Author's POV
Nathan watched the exchange, and for a moment, he thought he might actually win this.
Then Aria's expression hardened.
"Fine." He forced the words through clenched teeth. "I'm sorry." His smile was cruel, eyes still cold on Jennifer. The apology rang hollow. Even Jennifer seemed to shrink under his gaze.
"An apology requires sincerity," Aria said coolly. "At minimum, know who you're apologizing to. And they should actually feel like you mean it."
She stood, pulling Jennifer up with her. "Come on, Jennifer. Mr. Smith clearly has no intention of offering a real one."
"Jennifer."
Nathan closed his eyes, exhaling hard through his nose.
When he opened them, his expression had shifted neutral, voice carefully modulated.
He couldn't afford to lose this—no
