Page 108 of Secret Heir For The Billionaire Twin

I ask Julian about the way responsibility moves through the family, not the public version of succession or titles, but the quieter things that never appear in company histories.

“Do you and Adrian ever disagree about what Blackwell should become?” I ask.

“Constantly,” Julian replies, cutting into his dinner.

“Adrian thinks in terms of people and perception. I usually think about whether something works.”

“That sounds familiar.”

“It should.”

I smile and take another sip of wine.

“Does that ever create friction?”

“Sometimes. But he sees things I don’t, and I see things he’d rather not spend six hours analyzing.”

“So somehow the two of you make one functional executive.”

Julian looks at me across the table.

“That’s generous.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

His laugh is quiet, and the sound warms something in me that has very little to do with the wine. The conversation shifts from company decisions to the family itself, and I tell him how strange it has been spending weeks inside a dynasty I knew mostly through headlines before this assignment began.

“It’s different once you start seeing the people underneath it,” I say.

“The public version is much cleaner.”

Julian’s gaze stays on mine.

“You probably say that to everyone you interview.”

“I don’t.”

“You’re a journalist. You’re supposed to make people comfortable.”

“I’m supposed to get people to tell me the truth.”

“That sounds remarkably similar.”

I set my glass down.

“You really think I’m flattering you for the article?”

“I think you’re very good at your job.”

“That wasn’t my question.”

Julian studies me for a moment before leaning back in his chair.

“No,” he says. “I don’t think you’re flattering me.”

“Good.”

“But I still don’t know which parts of this you’ll eventually decide belong to the story.”