Chapter 18 - A Different Kind of LoveMonths passed.
The Sterling Estate changed.
It no longer felt like a museum of old power.
It became warmer.
More human.
Clara often walked through the gardens with Mrs. Gable.
And Julian was always somewhere nearby.
One evening, beneath a sky turning gold, Clara found him waiting beside the fountain.
"You know," she said, "you were terrifying that night."
Julian smiled.
"You weren't exactly easy to intimidate."
She laughed.
The sound surprised both of them.
Julian looked at her.
"I admired you that night."
Clara's smile faded.
"Why?"
"Because you stood up when everyone else sat down."
She looked away.
"And now?"
"Now I admire you even more."
Neither spoke for several seconds.
Then Julian reached for her hand.
This time, Clara didn't pull away.
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The woman who had entered the ballroom wearing a simple white uniform had never imagined she would find love inside the walls of a mansion.
But life had never asked permission before changing.
