The corner of Elena's lips twitched.
A small smile.
Gone almost immediately.
Then she stood from her chair.
"Well."
Alaric raised an eyebrow.
"Well what?"
"If your grandfather summoned us together, refusing isn't an option."
Unfortunately, she was right.
Edward Hale wasn't the type of man who issued invitations.
He issued decisions.
Alaric looked at the dinner still cooking on the stove.
Then at the clock.
Then back at Elena.
Something told him the old man had planned this deliberately.
And judging by the faint sense of dread settling in his stomach...
Whatever awaited them at that restaurant was probably going to change the course of their evening.
Possibly their entire engagement.
The following morning arrived far too quickly.
For Alaric, it felt as though he had barely closed his eyes before his alarm forced him awake again.
The dinner with his grandfather had left him with more questions than answers.
