Third Person's POV
"Alexander Blackwood!"
Alexander's brows furrowed. He knew that voice anywhere.
Slowly, he turned... and his gaze met his mother's. Her arm was held firmly by an unfamiliar woman as she marched toward him. Her face was flushed, a clear sign she was already displeased.
Beside him, Serena's grip on his arm tightened instinctively. Alexander gave her a calm pat, a silent reassurance that he had everything under control.
"Mom," he greeted, meeting her eyes without flinching.
"Alexander, who is this?" his mother demanded the moment she was close enough, her tone clipped, authoritative and uncompromising.
He inhaled slowly. "This is Serena," he said calmly. "My date for today."
His mother's gaze swept over Serena—assessing, scrutinizing, weighing her worth in a matter of seconds.
