The silence in the common room was heavy enough to feel. Kaela's personal story hung in the air, a raw piece of history that felt too genuine to be a corporate lie.
Lucian studied her, his eyes narrowed. The crowd was forgotten; it was just the two of them now, a quiet war of wills in the center of the room.
"You have an appealing point," Lucian finally said, his voice low and measured. "But how do you know my name?"
A faint, almost apologetic smile touched Kaela's lips. She gestured slightly with her chin towards Silas, who was still frozen mid-swig. "I guessed. The way he tells his stories… there's always a 'Lucian' making the tough calls in the background. The calm one. The leader. It wasn't hard to figure out which one you were."
Lucian closed his eyes for a brief second and let out a long, slow breath. He looked at Silas, who offered a weak, guilty shrug. Then he turned his gaze back to Kaela, his decision made.
