"No matter what, you have to make sure this engagement doesn't go through."
The words carried a quiet authority, firm and absolute, as the holographic figure of a woman stood before her, her dark hair falling neatly behind her shoulders while her crimson eyes remained fixed, cold and calculating, as if measuring every reaction, every hesitation.
In front of her, Serena stood with her head slightly lowered, her posture composed yet restrained, as she replied obediently.
"Yes, mother…"
For a brief moment, silence lingered between them, and then Serena slowly lifted her gaze, her ivory eyes lingering just a little longer on the projection, as if searching for something beyond the words that had just been spoken.
"H-how is father doing?" she asked, her voice softer now, carrying a faint hesitation that hadn't been present before.
The woman's lips curved.
Not into warmth, but into something sharper.
