Samantha's POV
The air seemed off the moment we entered the room. Stressing. The way Lila sat there, her stance too slack, the wine glass in her palm sloppily tilting as though she had no care in the world, I could see right away. But her gaze pointed her away. They watched every movement we made, keen and concentrated. They contained computation, exactly as Julian had cautioned.
Though my heart was racing in my chest, I tried to keep my face blank. Alex stood next to me, stiff and quiet, but I sensed the storm building inside him. Though only just, he was keeping it together. Our goal in walking into this encounter was exactly to extract the truth from Lila. There are no lies anymore. Games are not what we have.
Lila looked between us, a small smile tugging at the margins of her mouth
