Page 29 of The Price of Mercy

Julian didn’t move. "I’d rather stand."

Enzo sighed, leaning back in his chair, regarding Julian like one would a stubborn opponent across a chessboard. "You need to quit the hospital."

The words landed like a gunshot in the quiet room.

Julian stiffened, his lips parting slightly before he let out a sharp, disbelieving laugh. "Excuse me?"

Enzo’s jaw tightened, though his tone remained level. "Until the ones responsible for the attacks on my family are found and dealt with, it’s not safe for you to be out there alone."

Julian shook his head, his laugh turning humorless. "I can’t believe this. You want me to just, what? Walk away from my job? The career I worked my ass off for?"

"For now."

"No." Julian’s voice was firm, clipped. "You don’t get to decide this for me."

Enzo’s eyes darkened, his patience wearing thin. "I’m not asking, Julian."

"And I’m not obeying," Julian snapped, stepping forward, his anger crackling between them like electricity. "You’ve already forced me into your world, taken away my freedom, dictated where I live, who I answer to, but this? My work? That is mine. And I won’t let you take it from me."

Enzo stood slowly, placing his hands on the desk as he leaned forward, his presence filling the space between them. "You think this is about control?"

Julian’s jaw clenched. "Isn’t it always with you?"

Enzo exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "This is about keeping you alive."

Julian met his gaze without flinching. "I don’t need you to protect me."

A muscle in Enzo’s jaw twitched. "That’s the thing, Doctor," he said, voice dangerously quiet. "You don’t get to decide that anymore."

Julian inhaled deeply, trying to calm the storm raging inside him. "I decide what I do with my life. You may own this house, this empire, but you don’t ownme. You don’t get to control every part of my life!” Julian snapped, his voice rising as he stood toe-to-toe with Enzo in the dimly lit study. “Fot the hundreth time, I’m not one of your lackeys, Enzo. I’m not here because I want to be. I’m here because you forced me into this!”

Enzo’s eyes darkened, his jaw tightening as he took a step closer, his presence looming over Julian like a storm. “You’re here because I want you to be,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “And if you think you can just walk away, you’re even more naive than I thought.”

Julian didn’t back down. He couldn’t. Not this time. “I’m not naive,” he shot back, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “I’m just tired of being treated like a pawn in your game. You think you can just, just lock me up in some misguided attempt to protect me, like I’m some kind of fragile thing you need to keep safe. But I’m not. I’m not yours to control!”

Enzo’s expression hardened, his patience snapping. In one swift motion, he closed the distance between them, grabbing Julian by the front of his shirt and slamming him back against the wall. Julian’s breath caught, his heart pounding as Enzo leaned in, his face inches away, his eyes blazing with a fury that made Julian’s stomach twist.

“You think I don’t know that?” Enzo growled, his voice rough and raw. “You think I don’t see how much you hate this? How much you hate me? But you’re here, Julian. You’re here, and you’re not going anywhere. So stop fighting me.”

Julian’s chest heaved, his hands gripping Enzo’s wrists as he tried to push him away. But Enzo didn’t budge. His grip was iron, his body pressing Julian against the wall, trapping him in place. Julian’s mind raced, his pulse thundering in his ears, but he refused to back down. He tilted his chin up, his eyes locking with Enzo’s, defiance burning in his gaze.

“I’m not afraid of you,” Julian said, his voice trembling but firm. “You can threaten me all you want, but I’m not going to kneel. Not for you.”

For a moment, they just stared at each other, the air between them crackling with tension. Enzo’s breath was ragged, his chest rising and falling as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. Julian could see the conflict in his eyes, the way his anger warred with something else, something darker, more desperate.

And then, without warning, Enzo kissed him.

It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t sweet. It was hard and desperate, a collision of lips and teeth and raw, unfiltered emotion that left no room for hesitation. Enzo’s hands, which had been clenched in the fabric of Julian’s shirt, now shot up to cradle his face, his fingers trembling slightly as they pressed into Julian’s jawline.

The touch was rough, almost possessive, yet there was an undercurrent of tenderness that made Julian’s breath hitch. Enzo’s lips moved against his with a fierce urgency, as if he were trying to convey every unspoken word, every buried feeling, through the searing connection of their mouths.

Julian froze, his mind going blank as Enzo’s kiss consumed him. His hands, which had been gripping Enzo’s wrists, tightened instinctively, his nails digging into the fabric of Enzo’s sleeves. He should push him away. He should stop this. But he couldn’t.

The heat of Enzo’s body pressed against his, the way his breath came in ragged bursts against Julian’s skin, the intensity of his kiss; it was too much. Too overwhelming. Julian’s chest heaved as he felt the walls he’d built around himself crumble, one by one, under the weight of Enzo’s desperation.

And then, without thinking, Julian kissed him back.

It started as a hesitant response, a soft press of his lips against Enzo’s, but it quickly ignited into something far more consuming. Julian’s hands slid up Enzo’s arms, his fingers gripping the broad shoulders as if they were the only thing anchoring him to reality.

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