Julian’s tone was faint, his eyes swept with a trace of amusement, though his expression held a shadow of something darker. "A married man—whose lips could he allow to be bitten by anyone else?"

The senior executives around them exchanged glances, baffled by the sudden tension crackling through the room. Whatever had sparked this strange, acrid energy seemed to escape them entirely.

Titus, for his part, remained composed, offering only a slight ...