{Rennon}
~**^**~
As the door clicked shut behind Elira with a soft thud, silence pooled into the room like mist.
"Why did you lie to her?" I asked quietly, my voice calm but firm.
I leaned back in my chair and let a beat pass, then turned to Zenon. The words came before I could measure them.
"Why did you lie to her?"
Zenon didn't flinch, but the lines at the corners of his mouth tightened. From across the desk, Lennon paused mid-action, a container of creamy pasta dangling from one hand.
"Wait—what lie?" he asked, eyes darting between us.
"Elira asked if our father and her mother were more than friends back in ESA," I said, keeping my tone even. "Zenon told her, 'We don't know.'"
Lennon blinked once, then slowly turned to Zenon. "Why would you say that?"
Zenon gave a short exhale through his nose. "Because it's not a lie. None of us know what really happened between them. Everything we suspect is built on whispers, body language, and speculation."
