Elena POV
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The day started with good intentions.
Elena and Maren set up at the dining table with laptops, notebooks, and vendor catalogs. The Alpha house buzzed with noise around them. Construction workers hammered somewhere down the hall. Assistants hurried past with clipboards. Her guards argued about something that probably didn’t matter. It was chaotic, but Elena loved it.
They dove into the first round of orders.
“Okay,” Elena said, “let’s start with flowers.”
Maren typed quickly. “The florist says they’re out of white lilies.”
Elena blinked. “Already?”
“They sold out yesterday.”
Kia leaned over Elena’s shoulder. “Just get meat. Meat is beautiful.”
“Kia,” Elena said, “we are not decorating with meat.”
He shrugged. “Your loss.”
Maren kept typing. “They can get lilies, bu
