Chapter 3
Arthur finished his update, but Julian remained silent, tapping a sleek fountain pen against his desk.
After a long moment, he asked, “She should have landed by now, right?”
The question seemed to come from nowhere, but Arthur, ever the consummate professional, didn’t miss a beat. He glanced at his
watch.
“Yes, she should have”
It took me a second to realize. He was asking about me.
A flicker of something–conscience, maybe? Too bad. I hadn’t made it to the other side of the country. My journey ended last night,
in a fiery wreck.
Julian’s face showed nothing at the confirmation. He just woke his phone again, staring at the blank screen.
This time, I was right beside him. I saw it clearly.
It was our text thread. Thirty minutes ago, he’d sent a message.
If you ever need anything, contact Arthur.]
In the past, I would have replied in seconds.
Hearing Arthur’s response, a cold, humorless smile touched Julian’s lips. He leaned back in his chair.
“Good.” Then, another question. “Has she tried to contact you?”
Arthur shook his head, “No, sir. Not since I gave her the ticket.”
Silence descended again. The air in the room grew heavy, thick with unspoken things.
Arthur hesitated. “Sir, would you like me to place a call to Ms. Devereaux?”
Julian finally looked up, his eyes veiled. It was impossible to know what he was thinking. “No,” he said, his voice flat. “From now on, I don’t need to be updated on her affairs.”
17.48
He glanced one last time at our message history. The silence on my tion of a second before he pressed ‘Delete Contact.”
n my end wa
was absolute, His thumb paused over my name for a frac-
