Alice’s POV
With Brian, you never really know when a conversation is over. He always pauses long enough to make you think he’s done, like he’s weighing his thoughts — deciding if they’re worth saying out loud.
I thought we were finished talking. I had turned my eyes back to the stage, drifting away in the music, when I heard his voice again.
“My source said it was after your dad passed. The last portrait you did was used for his funeral.”
My breath caught in my throat. My head snapped toward him, eyes wide. “How do you know that?”
He shrugged slightly, the corners of his lips twitching. “Like I said… my source.”
I narrowed my eyes, a slow frown forming. “I’m certain you’re either a wizard… or a professional nose-poker.”
He smiled, small and smug. “You could say I have a very efficie
