NINE

•TRISTIAN•

"You're about to host your first ball as Mrs. Crown. That's gotta be thrilling," I commented, my eyes resting on her face.

The expression she shot me was a mix of anticipation and desperate a treaty.

I could practically feel her silently pleading for some assistance.

"Yeah, well, it's hard to feel the excitement when Maria keeps hammering into me that the very grid of my destiny could be plotted in a table setting and that my salvation laid on the detailed selection of its suited colors. Honestly, I'm more petrified than thrilled right now."

Her voice soaked over me like a delicate melody, capable of getting lost amidst the noise of a Monday morning rush hour, yet it lured me in, making me yearn to hear her speak all day long.

"Well, my mother has always been a stickler for perfection, but that doesn't mean you won't do a tremendous job. I have complete faith in your taste and intuitions," I breathed, attempting to lighten the weight of the situation.

We were now at the entr