The slap echoed through the hallway.
Arthur's head remained turned for a moment. Heat spread across his cheek, and beneath the borrowed face of Albert Valentino, his jaw tightened.
He tasted blood.
The horned man stood before him, looking down with an expression of undisguised contempt.
"How dare you?"
His voice was low, but it carried to every corner of the reception area.
"Lowly creatures at the bottom of the food chain, and you think you can keep someone like me waiting?"
Arthur slowly turned his head back.
He did not raise a hand to his face or reach for a weapon. But beneath the loose sleeves of his robe, his fingers had curled into fists.
'Remember why you are here.'
His gaze moved briefly toward Jessica. She stood beside the sofa, her face difficult to read.
Then Rose stepped forward.
"How dare you slap our chief?"
Salina's eyes widened.
Arthur looked at Rose. For one fleeting moment, he wondered whether she possessed more courage than sense.
Then she continued.
