The silence in the conference room stretched taut after Savina’s st words, thick with the kind of tension that hummed just beneath the skin. He unfolded his hands slowly, exhaling through his nose as though he could simply dismiss the raw charge that crackled between them all.

  His gaze shifted to Camille, measuring every flicker of her expression, every subtle shift in her posture.

  “I assume you and Xavier are not speaking, much less residing together at present?”

  Camille’s grin bloomed, sharp and amused, the kind that promised secrets and left heat in its wake.

  “Only through wyers.”

  He nodded once, then pressed the button inset into the glossy surface of the conference table.

  “Anika. Come to the conference room, please.”

  Camille and Savina exchanged a gnce—Camille’s bright with intrigue, Savina’s narrowed in instant suspicion. He folded his arms across his chest, his voice steady again, unhurried and low.

  “I suggest we step back for a while. Let things cool down.”

  The door opened moments ter. Anika stepped inside, crisp in her uniform, posture precise as always. Her face remained composed, yet her eyes betrayed a quick spark of curiosity she tried to bank.

  “Yes, Mr. Lachn?”

  He turned his full attention to her.

  “Anika, are our two master guest suites ready for guests?”

  She hesitated for the briefest second, long enough to show she sensed the shift in the air, then answered with a careful smile she barely managed to contain.

  “Yes. Just refreshed today.”

  He let the silence linger, deliberate and heavy, before looking back at Camille and Savina.

  “Well?”

  Camille inclined her head with that practiced grace of hers, then gnced at her daughter. Savina’s face hardened, eyes locked on her mother as if the woman had sprouted wings and stepped straight out of some other world. Then she tossed her head back in pure theatrical disbelief.

  “Fiiiiine.”

  His voice sliced cleanly through the moment.

  “Good. My people will bring in your things from the car. Anika, show our guests to their suites.”

  “Yes, sir.” Anika said.

  The two women rose. Camille smoothed her jacket with slow hands, the fabric sliding over her curves in a whisper that drew his eye for one lingering beat. Her smile never slipped. Savina rolled her eyes hard enough to strain belief, muttering under her breath as she followed.

  Just before they reached the door, he spoke again.

  “Camille.”

  She stopped, gncing back, one elegant brow arched in quiet challenge.

  “Yes?”

  “Dinner. Tonight. Just the two of us. We’ll hash some of this out away from the noise.”

  Savina groaned audibly right behind her, eyes rolling so dramatically it was a wonder she could still see straight. She shook her head, muttering like someone sentenced to endless theater she had zero interest in watching.

  Camille’s lips curved deeper, her eyes glinting with that dark, knowing spark that promised the night would deliver far more than conversation.

  “I’ll be there.”

  She slipped out, her smile trailing behind her like a heady trace of perfume that clung to the air long after she was gone. Savina passed him st, gaze narrowed to twin bdes of warning.

  When the door clicked shut and the room settled into true silence, he remained unmoving, stoic as stone.

  Only when he was certain no eyes lingered did the faintest smirk curve his lips.