Sebastian sat across from Genevieve in the quiet office and spoke in a calm, clear voice. The morning light came through the tall windows and fell across the wooden table between them.
“The next step is our marriage,” he said. “But it must stay completely secret. No one outside the small group of people we trust can know about it until we decide the right time to tell the world.”
Genevieve looked at him carefully. Her hands rested still on the table. “Why does the marriage have to be such a deep secret?”
“Nicholas must believe you are still alone,” Sebastian answered. “He must think you are humiliated, weak, and have no real power or support left in this city. That false idea is very useful to us right now. If he learns too early that you are married to me, he will change the way he mov
