The afternoon drifted by in an odd kind of quiet. Mia had claimed the sofa with her shoes off, scrolling idly through her phone, while Chris sat at the terrace table with the laptop Tyler had left for him. He wasn't really working, more staring at files, trying to pretend his thoughts weren't looping back to Dax every five minutes. The villa's rhythm was soft: distant voices of staff, the muted crash of waves, and the smell of salt and polished wood.
A knock came at the suite door, firm but not loud.
"Come in," Chris called without taking his eyes from the laptop screen.
Tyler stepped in, tablet under his arm, expression as even as always. "Mr. Malek. Miss Malek." He inclined his head slightly to each of them. "Dinner will be served in an hour. His Majesty asks that you both dress for the occasion."
Mia raised an eyebrow from the sofa. "Dress for the occasion?"
