Chapter 94

Thomas’s companions around the long, polished table exchanged uneasy glances before each gave an automatic nod. At their mechanical assent, Thomas threw back his head and laughed, a rich, jovial sound that rippled through the eager tension at the table’s edge. He turned to Colinrina, who hovered at the side of the stage, her eyes alight with mischief, waiting for his silent go-ahead. With a casual shrug, Thomas surrendered. “Fine. Do whatever you want,” he said, voice warm. “My husband says you can all be trusted.” He offered his friends a sweet, reassuring smile. “Don’t disappoint her, then—my trusty, dependable people of BV.”

A hush descended over the room, thick with anticipation, and Thomas’s grin widened in triumph. His casual confidence had packed the pressure squarely onto the men seated around him.

“Our game is simple,” Colinrina announced, stepping forward into the glare of the stage lights. She paused, savoring the suspended moment, then let her lips curve in a