Chapter Thirty-Five
* The Cousin's Warning*
A week had passed since the explosive family dinner. Lyra sat across from her friend in their usual, discreet bistro booth. Sunlight streamed through the window, a stark contrast to the shadowy tension they discussed. Her friend—her financial analyst, her secret ally within Lax Global—stirred her iced tea, her expression thoughtful.
"The dust is settling," her friend began. "The gossip is, predictably, vicious. But the main takeaway is that you survived. More than survived. You scored a point." She leaned forward. "But what I can't figure out is Regina. She came to your defense. She gave you that dress. She sent you to Lucy. She handed you the gardenias strategy. Why? The Regina Lax I've observed for years does nothing without a clear, calcula
