The atmosphere in the grand dining room, moments ago buzzing with the light, joyous noise of family, had suddenly become a crucible of old resentments and new conflicts. It was a space where the scent of a forgotten, elaborate dinner mixed with the sharp, invisible tang of unspoken hostility.
At the center of it all stood Valerie, and the sheer, unadulterated pleasure of seeing her return had animated the more venomous members of the Grey family.
“She might just burn you with her gaze,” Kylie’s voice was a low, velvet rasp right beside my ear, a conspiratorial whisper that felt like a secret handshake.
I didn’t need to look at her to know her expression. She was punctuating her warning by shooting her own fierce glare back at Valerie, a silent, bold declaration: I have your back, Alic
