Her sister, who had always thrived on attention, on admiration, on being the center of every man's gaze—now reduced to gnawing on her own wounded pride, utterly and completely ignored.
Isabelle sat stiffly, barely touching her food, her jaw tight, her eyes dropping to her plate in a rare display of defeat. River said nothing, allowing the silence to stretch, strangely grateful for the tension if only because it gave her a break from the usual battle of words she had to endure when Isabelle was in one of her moods.
When the meal finally wound to a close, the last plate cleared and the final glass refilled, Heiko wiped his mouth with mechanical precision and turned towards River, his voice low but firm.
"I still need to check something with the commanders," he said, his gaze locking with
