Mitch leaned in closer, the scent of his cheap tobacco and peppermint gum cutting through the steam.
"And you need to remember who his family is," Mitch warned, his voice low and deadly serious. "Those high-society families operate like vipers. If they think you're crossing some invisible line, they won't just target you, they'll try to dismantle your entire life. Gabriel might look like he's shielding you now, but he's a Jakes. When the pressure up there gets too hot, those kids can just retreat back into their marble castles and pull up the drawbridge. But you? You don't have a drawbridge. If you get caught in their family crossfire, you're the one who gets crushed."
His words fell into the quiet corners of my mind with a heavy, metallic thud.
"Do not let yourself get too comfortable,
