The terrace suddenly felt stifling. The weight of every gaze, every whispered exchange pressed down on Isla like an unshakable burden.
She had just said something…. something she couldn't take back.
Standing at Damien’s side wasn’t just defiance. It was war.
She tipped back the rest of her champagne, the bubbles burning down her throat.
Her father would be furious, beyond furious.
Richard Lancaster had no patience for insubordination. And this? This was outright betrayal.
But what choice did she have?
“Breathe,” Damien murmured again, his voice softer this time, more intimate.
She turned to look at him, barely masking her frustration.
“Do you enjoy this?” she demanded, her voice low.
“Watching me scorch the earth I can’t replant?”
His expression was unreadable, but his voice he
