By the time Julian stepped into Lucian's penthouse, the room was already waiting for him.
Selene was there first, standing near the far side with the kind of stillness that only made the tension sharper. Victoria stood a little apart from her, composed on the surface but watching everything too carefully to pretend she wasn't measuring the room. Arden had his attention fixed on Lucian, while Malco remained near the bar, quiet in a way that did not feel relaxed.
No one looked surprised to see Julian.
That told him enough before anyone spoke.
Lucian moved in behind him and stopped. Rebecca stayed close, positioned where she could see everyone at once. The silence that held for those first seconds was not uncertainty. It was the kind of pause that happened when people already knew the problem and were deciding who would say it first.
Selene did.
