The drive back from the gala was quiet at first. The car hummed through the night, its engine a low growl swallowed by the endless dark of Emerald City's outskirts. Neon lights bled past the glass, painting fleeting colors across the leather interior. Jayden sat at the wheel, one hand firm on the rim, his posture calm but coiled. On the surface he was composed.. but beneath, adrenaline still pulsed hot in his veins, every slam of Felix's face against polished marble echoing like a drumbeat.
Penelope sat angled toward him, her dress shimmering faintly under the dashboard glow. Normally her eyes would dance with playful fire, teasing, daring. But now… they were quiet. Thoughtful. Searching him like she was seeing not the boy at her side, but the storm he carried.
Jayden could feel the weight of Penelope's gaze, but he said nothing.
She kept stealing glances at him, her eyes soft but troubled… until finally, the silence cracked.
