hapter 106
Chapter 106
He smiled; charming, deferential, exactly the right amount of helpful.
+25 BONUS
But as I watched him move to the filing cabinet, I realized something else: I was going to double check everything when he left.
Julian left to grab lunch and by the time he returned, the sun had shifted to the other side of the building, casting golden slants across my office floor.
thad pulled most of the financial documents from storage–two boxes‘ worth of ledgers, land transfer records, and handwritten correspondences stuffed into aging folders.
“I thought you said you’d already sorted these,” I teased lightly as Julian stepped in, sleeves rolled neatly to the elbow, tie loosened just enough to appear approachable.
“I did,” he said with a grin. “That was before I saw you’d unearthed the entire ancestral archive.”
I returned his smile, measured and polite. “Welcome to my chaotic legacy.”
He set down a folder and began pulling the tabs from one of the boxes without hesitation, flipping efficiently through property deeds and allocation requests.
His movements were smooth, practiced–but not in the way that came from routine. In the way that came from preparation. “I’ve always admired how you handle this,” he said after a beat. “Most people in your position would delegate. Especially with the pressure you’re under.”
“I’ve delegated before,” I said, eyes scanning a line of old expense reports. “Didn’t go well.”
Julian chuckled. “Fair. But still–you’ve carried this whole thing on your shoulders. Lawsuit, Pack expectations, media chaos, and now… this.” He gestured loosely toward the closed magazine on the corner of my desk.
My expression didn’t change, but my fingers tensed around the edge of the folder.
“This‘,” I echoed.
Julian tilted his head, still sorting. “You and Logan. You’ve managed the scrutiny so gracefully. There’s strength in that”
There was something too polished in the way he said it. A rehearsed elegance. The kind of compliment meant to flatter without tipping the scales too far.
“Logan’s always been more accustomed to the spotlight,” I said mildly. “I just happen to stand near him a lot.”
Julian smiled, but this time it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“I’m sure it’s more than that.”
We worked in silence for a few minutes, papers rustling between us. I noticed how he found files quickly, sometimes too quickly. As if he already knew which box each document lived in. As if this wasn’t his first pass through them.
He handed me a slim folder labeled Blackwood Pack – Land Transfers, Sealed Records. Our fingers brushed. He pulled back immediately, clearing his throat.
“Sorry,” he said with that sheepish chuckle he used so well. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”
“You didn’t.”
But my wolf stirred slightly in the back of my mind–not fully present, but pacing again. Still dormant, stil broken, but watching. That was enough for me to start listening harder.
Julian cleared his throat again and stood straighter. “You’ve got everything you need for the meeting now. I’ll leave you to prep.”
1/2
Chapter 106
I rose to see him out. “Thanks for your help.“–
“Of course.” He moved toward the door, then paused. “If you need anything else… you know where to find me.”
“I do,” I said, smiling tightly. “And I’ll keep that in mind.”
Once he was gone, I stood in the stillness for a long moment. The scent of his cologne still hung faintly in the air.
+25 BONUS
I walked to the filing cabinet, knelt, and opened the bottom drawer Everything looked untouched. But I checked anyway. Page
by page.
Then I relocked the cabinet, slid the key back into my pocket, and sat down at the desk.
I didn’t trust him. Not yet.
And the worst part was, he was good–just good enough to make me want to.
Chapter 107
Chapter 107
