Chapter 166

Lauren's POV

Roman chuckled softly, his gaze flicking toward me — calm, unbothered, and utterly in control. He didn’t even have to say much; his silence carried authority.

“Well, you can say something like that,” Roman replied to the host, his tone smooth and composed, his eyes still on me as if silently daring me to correct him.

I felt my throat tighten. My pulse fluttered uncomfortably beneath my skin as I forced a small, polite smile. His gaze lingered longer than it should have, and I found myself turning away just slightly, pretending to be interested in the golden chandelier above. I wasn’t sure what to say or how to react. There was an odd heaviness in the air, a tension I couldn’t quite name.

I wanted to tell the host that we weren’t what he thought, that Roman and I were just colleagues, maybe friends. But the words got stuck somewhere in my chest. Because deep down, I wasn’t even sure anymore. Were we just friends? The lines had sta