We Need To Talk

Chapter 6

Julian POV

The knock on the door froze us both in place. Sarah’s cheerful voice filtered through the wood, light and completely unaware of the storm happening on the other side.

“Ally? Darling, are you in there? I just wanted to check on you before I head down to the office with your stepdad!”

Allison’s breath hitched sharply against my chest. Her hands were still fisted in my shirt, her body pressed tight between me and the door. I could feel her heart slamming against her ribs, matching the wild beat of my own. For a second, neither of us moved. The risk of getting caught made everything sharper, hotter, more dangerous.

I leaned down, my lips brushing her ear. “Don’t make a sound,” I whispered, my voice low and rough.

She nodded quickly, her beautiful blue eyes wide with panic. I kept one hand firmly on her waist, holding her steady, while the other stayed flat against the door. Sarah tried the handle once. Then twice. The seconds stretched out, agonizing and thick with tension. I could feel Allison trembling beneath my touch, her pulse fluttering wildly against my fingers. Finally, her mother’s footsteps moved away down the hallway.

The silence that followed felt heavy

Allison shoved at my chest the moment the danger passed. “What the hell is wrong with you?” she hissed, her voice shaking with a mix of fear and anger. “My mom was right there, Right there Julian! She could have walked in on us.”

I didn’t let her pull away far. My hand stayed on her waist, anchoring her in place. “She didn’t open the door. We’re fine.” I said calmly like nothing had just happened.

“We’re not fine!” she shot back. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips still swollen from the kiss. She looked beautiful like this —angry and rattled, made her look more alive. 

“This can’t happen again. I’m serious. You’re my stepbrother now. We have to stop this before it gets any worse.”

I let out a low sigh and started closing the distance between us, she kept backing away until her back met the wall. 

“You say that like it’s simple. Like I can just forget the night we had. Do you think I haven’t been thinking about you every damn day since you ran out of my bed without a word?.”

Her eyes flickered with desire. For a moment, I saw the same hunger in them that I felt burning in my own chest. I pulled her closer to me, but then she pushed me back, harder this time.

“I didn’t run,” she muttered, looking away. “I left. There’s a difference.”

“You left without a word,” I said, attempting to get closer. “I... 

“And besides” she sharply cut in. “All that happened that night was just.. fun“ 

I felt her words slam into me like a punch to the chest, stealing the air from my lungs. Everything I’d convinced myself that night meant crumbled in an instant, leaving behind a hollow ache I couldn’t ignore. I clenched my jaw, refusing to let the hurt show, but it burned beneath my skin all the same. 

I swallowed hard, “You don’t mean that,I know what I felt that night, and I know you felt it too”

She sighed, bowing her head to the ground, keeping it there for a while, then slowly brought it back up. “We have to go downstairs,” she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. “Dinner is probably ready. And I can’t… I can’t do this with you right now. Not with my mom right downstairs.”

I watched her fix her hair and smooth her dress, trying to look normal. Her hands were still trembling slightly. I wanted nothing more than to pull her back into my arms and hear her say she didn’t mean what she just said, but I forced myself to give her the space.

She turned and looked at me before leaving. I could see the want in her eyes, so why does she act like it is not there? 

I stayed a bit longer before I stepped outside, closing the door behind me.

On my way to join the family downstairs, a voice called me from behind.“Julian!”

I turned, and it was Richard, my father. He began to close the distance between us 

“I've been looking everywhere for you” he said calmly as he finally reached where I was.

He looked around, squinting his eyes “I saw you coming out of your stepsister's room”

“Shit”

Silence fell between us, my heart pounding as I rigorously searched my brain for an excuse as to why I was coming out of Alison's room.

“If you're looking for her she's downstairs with the family”, “dinner is about to begin”.

“Oh, yes” I let out a huge sigh, “of course, I'll get to her now, I said as I turned to walk away.

“Julian!” he called again, louder than the last. 

I turned, reluctantly waiting for what he had to say. “What dad?”

“We have to talk… about the company”

I rolled my eyes to the side “What about it?” I asked.

“The owner of Aether studios and I are planning on making a deal.

Hearing that the owner of the leading global entertainment company in the world is making a business deal with my father, made my ears tingle. Things like this always came at a cost.

“We are planning on merging our companies, “together we would achieve great things, and with the closing of this deal, the future of Vance Dynamics is secured” he said, the excitement in his voice was over the roof.

I know my Richard didn't actually care about the great things he could do for the world, with the both companies merged, his main concern was the future of his own company, Vance Dynamics.

“Wow Dad, that sounds like great news, congratulations, I said, trying to match his energy.

He immediately came close to me, and grabbed my chin with both his hands.

“This is your time son, you will be the one to finalise this deal”

I got confused, where was he getting to?

He slowly lowered his hands from my chin resting it on my shoulders “For the companies to be merged you will have to marry his daughter”.

My heart skipped, “What?!” I exclaimed, as I took a step back.

“Julian, you are 25 years old, you are at a marriageable age” he said, as he calmly tucked his hands in his pocket.

“What if I don't want to marry her, did you even think of that?” 

My Father looked me dead in the eye and said, “If marrying her is for the good of the company, then you will marry her, end of story.

A sudden anger overwhelmed me, “That's all you ever care about, yourself and your company, even at the expense of other people's happiness”

He didn't say a word, his eyes stationed directly at mine.

“I thought you would change, after mom died, maybe her death would make you realise your selfish mistakes, but no, you are still the same”.

Immediately his face turned cold. Richard began to slowly close the space between us, huge as he was, had I not been almost his size, I would have been completely covered by his shadow. 

“I have made my decision, prepare to welcome your guest”

He turned, and

slowly walked away.

How was I going to marry someone, when I was in love with another