Chapter 29

• Leila
• The restaurant, Fori di Cesare, sprawled along the Waterfront of Nulford City like a gilded beast, its opulence a claw around my throat. Crystal chandeliers dripped from the vaulted ceilings, scattering light across marble floors so polished they reflected the glitterati of the Kingdom—men in suits sharp as knives, women draped in silks that whispered wealth.
• The air reeked of truffle oil and old money, thick with the hum of cultured voices and the clink of crystal glasses. I sat in the most coveted viewing seat, a throne of velvet that overlooked the shimmering expanse of water, a bread stick crumbling between my fingers. My phone glowed in my lap, an endless scroll of meaningless faces and hollow updates - distractions from the itch of impatience crawling up my spine.