"Yes, come in," Riley said, setting the glass of liquor down with deliberate care.
He ran a hand over his face briefly, thinking about the situation he was in.
Patience was the key—this was a long game, and he couldn't afford to reveal too much too soon.
Every move had to seem natural, effortless, as if nothing was at stake.
One wrong gesture, one slip of the mask, and everything could unravel.
Creak!
The door swung open, and Juliet stepped inside.
She was striking, impossibly so, with a tall, curvaceous figure that seemed to command attention even before she spoke.
Her presence filled the room without a word.
Her face, however, told a different story: innocence mingled with weariness, and there was a subtle vulnerability in her eyes that betrayed the heavy burdens she carried.
Barely in her twenties, and yet the weight of her responsibilities pressed down on her like mountains on fragile shoulders.
