Kaelo stood near the center of the Adria's study, hands clasped in front of her like someone ready to receive pity. Her lashes trembled just enough for it to look rehearsed. The faintest glimmer of moisture clung to her eyes—a performance waiting for applause.
"Boss, I thought since there are only three women in this house," she began, her voice pitched small and innocent, "we should get to know each other better. But it seems Raya…"
She let the sentence trail off, as though wounded by the weight of her own tale.
Before she could finish, Adrian's voice cut through the silence, low, smooth, and sharp as a blade.
"Seraphina," he corrected without looking at anyone. "Call her Seraphina. Not Raya."
Kaelo swallowed so hard her throat bobbed visibly. "I'm sorry, Boss. It's just… Seraphina doesn't want to be friends with me. I was talking to her when—when she pushed me. I fell."
A small gasp left her lips, delicate, almost fragile.
