I froze.
Catherine stepped into the room, her heels clicking against the floor, followed by Damien—a presence I hadn’t expected but now couldn’t ignore. He stood just behind her, his hands folded neatly in front of him, his gaze sharp, calculating. His dark eyes didn’t flicker with surprise or concern; he was exactly where he wanted to be, just as Catherine was.
I looked at Alexander, who had gone rigid beside me, his entire posture tense with the tension between us and them. The moment felt like it had been stretched into an eternity, the air thick with unspoken words, a battle of wills just beginning to unfold before us.
“Did I interrupt something?” Catherine’s voice was smooth, almost sweet, but there was a darkness in it that made my skin crawl.
I couldn’t answer. I could barely breathe. My mind scrambled for control, for a response, but it was as if my body had betrayed me, paralyzed by the presence of the very people who had been a thorn in our side for far too long.
Alexander s
