the venue of the show, the press was already there, waiting for them.

"Damn! Never knew they would be this early." Astrid let out but something caught her eye, some of the fans standing outside held up her picture.

"Guess they are here for you!" Julian told her and a big smile spread across her face.

The moment Julian’s car pulled up, the press also surrounded them with a flurry of cameras and microphones.

"Logan, is here!" they announced and they began pushing one another to get to the car.

Julian stared at Astrid, his eyes locked on hers. "I won’t be with you for now, but I will be back before the show begins," he explained.

Astrid smiled, her lips curling up in a sweet smile, she understood knowing how choked his schedule was for the day. She leaned in, kissing Julian’s lips softly. "I will be fine," she whispered.

As she was about to get out of the car, she turned back to him, her eyes serious. "Don’t you dare talk to Mattie or take pity on her," she warned "If you break that rule, we are done."

Julian smiled, but Astrid didn’t find it funny. "I am serious, Julian." Then he quickly raised his hands in surrender, saying, "I won’t. I promise."

He kissed her lips again, and then her smile returned. "Good!" This time, guards were already surrounding their car, helping Astrid out of the car.

"It’s Astrid!"

"Welcome back Astrid!"

Just then they began throwing comments and questions at Astrid who only waved with a smile.

"It’s the first time we are seeing you out since the attack, how are you doing?"

"How are you feeling?" The guards covered Astrid as they helped her walk into the venue but the next question made Astrid stop.

"Does this mean you are going to be following in Mattie’s footsteps?"

"Are you becoming a model now that you are the face of the JL line?"

Astrid turned back and then gestured for the guards to give her some space, her eyes scanning the crowd.

The moment the press saw that she had finally allowed them to see her, they pushed forward with force.

Julian could only watch from his car, trusting that she knew what she was doing. She stared at them, her eyes calm and collected, still having that grin.

"Maren is my friend and she needed me to honor her show." This time she had gotten everyone’s attention.

"And as for being a model, let’s just say I am going to redefine what it means to be a model. I am going to show the world that beauty is not just about looks, it’s about strength, resilience, and courage."

The press fell silent, taken aback by her response. "For Mattie... she is my cousin anyways, it wouldn’t be bad to follow in her footsteps, so I look forward to her teachings." With that, the guards helped her inside.