Page 58 of Beneath the Thorned Crown

The weight of the conversation lingers as I turn away, my mind already moving a hundred steps ahead.

I feel Isabella’s eyes on me. Searching. Questioning. She doesn’t say a word, but I know what she’s thinking.

What did he want?

Why didn’t you take the deal?

I don’t answer. Because the truth is—I don’t fucking know what the right move is yet.

Then—I see him.

Nico.

Moving toward me with a controlled urgency. His posture is composed, but I see it—the tightness around his mouth, his gleaming eyes. He wasn’t here in the first place, so if he has come, it can’t be good.

Bad fucking news.

He reaches us, his voice low. “We need to talk.”

I don’t move. Don’t react.

Isabella glances between us, sensing the shift.

Her fingers twitch slightly at her side, a soundless tell of her unease.

Her voice is quiet, almost hesitant. “Dominic?”

I finally look at her, but I don’t answer.

Because I already know—

This night just took a turn.

And whatever Nico is about to tell me?

It’s going to be a fucking problem.

Chapter 17 - Isabella

The car ride back to the estate is torturous. The driver, a man I don’t recognize, keeps his eyes firmly on the road, his posture stiff. I watch the city lights blur past through the tinted windows, my fingers clenched in my lap.

Dominic sent me home.

The words circle in my mind, over and over, like a slow, burning realization. He didn’t ask. He ordered.

Nico barely met my eyes when he found us in the gallery, his usual sarcasm and easy charm replaced by something I couldn’t quite place. But I did notice one thing—the instant he saw Dominic, something changed.

One minute, he looked pissed. The next, his expression shuttered, his mouth pressing into a firm line, his shoulders going rigid.

Dominic didn’t even acknowledge me properly. Just a quick glance, a clipped, “I’ll see you at home,” before giving an order to the driver.

And then he was gone.

The pit in my stomach grows heavier the closer we get to the estate. I press my fingers against my temple, willing the growing headache away. Something happened.

I can feel it.

The estate is eerily quiet when I step inside.

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