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Julian reels back, his face twisting with shock and something far worse—anger.

“You’re insane if you think I’d ever go back to you,” I hiss.

His jaw clenches. “Why? Because you found someone else, huh?”

“That’s none of your business,” I grit out.

“It’s my fucking business, Lila, because don’t you see? This is fate. You, here, working in the same company as me? Unless…did you come here to find me?”

I let out a cold laugh. “Why the hell would I do that when you disgust me?”

“You’re upset, I get that,” he murmurs, a smooth, persuasive tone slipping into his voice. “But I hate my wife, and she hates me, too. I’ve never loved her. I love you, Lila. Always have, always will, peaches.”

His words are crystal clear. An offer meant to beguile me into thinking I’m special.

But I've never been special to Julian Hells. Not when he pretended he loved me, not when he fucked another woman in our bed and not when he’s literally offering me a chance to betray his wife. A woman who’s probably sitting home thinking she has the best man the Goddess could offer.

I pity her. So much. I was as naive as her once.

“I’d rather die than be your mistress, Julian.” My voice is as dry as this lackluster conversation.

Julian’s smile vanishes. His fingers grab and tighten around my wrist before pain shoots up my arm. “Don’t be dramatic, Lila. You—”

“Get your hands off of her.”

The deep, commanding voice slices through the air like a blade, and my heart thrums in my chest like it’s excited because our knight shining armor is here. Julian’s grip loosens instantly.

The shift in the atmosphere moves from a mild zero to a very electric one hundred.

I take Julian’s dazed state as an opportunity to rip my wrist away, stepping back just as Alaric strides into the room.

Staring at Alaric turns out to be a bad idea, because not only are his eyes stormy, his jaw flexing, and his fists clenched, but his whole presence screams one thing…bloody murder.

Julian stiffens the minute he sees Alaric.

I see it in the subtle way his shoulders lock, the way his lips press into a thin line, like a puppy facing off against a very angry wolf.

“Peaches and I were having a light conversation, uncle. This doesn’t concern you.” Julian tries to sound tough, but one minute he’s speaking and the next minute…

I gasp.

Alaric wraps his hand around Julian’s throat, slamming him into the wall beside us with a thud.

“Her name's Lila. Not peaches. Not fucking anything to you, nephew. You can play your games outside, but here? This is my space, my fucking office, my world. That means she is mine,” Alaric pauses, his breathing as harsh as his words.

Whatever he says freaks out Julian, but me? His words trail down my spine in a tantalizing shiver.

“And whatever is mine is off-limits to you, Julian. You touch her again? I’ll cut your hands off and feed them to my hounds. You even think of harassing her again, let alone breathe thesame air she does, and I’ll skin you alive, boy. Get the fuck out of my building.”

Julian coughs, struggling to inhale like he’s choking before he grits out, “I’m…a senior…executive…here. You can’t—can’t kick me out.”

“You want to test me?” Alaric asks, his voice like ice.

Julian’s eyes fling to mine, then back to Alaric. He knows he can’t fight Alaric, and I know it too.

Alaric lets go of Julian, practically watching him scramble toward the elevator. My eyes remain downcast because I don’t know what to make of the situation.

I don’t know how to address the fact that my ex showed up here, and Alaric practically became my knight in shining armor.