Mila
Mila had never been good at holding her tongue.
It wasn’t that she enjoyed conflict. It was that she hated pretending. Growing up taught her that silence only protected people who already had power, and Mila had promised herself she would never shrink to make someone else comfortable.
Especially not Adrian Black.
They were walking through a quiet stretch of downtown, late afternoon sunlight spilling between buildings. Adrian had insisted on accompanying her to pick up supplies for the art center. Mila had insisted on carrying her own bags.
So far, neither of them had won.
“You don’t have to do that,” Adrian said for the third time, nodding at the heavy box balanced against her hip.
She adjusted her grip.
“I do.”
“You’ll strain your shoulder.”
She shot him a look.
“You plann
