He smiled, that same infuriating, effortless smile, as if her world hadn't just been cracked open before him.
"How… did you know?" she finally asked, her voice cracking, vulnerable.
She had never imagined asking that question out loud, never thought someone could force her into such a position.
Julian's eyes lit up, as if he had been waiting for that very line. He chuckled softly, and then, with a shrug and the most casual tone in the world, he answered:
"I didn't."
Her heart stopped.
"I just asked randomly."
He tilted his head, watching her every twitch, every flinch.
"But judging by your reaction... It seems you do have a daughter."
The room spun, and her whole world dropped. She had played right into his hands. He didn't even need to threaten, spy, or fight. All it took was one sentence.
A bluff. And her own panic had betrayed her.
She lowered her gaze, anger rising not just at him… but at herself. She hadn't just been outpowered; she had been outplayed.
