The door closed behind them, and Julian did not move any further into the room. He stayed where he was, looking directly at Rebecca without hesitation, without distraction, and without giving either of them time to decide how this would go.
"Rebecca," he said, his voice steady.
She turned to him, "Start explaining," he demanded.
There was no anger in the word, but there was no room to avoid it either. It was not a question, and it was not a request. It was the end of whatever patience he had left.
Rebecca held his gaze for a moment, as if deciding how much to give him and how far she was willing to go. Lucian did not interrupt, and that silence settled something important before either of them spoke again.
"You want everything," Rebecca said, "or enough."
Julian did not hesitate. "Enough."
She nodded once, accepting that.
"What you saw out there wasn't random," she said.
Julian's expression did not change. "I already know that."
