“Or what?”
Silence.
The kind that doesn’t need volume to carry threat.
The second man—older, quieter—stepped in.
“We didn’t come to argue,” he said. “We came because of the meeting.”
I glanced at Rick.
He stood.
“It’s not happening today.”
Elena’s expression sharpened.
“It is,” she said. “You don’t get to delay this because you decided to play house.”
Play house.
Something in me tightened—but I stayed still.
Rick didn’t raise his voice.
“I’ve made my position clear.”
“And we’ve made ours,” she replied. “Which is why this—” she gestured toward me “—doesn’t change anything.”
I finally spoke.
“Clearly, it changes something.”
All eyes turned to me.
For a second, I almost wished I hadn’t said it.
But it was too late.
Elena studied me, slower this time.
“You don’t even know what you’re part of, do you?”
“No,” I said honestly. “But I’m guessing you’re about to explain it.”
A small smile touched her lips.
Not kind.
“Not me.”
She looked at Rick.
“He should have told you before putting a ring on your finger.”
Rick’s jaw tightened slightly.
“I’ll handle it.”
“Handle it quickly,” she said. “Because whether she understands it or not… she’s already involved.”
That word again.
Involved.
