Elena's POV
Julian's hand lingered in mine, his thumb brushing softly over my knuckles.
"Let's celebrate this," he said, a slow smile spreading across his face. "You earned it."
I tried to smile back, but the chaos of the day still clung to me. "Celebrate?"
"Yes," he said, stepping closer. "You just took down Clarissa and Derick in one move. You exposed a fraud. And you reminded everyone who the hell Elena Hart really is."
I let out a breathy laugh. "I didn't do it alone."
"You did more than you think," he murmured, then added with a glint in his eye, "And speaking of doing things... we still need to talk about you meeting my family."
That pulled me up short. "Julian—"
"I'm serious." He grinned, half-teasing, half-sincere. "You've fought battles, dodged bullets—literally—and you're still standing. I think you're more than ready to handle dinner with my mother."
I groaned. "You say that like it's scarier than Clarissa and Derick combined."
