Page 215 of Secret Heir For The Billionaire Twin

“What happens if the load shifts here?”

Priya answers, and Julian immediately follows with another question.

Something inside me catches.

Theo does that.

Not the words. Not the knowledge. The way his whole face changes when he sees something he wants to understand. I look away before the thought can settle too deeply.

Marcus is explaining the next phase of the campus expansion when I force my attention back to him. By the time we reach the advanced systems floor, Julian is already halfway into another conversation with two engineers about a design problem I only partly understand.

For the first time since I returned to Blackwell, he looks completely at home.

***

By the time we finish the last laboratory tour, rain is striking the glass hard enough to blur the view beyond the campus.

Marcus checks his phone as we step into the main corridor.

“That moved in faster than expected.”

Julian looks toward the windows.

“How bad?”

“County just issued a flood advisory for the eastern access road,” Marcus says.

“There’s also a mudslide warning along the ridge route.”

I glance outside. The hills we drove through earlier are barely visible now.

Priya joins us near the elevator, pulling up a weather map on her tablet. “The private airfield has suspended departures for now.”

Julian’s expression tightens.

“For how long?”

“No estimate yet,” Priya says.

“Commercial traffic out of San Jose is getting delayed too.”

Marcus looks at both of us.

“You’re better off staying here tonight.”

I turn toward him. “Here?”

“We have an executive guest annex on the south side of the campus,” Marcus explains.

“It’s used for visiting teams and overnight research sessions. Two rooms are available.”

Julian glances toward me.

“That works.”

The answer comes too easily.

I look back at Marcus.