Annoyance. Indifference.
“Morwen,” he said sharply, “you just won’t stop, will you? First you cut me off, now this scene. Don’t you have anything better to do?”
He approached me with visible irritation, his expression laced with disdain.
I didn’t flinch.
“Move,” I said, my voice low and deadly, offering him nothing more.
Selindra moved closer, her steps measured, her presence composed. When she spoke, her voice was soft—too soft—like silk wrapped around a blade, as she addressed me through the private communication channel reserved for inner-circle members.
“Morwen,” she began, her tone laced with feigned sorrow, “my Danny passed unexpectedly… illness took him faster than we could prepare for. I was devastated, and I asked Don Thorian to stay with me. Please… don’t hold it against us.”
Her words carried a gentle cadence, almost pleading—but her gaze betrayed her. There was something beneath it. A quiet assertion. A silent message that needed no voice: With me, he will always choose to stay.
I let out a faint, humorless breath.
“Oh,” I replied coolly, my face unreadable, “your Don is remarkably loyal.”
Thorian’s expression tightened at once, irritation flickering across his features. I could almost feel the tension radiating from him.
“Morwen,” he snapped, his voice edged with frustration, “can you at least try to be reasonable? Selindra just lost someone important to her, and yet you still find a way to mock her?”
The speed with which he rose to her defense did not go unnoticed.
I turned my gaze toward him slowly—sharp, cutting, enough to make the air between us feel heavier.
Without offering another word, I stepped forward and shoved him aside with a controlled but deliberate force, my hand pressing briefly against his shoulder before I walked past him.
My movements were calm. Precise.
But inside, everything burned.
Thorian remained still for a moment, clearly caught off guard. There was confusion in his eyes—perhaps even disbelief. It might have been the first time he had seen me walk away without anger, without shouting, without breaking down in front of him and Selindra.
I left the estate grounds in silence, each step intentional, measured.
Not long after, his voice returned through the private line—quieter this time, almost cautious.