Page 94 of The Obedient Lie
That made us deadly.
Untouchable.
And everyone wanted a taste anyway.
“She’s been holding court over there for twenty minutes,” Luca muttered, sipping slowly.
I didn’t answer.
Didn’t need to.
My gaze hadn’t left her since we walked in.
She shifted slightly, laughing at something, fingers trailing the stem of her glass like she wasn’t fully invested. Her dress was black. Simple. Backless. A slit up one thigh that made my hands curl around the base of my glass just to stop myself from moving.
“Remember the party she kissed us at?” I said, voice low, keeping my gaze fixed.
Luca’s jaw twitched. “How could I forget?”
He exhaled a small breath, something like a laugh but darker.
“She made the move,” I murmured, tipping my glass toward my mouth. “Maybe it’s time we return the favor.”
Luca’s eyes flicked to mine. “In front ofthem?”
“In front ofeveryone,” I said, watching her.
Then I set my glass down.
Luca didn’t need a signal. He drained the rest of his drink and followed, slow and deliberate, like we weren’t just crossing a room—we were drawing a line through it.
The girls near her noticed first.
Their laughter trailed off mid-breath. One’s lips parted slightly. Another straightened her posture. That familiar flicker—half fear, half fascination—crossed their faces.
They all knew who we were.
Everyone in this room did.
Crows didn’t move without purpose. If we were coming towardyou, it meant something.
But Emilia…
She hadn’t noticed yet.
Still mid-conversation. Still nodding politely to some heir from the North District whose suit cost more than most tuition and whose last name probably bought him into more roomsthan his brain ever could.
She was listening, but not really there.
Too unbothered to realize the entire dynamic around her had shifted.
That every girl she stood with had either gone silent or leaned slightly—like they wanted to be mistaken forher.
Luca’s shoulder brushed mine once as we cut across the last row of polished dynasty kids, most of whom stepped aside instinctively. They didn’t try to hide it.
And still, she hadn’t looked up.
Not until I was close enough to touch her.
