GABRIEL
I'm sitting in the living room, staring out the window, lost in thought about the upcoming council meeting and Laleh's arrival, when Kiara's voice cuts through my reverie like a knife through butter.
“So this thing with Laleh, when do you want her to leave?” Kiara asks, eyebrow raised.
I turn to her, scratching my head. "Well, I hadn't really put a timestamp on it. I figured she'd leave when she felt like it."
Kiara chuckles, shaking her head. "You're too nice, Gabriel. You do realize she's probably plotting something as we speak, right?"
I let out a half-hearted laugh. "Yeah, Laleh and her plots. She's like a villain in a bad soap opera, but she has a good heart. But, hey, she's been pretty quiet lately. Maybe she's turned over a new leaf?"
Kiara rolls her eyes. "Or maybe she's just gotten better at hiding her schemes."
We both laugh at that. I know Kiara's probably right, but a part of me still wants to believe the best in people, even someone like Veronica.
"So, how's Mia d
