"I'm something a bit more complicated than this conversation has time for," I said calmly, letting the words linger in the warm, velvet air between us. "And I'll take a cup of tea, if we're discussing business."
Yan Luo didn't speak for a moment. He simply stared—languid, amused, calculating. Then he lifted his fingers in a slow wave, as if conducting music only he could hear.
From the shadows, a figure emerged.
I hadn't sensed them, which meant they were either very good… or something else entirely. The bodyguard was tall, narrow-eyed, with a silk veil covering the lower half of their face. Silent as wind through paper walls, they stepped forward, placed a delicate porcelain cup into my hand, and disappeared again.
The porcelain was warm against my fingers, smooth and translucent. Steam curled upward like smoke from a spell, carrying with it the scent of jasmine, dried plum, and something darker beneath.
