Dinner was a performance I hadn’t rehearsed for.
The long table gleamed under low lights. My mother sat beside Silas, smiling too brightly, talking about renovations and charity events like this was normal. I picked at the food on my plate and tried not to notice the three pairs of eyes that kept finding me.
Kieran sat directly across from me. Every time I glanced up, those silver eyes were already waiting. Rian lounged two seats down, spinning a knife between his fingers with lazy precision. Cassian ate in silence, but I felt the weight of his attention like a hand on the back of my neck.
When the plates were cleared, Silas stood. “I have a late call. Vera, come with me.”
My mother hesitated only a second before following him out. The dining room door closed. The air changed.
Rian se
