Chapter 98. The Reflection

"Don't touch anything yet, B," Myla warned, her voice was firm but playful. " We are still waiting for Jay. Sit down."

Beck smirked mischievously, enjoying the playful glint in her eyes that hadn't been there earlier that morning, as he still reached across the table.

She stretched out her hand and lightly smacked Beck’s hand just as his fingers brushed the crust of a freshly baked loaf of sourdough in the bread basket.

"Ow!" Beck let out a dramatic wince, clutching his hand to his chest and pouting with exaggerated misery. "Myyyyy...." He whined childishly. "I’m wasting away, and my brain needs carbs to process the firewall encryption I’m running upstairs."

"You’ll survive another five minutes," she countered, rolling her eyes as she adjusted a place mat. "We are eating together.”

They were downstairs in the formal dining hall, the atmosphere light. The cook was just finishing serving the food, the steam from the roasted chicken and herbs fi