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“So, I imagine you’ve finished the book by now,” he said, his tone casual but with a flicker of curiosity in his eyes. “What did you think? I know it’s a bit of a departure from my usual work, but I couldn’t resist.”

Anna paused for a moment, considering her response carefully. “It was... unexpected. I suppose I never really thought of you as a writer before. But the way you blended all the themes — the puzzles, the intrigue, the depth — it felt like I was right there with the characters, uncovering the secrets. It’s definitely not your typical detective novel.”

Julian raised an eyebrow slightly. “Not typical, huh? I suppose I do have a tendency to veer off the beaten path,” he said, a small grin tugging at the corners of his lips. “I always find the unexpected more intriguing than the obvious. But I’m glad it caught your attention. That’s what I wanted most — to make people think.”

Anna nodded, her gaze thoughtful. “Well, you definitely succeeded. There were parts of it that reminded me of... the things we used to talk about. The theories, the complexities. It was like you were weaving those ideas into the narrative.”

Julian’s expression softened, his gaze lingering on her for a beat longer than necessary. “I am glad you noticed, and that’s exactly it,” he said, almost as if he was pleased she’d caught on. “The book was never just a story. It was a kind of... invitation.”

Anna tilted her head, curious. “Invitation?”

He leaned back slightly, his fingers drumming thoughtfully against the table. “I’m working on something new. Something bigger. More ambitious.” He paused, his eyes glinting with that familiar edge of danger — the kind of danger that came not from recklessness, but from thinking ten steps ahead of everyone else.

“Five years ago,” Julian began, his voice lowered, “Oxford shut down my research lab. Said my work in quantum field was too... speculative. They don't see any potential in it. Apparently, blending quantum physics with human behavior wasn’t exactly their idea of academic research.”

Anna’s eyes widened slightly. She vaguely remembered the research topics he had five years ago.

“But I never stopped,” Julian continued, a faint smile playing at his lips. “You should know me better than that. The ideas didn’t die. I just found a new place to tell them.”