Lahat ng Kabanata ng Paper Promises: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 15

Lyra I should have known dinner with men like this wouldn’t involve “dinner.” When the calendar invite showed up on my phone I should’ve just declined. But I’m stubborn. And curious. It’s more of a display. A negotiation disguised as small talk. A stage with cutlery. Rhoades seats me at Dante’s right side, which already feels like a test. Across from me: three men who look like three different types of trouble. Langford is the kind who apologizes before he speaks. Victor is the kind who knows too much and says too little. And Elias…is the kind who thinks everyone at the table is a toy. “Lyra,” Elias says, lifting his glass. He stretches my name out like he’s tasting it. “We finally meet.” I smile politely. “You say that like I’ve been ducking you.” “Have you?” he asks, eyes bright with amused cruelty. Before I can answer, Dante says, “She hasn’t.” “It was a joke, Marcellus,” Elias says, leaning back in his chair. “Relax.” Victor glances at me. It’s quick,

Lyra The first time I attend a press lunch as Dante Marcellus’s fiancée, I learn two things immediately: 1. The salad forks alone cost more than my monthly rent used to. 2. Reporters can smell blood in the water even when no one’s actually bleeding yet. The private dining room is staged like a peace treaty conference—white tablecloths, curated floral arrangements, low gold lighting meant to make everyone look richer, calmer, softer than they really are. Dante’s hand hovers at the small of my back as we enter. Not touching—just a breath away, like a promise or a warning. “They’ll play nice at first,” he murmurs. “Don’t let the smiles fool you.” “I work in finance,” I whisper back. “I’ve met sharks.” He gives me a look—brief, sharp, appreciative. “You’ve met minnows. This is different.” I smile like I’m unbothered. I absolutely am bothered. The seating has already been arranged: place cards with looping calligraphy, the kind of handwriting that implies generational wealth.