Page 168 of The Rules
Ben watched as Kath tilted her head, arms crossed firmly over her chest, one brow still raised in skepticism. Her posture was defensive but controlled. She wasn't giving Julian anything.
"You think a few words and a smirk make up for everything?" she asked, voice cool and sharp.
Julian chuckled, slow and easy, like they were old friends sharing an inside joke.
"No. But they don't hurt."
He shrugged like it was nothing. Like this whole conversation was justbanter. As if he hadn't deliberately pushed every button he could find just to see what would happen.
"Besides..." Julian continued, watching her closely, "you're not the type to hold grudges. You're too smart for that."
A pause. His voice softened, just slightly.
"And honestly? I think we'll make a good team."
Ben watched from the doorway.
Kath said something—dry, clever, too low for him to hear—but it made Julian laugh. That laugh. The one he used like a calling card in rooms he wanted to own.
Ben didn’t step in. Didn’t speak. Just stood there, shoulders rigid, eyes locked on the exchange.
Julian leaned in a fraction, smiling like they shared some private joke. Like he belonged there.
And Kath?
She didn’t shut it down. She didn’t even seem bothered.
Ben’s fingers flexed around the edge of the folder.
Julian had always had a way of slithering into places he wasn’t invited—spaces he had no right to fill. Watching him try it here, now, inthisoffice, withher...
It grated.
He shifted his stance. Just enough to move. Just enough to stop himself from doing something he'd have to explain later.
It was fine. It was nothing.
He just really hated that smug, effortless smile.
Kath exhaled, shook her head.
"You're impossible," she muttered.
Julian grinned wider and slid into the seat beside her like he’d been invited. Like he’d always belonged.
“That,” he said, placing a hand to his chest with mock sincerity, “I’ll take as a compliment.”
He held out a hand. Easy. Unbothered. A casual offering.
“Truce?”
Ben tensed.
It was just a handshake. Just civility. But something about it twisted under his ribs.
Kath looked at the hand for a beat. Then, with a faint sigh,
she nodded and clasped it.
