“Great writer, but needs a new watch,” John grumbled,shooting a pointed glance at his own. Chris exchanged a look with Marvin, silently asking, “What the hell is this guy’s deal?”Marvin shrugged.
It seemed no one else would join them.
Then, the door swung open, and Jules walked in with her manager.
Chris sat up a little straighter. She was stunning. Her long red hair was pulled into a loose braid that brushed against her back, the breeze from the hallway catching the strands that had come undone. She wore a green dress that was simple and flowing but hugged her in all the right ways, paired with a tailored jacket. She was whispering something to the short woman beside her, too focused on their conversation to look at the room. Chris wasn’t sure if he wanted to be professional or ask her out on the spot. Not that it mattered because she hadn’t even looked at him yet.
Her manager spoke first. “Gentlemen, I apologize for the delay. We’ve actually been here since before ten, but we were waiting for confirmation on something.” Both Jules and her manager looked uneasy, as if they were expecting… something. But whatever it was, they weren’t saying.
Chris barely had time to process the weird tension before John’s phone rang.
“What?” John snapped as he picked up, clearly irritated. Whoever was on the other end talked—a lot. John’s face went fromannoyedtocompletely drained of colorin about two seconds. “I—” He tried to interrupt, but the person on the other end wasn’t finished. His grip on the phone tightened, his jaw clenched, but whatever was being said clearly wasn’t something he could argue with. “I understand,” he finally said through gritted teeth. “Yes, yes. Okay.”
The room was dead silent as he hung up. Jules’ manager was smiling, but Jules herself looked tense. John took a deep breath before turning to Chris and Marvin.
“Looks like the company’s sending a new producer to handle this project. We’re done here.”
Chris frowned.
“Why?” he asked. But Marvin was already standing, ready to leave without a second thought. “I mean, I like the project. I’m not—” Chris glanced at Vanessa, who was still glued to her phone as none of this concerned her.
John let out a sharp laugh. “You know what, kid? You wanna work with thecunt? Be my guest.” He gestured aggressively toward Jules and her manager, waving his hands in the air like a child throwing a tantrum. Jules flinched at his movement.
Marvin didn’t stick around—he was already halfway to the door, clearly wanting no part in whatever was about to go down. Chrisdidn’tmove. Neither did Vanessa, still scrolling like she was above all of this. John turned to leave, but at the last second, he grabbed Jules by the waist and shoved her against the wall.
“Good luck making it in this business without spreading your legs, beautiful. You’re notthatgood a writer.”
The whole room exploded into motion. Jules’ manager lunged, trying to pull John away, but he barely budged. Marvin picked up the pace toward the door, practically speed-walking like he wanted to be anywhere but here. And Chris movedfast. The chair he’d been sitting in clattered to the floor as he reached them in seconds.
“Hey, hey, hey,” he said.
“Let. Her. Go,” Jules’ manager demanded.
Jules, however, said nothing. She stared John down, unflinching, daring him to make another move. Like she had heard this bullshit before and was so far past caring. John let out a dry laugh and leaned back slightly, loosening his grip but still blocking her path.
“What?” He looked Chris up and down. “You wanna fuckher? That’s why you wanna stay?” He laughed again, louder this time. Chris saw John’s hand twitch, like he might grab Jules again.
That was all it took.
Chris’ fist crashed into his face before he even thought about what he was doing.
John dropped to the ground.
Chris winced, shaking out his hand. “Fuck.” His wrist throbbed.He was definitely going to feel that later. The room went silent again, everyone still processing what the hell had happened.
Except Jules.
She was staring at Chris now. Their eyes locked, something unspoken crackling between them.
“Are you okay?” Chris finally asked, flexing his fingers to distract himself from her insanely intense gaze.
Jules didn’t answer right away. “Yeah…”
He exhaled. “I just… I’ve been wanting to do that for a while.Thanks for the excuse.” He gave her a smirk, still catching his breath. Jules kept studying him, her lips pressing together like she was trying to hold something back.
Then, finally, the faintest smile appeared in the corners of her mouth.
“You are quite welcome.”
