Julian tapped his fingers against his knee, his thoughts consumed by her.
Rose.
From the moment he met her at the club, something about her had piqued his curiosity. She wasn't like the other waitresses—she carried herself differently. She didn't fawn over rich customers or throw herself at them for tips. She simply did her job, always keeping a polite but distant demeanor.
It was unusual.
And now, tonight, he had seen her in a completely different state. Lost. Empty. Walking under the rain without a care in the world. If he hadn't recognized her silhouette in the dimly lit street, he wouldn't have believed it was the same woman.
Why?
What could have possibly happened to break her like that?
Julian had spent years sharpening his instincts, and his gut told him this girl wasn't ordinary. There was something about her that didn't add up. The way she avoided certain conversations, the way she never spoke much about herself—everything screamed secrecy.
And secrecy intrigued him.
He had already tried digging into her background. Normally, gathering information on someone was easy for him. People had histories. There were always records, paper trails, social media accounts—something.
But with Rose? Nothing.
His people had only managed to find basic details—her height, general appearance, and name. That was it. No family records, no school history, no address before she moved into this city. Nothing about her past.
It was as if someone had erased her existence.
That thought alone made his interest in her deepen.
He wasn't the type to obsess over things, but this? This was personal now.
If someone had gone through the trouble of wiping Rose's past, that meant she was either hiding from something—or someone was keeping her hidden.
And Julian didn't like unanswered questions.
"Drive towards her," he suddenly ordered his driver.
The man glanced at him through the rearview mirror. "Sir?"
Julian's gaze remained fixed outside the window. "The girl walking under the rain. Go to her."
The car swerved slightly as the driver adjusted course. As they got closer, Julian's eyes sharpened.
She wasn't even reacting to her surroundings. She wasn't rushing to find cover or even acknowledging the blaring horns of cars passing by.
It was almost as if she didn't realize it was raining.
Julian's brows furrowed. This isn't good.
His driver honked once, but she didn't even flinch.
Tch.
Without waiting, Julian grabbed his blazer, stepped out into the rain, and strode toward her.
As he reached her, he held his blazer over her head, shielding her from the downpour. Only then did she finally react, blinking as if just now realizing where she was.
When her gaze lifted and met his, Julian expected surprise. Maybe even shock.
But instead, she just stared.
Blankly.
Coldly.
That was when Julian knew—whatever happened to her tonight had cut deep.
"Get in," he said, his voice firm yet calm.
She didn't argue. Didn't question him. She just let herself be led into the car like she had no energy left to resist.
Something clenched in Julian's chest at that.
This wasn't just about curiosity anymore. He needed to know.
He slid into the seat beside her. "Your address?"
She murmured it softly, her voice barely above a whisper. He relayed it to the driver, then leaned back, watching her from the corner of his eye.
She sat still, staring out the window as raindrops slid down the glass.
Julian didn't ask what happened. Not yet. He could tell she wasn't in the mood to talk.
But later? He would find out. One way or another.
---
When they arrived, Julian stepped out first, waiting for her to follow. She hesitated for a second before exiting the car, still looking dazed.
Just then, a voice rang out.
"Rose!"
Julian's gaze snapped to the man rushing toward them.
A boyfriend? A relative?
The man barely spared Julian a glance before going straight to Rose. His concern was obvious. "Are you okay?"
Julian folded his arms, observing. The guy looked young—probably around Rose's age.
"You know her?" Julian asked coolly.
The man shot him a confused look before answering, "Yeah, she's my sister."
Julian felt something ease in his chest, though he didn't understand why.
At least now he knew she had someone.
Without another word, Julian turned and walked back to his car. As soon as he slid inside, he pulled out his phone and made a call.
The line picked up instantly.
"Boss?"
"I need a deeper search on someone," Julian said. "Her name is Rose. Find everything you can."
There was a brief pause. Then—
"Already tried, boss. But… there's barely anything on her. It's like someone wiped her records clean."
Julian's jaw tightened.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, I found a handful of girls with the name 'Rose' in the city, but none match the profile you gave. The only info I got was her height, body size, and hair texture. That's it. No family records, no school history, no birth certificate—nothing. It's like she never existed before coming here."
Julian exhaled slowly.
So he was right.
Rose wasn't just a simple club waitress.
She was hiding something. Or rather, someone was hiding her.
"Put the search on hold," he finally said. "I'll find out more myself."
He ended the call and stared out the window, watching the city lights blur past.
Rose, whoever you really are…
I'll figure you out.