The private dining of Le Ciel was a velvet cage of opulence. Crystal chandeliers glinted like judgmental eyes from above, casting reflections that danced mockingly along the pristine walls.
Gold accents adorned everything— from the rim of the wine glasses to the damn saltshaker. It was the kind of place that made silence feel expensive. I tugged at my sleeve for the tenth time, fingers twitching.
"You good?" Janet whispered beside me, with a brow raised.
"Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?" I muttered through clenched teeth.
She smirked, but her eyes scanned me carefully. "You look like you’re heading into battle."
"Maybe I am. Who knows?" I shrugged stiffly. "I mean... we don’t even know Maya."
"Everybody knows Maya. Yet no one does," Janet replied with a dramatic eye roll. "She’s a
