I felt it the moment I walked into the Bennett estate's private office the next morning—the air wasn't just tense… it was sharp.Like two storms had collided here long before I arrived.
Alan stood by the window, shoulders stiff, jaw locked, gaze burning into the glass as if it had offended him. Kai sat on the edge of the desk, arms folded, expression cool but too controlled… like calm stretched over something dangerous.
And both of them looked at me at the same time.
My stomach fluttered with nerves.
"Good morning," I said softly.
Neither answered right away.
Great.
Two men.Two tempers.And me, stuck exactly in the middle.
Alan reaches me first
He strides across the room like he owns the floor itself. There's something different about him today—too close, too watchful.
"Julia," he murmurs, voice low and rough with something I can't name, "where were you last night? You didn't answer my calls."
"I… fell asleep," I whispered.
His eyes narrow. He doesn't believe me. He steps closer, close enough for me to feel his frustration vibrating off him.
"You need to tell me where you go. Always."There's no anger in his voice—just fear.Fear buried deep, but I heard it anyway.
"Alan… I'm not a child. I'm allowed—"
He cuts me off quietly."Not when someone is threatening you."
My heart stops.
He knows something.I see it in the way he watches me—like he's expecting more danger at any second.
Kai interrupts—calm, but not really
"You're suffocating her," Kai says, sliding off the desk and walking toward us. "She doesn't need a prison guard. She needs space."
Alan doesn't even bother to turn around."She needs safety. Something you clearly don't understand."
Kai's jaw twitches.
Oh no.Here we go.
"I understand plenty," Kai says quietly, "especially when someone is pretending to be calm while burning down the room from the inside."
Alan finally turns—slow and lethal."And I understand when someone is pretending to be innocent."
The silence after that line nearly steals the oxygen from my lungs.
What is happening between them?What am I missing?
I step between them
"Stop," I whisper, placing a hand on each of their arms. "Whatever this is—whatever you're both hiding from me—I can feel it. And it's scaring me."
They freeze.
Alan looks down at me, eyes storming.
Kai looks away, exhaling shakily.
For a moment, neither speaks. And that silence says everything—they know something. Something I don't.
"Julia," Alan says, voice gentler now, "you don't have to worry. I'll handle everything."
Kai's voice is softer."And I'll make sure you're not handled by him in the process."
"Kai." Alan's warning growl is low, dark."Kai," I echo firmly, but for the opposite reason.
Both look at me.
I breathe slowly.
"I am not choosing sides," I say. "Not until I know the truth. And I can't know the truth if both of you keep acting like you're protecting me by keeping secrets."
Alan flinches—barely, but enough for me to catch.
Kai closes his eyes for a second like he's fighting with himself.
Suddenly, Alan steps forward
Not aggressive—just… close. Too close.
"Julia," he whispers, "just stay near me today. Please."
His voice cracks on the last word.
Alan never cracks.
Before I can answer, Kai steps between us, placing a subtle barrier.
"Or," Kai says quietly, "stay near me. At least I'm not about to explode every time you breathe."
Alan's glare could cut steel.
And I realize…
They're no longer just angry at each other.They're afraid of losing me.
My heart pulls in two directions
Alan's protectiveness wraps around me like a shield.Kai's steady presence anchors me like a lifeline.
And I'm shaking because I don't know which one I'm supposed to trust…not yet.
But both of them are staring at me like I'm the only thing keeping them from going to war.
"Please," I whisper, voice trembling."Stop fighting because of me."
They don't move.
They don't speak.
They just watch me—two storms silently deciding whether to destroy each otheror destroy everything around them instead.
And I have a feeling…