When Catherine finished speaking, Lucas shifted his gaze coolly toward Mina. Mina did not look at him. Her eyes were lowered, and she chewed at a piece of meat as if she could not taste a thing. People like them looked dazzling from the outside, but they had never really had a choice. Lucas' answer was supposed to be yes.
But Iris had reappeared.
If it had been any day before today, any moment before this, even before three o'clock this afternoon, Lucas would have said yes without hesitation. But fate had a cruel sense of timing. Lucas' silence made Richard pause and lift his eyes. Richard had occupied high office for decades. He did not need to say a word. The crushing weight of his presence alone spread through the room.
Catherine frowned and tapped a finger against the table. "Lucas.
