Chapter 82

"2005 Ords! I hit a nerve! You're infuriated, aren't you?" Rosalie asked with a smirk.

As she spoke, Rosalie's gaze drifted downward, settling on Julian's waist. She chuckled. Her slow, heated scrutiny was impossible to misinterpret.

Julian followed her line of sight, his already dark expression turning utterly stormy. Then, unexpectedly, he let out a low chuckle—cold and dangerous. Something unreadable flickered in his eyes as he suddenly grabbed her ankle and yanked her forward. The little distance between them vanished in an instant.

His deep eyes gleamed as his fingers clamped around her chin, firm but not quite rough. His voice dropped to a sultry, almost teasing murmur.

“They say the only way to test the truth is through experience. Yet here you are, making wild assumptions about your husband without firsthand knowledge. Don’t you think that’s a little unfair?”

His face inched closer to hers, their noses nearly brushing, their breaths mingling in the charged space between them. The heat of his body and the scent of his skin were overwhelming.

His voice dipped lower, seductive and deliberate. “Should we put that theory to the test?”

As he spoke, his hand slid down, his fingers grazing her waist before giving a sudden, punishing squeeze.

Rosalie jerked, a sharp shudder rippling through her. She was insanely ticklish, and Julian knew it. She instinctively tried to scoot back, her voice rising in alarm. “Julian, don’t you dare.”

“Oh,” he let out a cold laugh. His deep, threatening gaze locked onto hers, filled with mockery. “You spent the whole morning trying to push my buttons, practically begging me for a proper ‘marital interaction.’ And it just so happens that I have very little patience when it comes to matters of my pride. So naturally, I feel the need to set the record straight.”

His hand on her waist tightened slightly.

Rosalie internally cursed. “No, no, no! That is not what I was trying to do. I just wanted to annoy him, not—whatever this is. Julian has no redeeming qualities, but damn, he’s the most shameless bastard alive.”

“There’s no need to prove anything,” Rosalie stammered.

Seeing the effect Julian was having on her, Rosalie felt regret. She should have just eaten her breakfast and left. She regretted wasting her time arguing with this jerk. Now she had thrown herself into an incredibly stupid situation, entirely self-inflicted.