Alex’s Pov
The heavy oak doors of the dining room didn’t just close behind Chloe and her mother, Mia—they seemed to seal the oxygen right out of the room.
I adjusted my cufflinks, my eyes tracking Mia as she glided toward the table. Her posture was a fortress of aristocratic ice. When Benedict introduced us, her response to me was a clipped, barely audible nod, but the look she directed at Ruby? It was a sub-zero stare designed to make a person feel smaller than dust.
I felt the skin across my knuckles tighten. I already knew from Ruby that their relationship was fractured, but witnessing the raw, physical weight of her mother's disdain made a dark, protective anger flare deep in my chest.
Beneath the linen tablecloth, I reached out. I found Ruby’s hand, wrapping my fingers complet
