Westwood felt different the moment Eve stepped out of the car. The air here was warmer, sunnier in a way that had nothing to do with weather. The streets buzzed, but not in the frantic, sharp-edged way of Bexlin. Here, laughter rolled more freely. The sidewalks carried the faint scent of grilled peppers and roasted corn from street vendors. Children ran without fear of scuffing polished marble floors. Life lived here.
Ryan stepped out beside her, sunglasses on, hands in his pockets, but his eyes flicked everywhere, to storefronts, to locals who paused to look at him, to Eve herself. He wasn’t used to being in a place where his name meant nothing, where people didn’t scramble to bow or impress, but he found it calming. Liberating in a way he didn’t know he needed.
Eve’s breath hitched whe
