I sit stiffly beside Mama and Aeval, hands folded so tightly in my lap my nails bit into my palms, spine straight and trying to be as small as possible. I can hear Papa’s low voice mingling with Lorenzo’s deeper one as they converse about something hideous. There’s something fishy about this, I just know it. The way Papa never entertains unnecessary meetings and yet here he is, sitting across from a man whose presence alone makes my skin crawl.
But I push the thought away or at least, I try. Because Aeval is speaking and she has this way about her, the warmth that makes the room feels a little less suffocating. She’s nothing like her husband or son. Her aura is golden and glowing kind making a storm feel like a summer drizzle.
“Krystina, I was just telling your mother how lovely you’ve g
