Evaline:
The moment he said the words, something inside me went still.
Not tense. Not angry.
Just… resigned.
Any fragile spark of hope I'd let myself feel died quietly in my chest. I didn't need to be a genius to see it for what it was. Elion Grey never gave anything freely. Every answer had a weight, every truth a price.
And here it was.
Another trap.
I straightened on the couch, already preparing myself to end this conversation right now. I could walk out of this office with my dignity intact. I could wait another week. I'd done it before. I could do it again.
My fingers pressed into the cushion beside me as I shifted forward, breath parting to tell him exactly that...
"You don't need to label me a manipulator so quickly."
I froze.
My eyes snapped back to him.
He was watching me with that infuriatingly calm expression, one brow lifted slightly, as if he had just caught me mid-thought.
I didn't look embarrassed.
I didn't look guilty.
