Lucian
Everyone greeted Mara and me as we entered the breakfast lounge. Mara responded to them all, including Martha, who gave her a smile so fake it could’ve been printed on porcelain.
She was disappointed, no doubt. She’d expected Mara to walk away. Instead, we showed up stronger—united.
“I heard there was a lot of noise in your wing last night,” Martha said, voice dripping with venomous charm as she glanced at Mara. “I’m sure Tina got the message.”
Mara didn’t flinch. Didn’t respond. Just sat with quiet, measured calm—the kind that unnerves people like Martha.
But Martha wasn’t finished.
“Lucian,” she said, turning to me with that same sugar-laced bite, “I must’ve underestimated your talents. Your ability to tame a woman and—how shall I put it—screw her into submission is impressi
