Lucas’s POV
The words hung in the air like a bomb that had just gone off, but no one had realized the explosion yet. “There is no contract,” John said again, his voice steady as steel, cutting through the stunned silence.
I stood there, my arm still around Avela, feeling her body go rigid against mine. The room felt smaller, the air thicker, like everyone was holding their breath at once. Glasses stopped clinking. Whispers died mid-sentence. All eyes were on Cameron now, waiting for the fallout.
Cameron stared at John, his face frozen in that smug grin for a split second too long, like his brain was scrambling to catch up. Then he let out a laugh—sharp, forced, the kind that echoes too loud in a quiet room. “Mr. Carter, this has to be a joke.”
John shook his head slowly, his expression
