CHAPTER 51
~Author's POV~
As soon as Xade walked off, Tasha stood rooted to the spot, her nails digging into her palm as she watched Xena disappear down the hall with Raiden and Malakai.
"An actress," she voiced internally.
The word burned, not just jealousy but humiliation. She had walked into that building expecting deference, recognition, and control.
Instead, she had been dragged out like an inconvenience and left behind while Xade's attention followed someone else. Someone disposable.
She refused to lose to that.
While Tasha's mind was pretty occupied, footsteps approached from behind. Tasha sensed it before she heard it, her spine stiffening. She turned her head just enough to acknowledge the presence without fully facing it.
"What's got you looking like you want to burn the place down?" a cold, amused voice asked.
"Xaiden."
Tasha gritted her teeth and clenched her fist for a second before releasing a sigh. She scoffed, putting on a facade. "Mind your business."
