“It was me,” Cassia said with a sharp tilt of her chin. Her voice oozed entitlement. “Is it wrong for me to want to teach her her place?”
The room froze.
And then—
Crack.
The sound of Kaelion’s palm striking her cheek echoed like thunder in the gilded restroom. Cassia stumbled back, gasping, her cheek reddening immediately under the imprint of his hand.
“You—” his stepmother started, rushing forward. “Kaelion! How dare you?”
She reached for him, but he shoved her hand away, not harshly, but firmly. She reeled back a step, her elegant shoes scuffing the marble floor.
“I am your stepmother,” she hissed, eyes gleaming with fury. “I deserve respect!”
Kaelion’s jaw clenched. “Respect is earned. Not demanded.”
“What’s your damn problem?!” Lorian snapped, storming forward and tapping Kae
