(Silvie's POV)
I was waiting in the Alchemy Spire. Thomas was pretending to clean his beakers, his back rigid. He was pointedly watching the door, his analytical mind clearly bracing for Rosalie to return in a flood of tears.
The lab door burst open.
Rosalie ran in, her face bright, her eyes shining. She wasn't crying.
"Silvie! Silvie! It was amazing!"
I kept my face neutral. "He... accepted?"
"Oh, he accepted immediately!" Rosalie chirped. "He said I was 'fascinating'!"
Thomas's hand, which was wiping a beaker, froze. His knuckles went white.
"And then," Rosalie continued, "I told him I couldn't!"
Clink.
Thomas dropped the beaker. It shattered on the floor.
He and I both stared at her. My "win-win" plan... my calculation of Lucien's arrogance... all of it just imploded.
"You... what?" I asked, my voice flat.
