Page 116 of The Rules
Just... stood. Cold. Certain. Like judgment taking form.
He rounded the desk—unhurried, unshakable.
Not approaching. Advancing. Each step a verdict.
"Watch your fucking tone," he murmured, voice low and lethal—quiet as silk, sharp as a blade. "You have no idea what you’re talking about."
Rage simmered beneath his skin. Controlled. Focused. Made dangerous by its silence.
Joshua stiffened. "You don’t get to be the victim here."
"I’m not." Ben moved closer, the shift in gravity palpable. "But don’t mistake loyalty for clarity. You think you’re defending her?" His voice dropped further. Razor-edged. "You’re just flaunting your ignorance."
Joshua’s breath hitched.
Ben’s gaze locked him in place, every inch of him carved from calm fury. "You’re quoting hallway gossip like it’s gospel. Reading a story that was never yours to touch."
Joshua’s mouth flattened, tension pulling sharp across his cheek. "She didn’t deserve this."
"No." The word was soft. Final. Worse than denial.
"But playing white knight won’t make you her hero. You’re just late to the fucking battlefield."
Silence.
Patty held her breath.
Ben’s tone iced over. "Now get the fuck out of my office."
Joshua didn’t flinch. A vein pulsed at his temple.
Ben stepped in—closer, colder. The air between them dropped. Fletcher's cologne, usually clean and crisp, now clung to him like a nervous sweat. Ben felt the tension ticking under his skin, saw it in the way his fingers flexed—barely restrained.
"I won’t say it again."
The words fell heavy.
Joshua’s throat bobbed. No retort. No apology.
But he stepped back. Once. Twice. Then gone.
The door clicked shut.
Ben stood alone.
Spine set. Hands still. Breath thin and sharp.
Only his pulse betrayed him—pounding like a war drum beneath skin.
And the silence that followed didn’t settle him.
It just made the noise inside louder.
???
The folder sat where it had for days—untouched, unwanted, like a cursed relic. Ben had told himself it was nothing. Just another mind game from a woman who knew how to get under his skin.
But after Joshua's words, after the way his gut hadn't stopped twisting...
