Chapter 12

Dinner dragged on slowly and awkwardly. Alexander's remark left everyone stunned, and Julian was filled with an odd sense of protectiveness towards Leslie, but he doused those feelings. His brother had always been a crude human, always mouthing words at the most inappropriate times. He looked over and gazed at Leslie. Normally, she would have felt his gaze and stared back at him, but she kept her head lowered, tossing and turning her food without taking a bite. It bothered him, and he wondered why.

"So, how did the deal with the Pattersons go, brother?" Alexander asked.

"It was fine," Julian said, repeating the exact same words he had said to his mother.

"Fine, huh? Could it be that you lost the deal? My resources tell me that you left in a hurry that day and that the Pattersons left angrily afterward," Alexander said with a cocky grin.

"And by ‘resources,’ you mean the spies you planted in my company, hmm?"

"Pfft, your company,correctio-"

"Anyways," Julian continued, "the deal has bee