Julian didn't expect to see him there.
Not because Lucian didn't move through places like this, but because there had never been a reason for their paths to cross in this kind of setting. Not openly. Not without intention.
And this—
This wasn't accidental.
The event was small by most standards. A quiet networking gathering hosted by one of the firms Julian occasionally worked with. Nothing formal, nothing worth preparing for beyond showing up and staying long enough to be seen.
Julian had planned to leave early, he stayed longer than he meant to.
That was when he noticed Lucian. He was mid-conversation when it registered. A man from another firm, a bit older, confident in the way people were when they assumed familiarity counted for something had stepped closer than necessary.
"You should've mentioned you were handling the account," the man was saying. "Would've made things easier on both sides."
Julian kept his tone even. "It didn't come up."
