The house was asleep.
All except for Aria.
She sat in the middle of the living room floor, legs crossed, hair up in a loose bun, glasses sliding down her nose. Papers and blueprints surrounded her like a protective circle — menus, location specs, supplier lists, scribbled flavor pairings. Her laptop glowed with tabs open to international markets, property agents, spice sourcing all things Marrakesh.
She didn't notice the sound of footsteps until they were close. Selene stood at the doorway, barefoot, wrapped in a robe, holding two mugs of tea. She didn't say anything at first. Just walked in slowly and knelt beside her younger sister, setting the tea down in front of her.
Aria blinked, startled. "Are you here to scold me about sleep again?"
Selene didn't smile. But she didn't look ang
