Dinner was quiet.Niko carried most of the conversation the way he usually did, moving between topics with no particular logic — his competition, a boy at school who could whistle with two fingers, whether wolves could swim faster than sharks. Elias answered each one with the same patient attention he always gave his son regardless of what else was sitting in his head.Liora ate and listened and didn't look at Elias directly more than twice.He didn't look at her at all.After Niko was sent upstairs, Liora began clearing her side of the table."Come to my study when you're done," Elias said.He said it on his way out. No preamble. No particular tone.She looked at his back as he left and told herself it was nothing to be nervous about.---She knocked. He said come in.He was already behind the desk. Jacket off, sleeves rolled to the elbow, the lamp on, a folder closed in front of him that he wasn't reading. He looked up when she entered and gestured to the chair.She sat.And waited
Last Updated : 2026-08-12
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