28. The Show-I

|| Lilac’s POV || The air was thick with the mingling scents of expensive perfumes and gourmet food, the atmosphere both luxurious and suffocating. We sat at the table, the tension palpable, our fake smiles plastered on like masks. The server had just poured us one of the most expensive wines on the menu, the deep red liquid swirling in the crystal glasses like liquid fire. I took a sip, the taste rich and bold, but it did little to ease the knot of unease in my stomach. “Thank you, Benson, for obliging the request,” Alpha King Darius said, his voice smooth and composed as he addressed my father. His golden eyes were sharp, his expression unreadable, but there was a flicker of something, guilt, perhaps, or regret, that I couldn’t quite place. “Not a problem,” Dad replied, his tone polite but clipped. He leaned back in his chair, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp. “So, what did you want to talk about?” Luna Cassandra smiled, her warm eyes turning to me. “First, we wanted to apologi