Seraphine pressed her lips together, the irritation already simmering in her chest as she shot back, her voice calm but sharp enough to cut.
"It's not my fault Voren is acting childish."
The moment the words left her mouth, the couple across from her visibly flinched, as though she had just spoken something forbidden out loud. James stiffened first, followed closely by Mila, whose fingers curled tighter around her teacup.
"Do you even know who you're talking about?" Mila asked, her tone low and cautious.
Seraphine lifted her chin and offered a polite smile, but it never reached her eyes, never softened the guarded edge in her gaze.
"Voren Ashkael?" she said evenly. "I think he has way too many problems on his hands right now to care about what I say about him."
James's gaze dropped to the table, his jaw tightening as everyone present silently acknowledged the unspoken truth hanging in the air. The Ashkael Holdings challenge was no longer a rumor or distant corporate drama.
