The dining room buzzed with uneasy tension, a muted hum of conversation under the flickering candlelight. Daisy sat rigid, her gaze flitting over the women gathered around the table. Their presence felt like a vice tightening around her chest, and she fought the urge to scratch at her arms where her skin prickled uncomfortably. She took a deep breath, fighting to keep the rising panic at bay. A week back in this place, and it still felt foreign.
Alec sat at the head of the table, his posture exuding authority. Daisy's eyes narrowed as she observed him. The realization of his breeding intentions gnawed at her insides, threatening to shatter her composure.
"Would you like some more wine, Miss Daisy?" Grimes's voice, calm and refined, cut through her thoughts. He stood beside her with a bot
