Page 186 of Secret Heir For The Billionaire Twin

“Julian.”

Her voice is the same.

Not exactly. There is more control in it now, more certainty, but my body recognizes the sound before my mind can put seven years between this moment and the last time I heard it.

She walks toward the desk. I come around it because anything else would look strange.

Professional.

That is what this is.

I extend my hand. Sophie looks at it for half a beat before placing hers in mine.

The contact is brief.

It is also a mistake.

Her skin is warm, and the instant my fingers close around hers, memory moves faster than reason. Then her perfume reaches me, subtle and familiar enough to strike somewhere beneath the ribs before I can determine whether it is the same scent she wore years ago or whether my mind has simply decided it is.

I release her hand first.

“You're the writer Vanguard Business assigned?” I say.

“I am.”

Nothing in her expression gives me more than that. I look at her for another moment.

“I wasn't aware they had changed the assignment.”

“They did.”

“When?”

“A few days ago.”

I nod once. There are at least a dozen questions I could ask, but I ask none of them. Instead, I gesture toward the chair across from my desk.

“Have a seat, Ms. Callahan.”

Her eyes hold mine for a fraction longer at the formality before she moves toward the chair.

“Thank you, Mr. Blackwell,” Sophie says.

There is no smile in her voice.

Good.

I return behind my desk and sit, giving myself the width of polished wood between us. It is not nearly enough.

Sophie opens the portfolio on her lap and looks down at her notes before speaking.

“Vanguard Business Journals’s scope is broader than the original business profile. The focus is Blackwell’s evolution after the antitrust investigation, the restructuring that followed, the current leadership model, and the company’s long-term direction.”

I keep my attention on the briefing packet in front of me.

“I’ve reviewed the scope.”

She nods once.