Elena threw him a casual smile, fiddling with the stack of chips in her hand: "It’s been many years, Lucian, how about we gamble one on one?"
Elena’s voice carried a challenge, the kind of low growl that stirred tension across the table.
"Who is this beautiful lady? How come I have never seen her before!" Lucian asked while playing with Miriam's coiled hair.
Miriam cast Elena a hard stare. "Are you trying to catch Lucian's attention?"
"Indeed, Elena, are you trying to catch my attention?" Lucian's tone was laced with mockery as he wrapped an arm around Miriam. "I haven’t seen you in years, but you have grown sharper. If you had been this clever before... that mute would not have had to suffer so much, don’t you think?"
His words struck like claws tearing through skin. Yet Elena’s face
