"Did you just question my order?" Adrian asked softly.
The words did not rise.
They fell.
Like a blade dropped from height.
Silence slammed into the room so hard it felt physical, pressing against chests, stealing breath. Even the air seemed to freeze, thick with the weight of what had just been said.
No one moved, no one dared to.
Kaelo's throat worked as she swallowed. Fear,.real fear... crept up her spine like a living thing.
"No, boss…" she said quickly, her voice stripped of its earlier confidence. "I wouldn't dare... I would never dare to"
Before she could say anything again, another voice cut in.
"You said you wouldn't dare," Lucas Reyes said quietly as he stepped further into the room, arms crossed, expression unreadable. "But you just did."
It was like tossing gasoline onto fire.
Kaelo snapped her head toward him, fury flashing in her eyes, but Lucas wasn't her problem.
Adrian was.
She didn't look at him.
She couldn't anymore.
