Maria's Point of View
The afternoon sun found the restaurant busy with its usual chatter of guests. Teeming between tables-my mind still heavy with the case of defamation, the sudden reappearance of Kairo back into my life, and the recent confession by Fredrick-I had somehow fallen into a rhythm and was juggling all that chaos in my personal space while keeping things at the restaurant in control.
That rhythm was suddenly cut when the door to the restaurant opened and in walked Reina.
I was frozen mid-step, my heart thudding hard against my chest. Reina stood near the door while her eyes scanned the room until they locked with mine. Her expression was as cold and calculating as I knew all too well.
"What is she doing here?" I muttered under my breath.
Before I could slip away or call
