Xavier strolled into Seraphina's restaurant with Lilia and Lyra at his sides. But this time, there was a fourth shadow in the mix—Viola.
The second they stepped in, Seraphina froze mid-motion behind the counter. Her eyes snapped to the unfamiliar girl clinging comfortably to Xavier's orbit, and her expression slipped just enough to betray shock before she schooled it into her usual composed smile.
Still, her gaze never left Viola, sharp and assessing, and every so often it flicked back to Xavier with that unmistakable flare of jealousy burning through.
Breakfast was quiet on the surface, but the undercurrent was electric. Lilia and Lyra chatted casually, Viola sat calm as if she belonged there, while Seraphina kept circling the table, a little too attentive, her eyes narrowing whenever Xavier leaned even slightly toward the newcomer.
Xavier, however, didn't feed it one bit. He just ate, sipped his coffee, and ignored the tension hanging in the air like it didn't exist.
