Renar brushed past her shoulder, about to leave.
"Can't you open your heart for me again?" Reia's firm voice halted his step.
He frowned but didn't turn to face her. She was the one who stepped closer.
"You and her… do you really think it'll work? She and Zeran seem so serious." Reia coaxed him with that cursed sweet tone, the one that used to weaken his guard.
Renar let out a heavy sigh, visibly annoyed by her words.
"That's not your problem. Just stick to the terms of our deal."
"But now people are assuming—"
"When were they not?" he cut her off. "As people of influence, our lives will always be full of assumptions and judgment. We'd lose our minds if we tried to meet every expectation. Just wait, they'll forget soon enough."
He continued walking.
"Do you really love her?" Reia half-shouted now that the guests had all left the hall.
That damn question again.
This time, Renar turned and looked her in the eye.
