Darian's POV
I kept my eyes rigidly locked on the road, the black asphalt unfolding under the glare of the headlights, but every single particle of my attention refused to leave her. My jaw tightened, and I could feel the intense, coiled tension in my shoulders, a physical manifestation of my frustration. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” I snapped, the question emerging far sharper than I intended. My already tight grip tightened further on the steering wheel. “Alighting from that car without consulting me? You could have compromised everything!”
She immediately straightened in the backseat, adopting a posture that was both calm and profoundly unnerving in its composure. “I had no choice, Darian. I was meticulous. Nothing happened.” Her tone was level, impeccably steady, but I wa
