The dinner went on as intended, but the warmth was gone. It had been gone the very moment Lydia opened her mouth. Cassie sat beside Nikolai, her fingers interlaced with his. His grip was too tight, almost painful, but she didn’t pull away. It wasn’t just a handhold. It was a testimony. It was him saying, "I won’t let anyone come between us." Still, her spine burned with the weight of Lydia’s gaze. It wasn’t admiration. It wasn’t curiosity. It wasn’t even hatred, not in the raw form Cassie had known in her life. No, Lydia’s stare was worse... clinical, calculating, like a surgeon considering which vein to cut to bleed her enemy slowly. Despite everything said, Lydia wasn't done yet. And beside her, her parents, faces full of the smug calm of people who believed they were pulling every string in the room. The silence stretched until Mrs. Beaumont leaned forward slightly. “So, Cassie,” she began, her smile warm enough to fool someone less wary. “Emily is such a darling child. H
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-09-30 อ่านเพิ่มเติม