"IS THIS REALLY NECESSARY, Lucson?" Grayson asked, his voice muffled by the silk tie he was struggling to knot. "Must I endure another day of this?"
Lucson didn't even look up from his tablet. He was sitting in the breakfast nook, perfectly still, like a gargoyle. "Boredom is your shield, Grayson. If Valerius sees you as a man preoccupied with quarterly projections and the quality of office espresso, he will stop looking for anything suspicious. One more day. Be dull. Be predictable. Be the CEO this world expects."
Mailah entered the kitchen, her heels clicking against the marble floor. She looked sharp in a charcoal blazer and a crisp white shirt, but her eyes held a spark of shared mischief when she looked at Grayson.
She walked over to him, gently batting his hands away from the tie that was currently losing its battle with his dignity.
"Here," she whispered, her fingers nimble as they looped the silk. "Think of it as a ritual."
