The day after Olivia and Lucas returned from the jewelry store unfolded with deceptive calm. The Ellison encounter still clung to Olivia’s thoughts like cobwebs she couldn’t brush off. That look in Ellison’s eyes—smooth, polite, yet unsettling—kept replaying whenever her mind quieted. She had seen enough manipulation in her life to recognize when words carried hidden blades.
Lucas, on the other hand, carried on with his usual collected composure. His business calls occupied most of the morning, his voice low and authoritative as he stood by the window, issuing directions that made entire ventures move. To anyone else, he seemed unshakable. But Olivia had learned to read the subtler things—how his jaw tightened when he thought no one was looking, how his fingers drummed the desk when tensi
