Her fingers trembled once, then steadied. When she spoke, her voice carried weight, stripped of timidity and apology. "You're right. My image has been irreversibly damaged. I'm forever tainted in the eyes of the world. That's why you may speak about me however you like."
Her blue eyes hardened. "But I will not tolerate you speaking that way about Kaiden and my friends."
Vaelira leaned closer, teeth bared. "Or what? Will you cry again? Run to that inept, self-obsessed narcissist whose greatest achievement in life is getting his penis wet on camera?"
Alexandra didn't answer immediately.
She looked at Vaelira for a long moment, then glanced back over her shoulder into the private wing behind her. When her gaze returned, something had changed.
She was smiling.
Not wide. Not friendly. Measured, knowing, and deeply unpleasant.
"You asked 'or what,'" Alexandra said calmly. "How about you finally getting the reality check you so desperately deserve?"
She stepped aside.
