Chapter 132

Roman's POV

The sound of another set of footsteps approaching snapped me out of my thoughts about Aria. My mind had drifted somewhere else — too deep, too dangerous. For a second, I thought it was Lauren returning with the juice she promised me, but when I looked up, it wasn’t her. It was her friend, Tessa.

“Lauren told me you stopped by, so I decided to come say hello,” she said with an easy smile, stretching her hand toward me.

I stood up politely, meeting her halfway with a handshake. Her grip was firm, confident the kind of handshake you’d expect from someone who didn’t need to pretend to be nice but chose to anyway.

“I don’t think we properly introduced ourselves the last time I was here,” I said, shaking her hand. “I’m sure you already know who I am, but I’d like to know your name, Lauren’s non-biological sister.”

The corner of her lips curled into a smirk, clearly amused by my tone. “You can call me Tessa,” she replied.

Bef