The ride back to the large mansion was completely silent. Harrison sat perfectly still in the dark back seat, his eyes fixed on the window. Julius wanted to say something, to explain the strange things happening in his head, but the pressure inside the car made it hard to breathe.

Even Marcus drove much faster than usual, keeping his eyes strictly on the road ahead, wanting to finish the trip as quickly as possible.

When the SUV finally pulled into the long driveway of the house, Harrison stepped out the moment the vehicle stopped. He did not wait for Marcus to open the door, and he did not look back to see if Julius was following him.

Julius hurried out of the car, his boots clicking quickly against the floor as he followed the big man inside.

The moment they walked through the front doors, the change in the house was obvious. The usual warmth of the mansion was gone, replaced by a cold, suffocating weight. Harrison’s raw Enigma pheromones were pouring out of him so heavily that the air felt thick enough to taste.

Two guards standing by the main staircase immediately bowed their heads, their faces turning pale. They scrambled backward, intentionally clearing the path and disappearing into the side rooms before Harrison could even look at them. Upstairs, a young maid dropped her cleaning cloth in the hallway, quickly stepping into a spare room and shutting the door quietly.

Nobody wanted to be anywhere near Harrison. Everyone could feel that he was a ticking time bomb ready to explode.

Harrison walked straight up the wide stairs, his heavy steps echoing through the quiet house. Julius kept close behind him, his heart hammering against his ribs.

They reached the master bedroom at the end of the long hallway. Harrison pushed the door open, stepped inside, and waited until Julius walked in behind him. The moment Julius crossed the threshold, Harrison reached out, grabbed the edge of the door, and shut it with a loud slam.

He turned the key in the lock. The click sounded incredibly loud in the quiet room.

Harrison turned around slowly, his tall, massive figure blocking the exit completely. His dark eyes were pitch black, fixed entirely on Julius.

"Are you going to tell me what happened now?" Harrison asked, his voice dropping into a dangerously low rumble that made the windows vibrate. "Or are you going to keep telling me about ghosts in the hallway?" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Julius took a slow breath, trying to steady his shaking hands. "I told you the truth, Harrison. The man smelled exactly like an Enigma. I didn’t make it up."

"And yet, he vanished the moment my men looked for him," Harrison said, taking a slow step forward. The heavy scent around him grew even thicker, pressing down on Julius’s shoulders. "The waiter is dead. The car that hit him is gone. And you stand in my room, covered in another male’s scent, telling me to look for someone who isn’t there."

"I am not lying to you!" Julius said, his voice rising as he tried to defend himself. "Why would I make something like that up? I went to the restroom because I needed to get away from the crowd."

Harrison stopped just two feet away from him, his large chest rising and falling heavily. He leaned down slightly, his dark eyes burning into Julius’s face. "You went to the restroom because you were running away, Julius. You ran out of that ballroom so fast you didn’t even care who was watching. Why did you leave the table?"

Julius opened his mouth to repeat his excuse, but the words caught in his throat. He looked at Harrison’s hard jaw, the pure, possessive anger rolling off the big man, and he felt his defenses starting to crumble. The guilt was starting to weigh heavily on him. If he hadn’t walked away, they might have caught the waiter alive. They might have found out who was trying to poison the drink or find the drive.

"I left because I couldn’t stand being in that room anymore," Julius whispered, his voice losing its sharp edge.

"Why?" Harrison demanded, stepping even closer until his boots touched Julius’s shoes. "Give me a real reason, Julius."

Julius looked down at Harrison’s chest, his fingers tightening into fists at his sides. His cheeks felt hot, and his throat was incredibly dry. "Because of that woman," he finally admitted, the words coming out in a small, tight rush.

Harrison paused, his brow furrowing. "What woman?"

"The one in the bright dress," Julius said, looking up to meet Harrison’s dark stare. His eyes were wide and full of honest irritation. "The one who walked straight up to you while I was standing by the table. I saw the way she laughed with you. And I saw her put her hand right on your shoulder. She was touching you like you belonged to her."

Harrison did not say a word, his body completely freezing as he listened.

"It pissed me off," Julius continued, huffing a short breath as he finally let out the truth. "It made me so angry I couldn’t even think straight. I grabbed the first drink I saw, gulped it down, and ran to the toilet just so I wouldn’t have to watch her stand near you anymore. I was jealous, Harrison. That is why I left the table. That is why I wasn’t paying attention when that man bumped into me."

The bedroom fell into a deep, heavy silence. The sound of Julius’s hurried breathing was the only noise in the room.

Harrison stared down at him, his expression shifting from pure fury into something much darker and more complicated. The realization hit him. Julius’s jealousy had caused the entire distraction. If Julius hadn’t been watching the woman, he wouldn’t have left Harrison’s side, he wouldn’t have run into the stranger, and they wouldn’t be standing in this locked room.

A slow, terrifying smile began to touch the corner of Harrison’s lips, but his dark eyes did not soften at all. His mood had reached its absolute peak, the possessive hunger inside him completely taking over.

"You were jealous," Harrison murmured, his deep voice sending a sharp shiver right down Julius’s spine. "You allowed yourself to get distracted by a business acquaintance, and because of that, you let another man put his hands on you."

Julius gulped hard, his chest heaving as he realized exactly what he had just admitted to the feared Enigma.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​