The silence in Nikolai's penthouse was a strange kind. Not the usual calm before one of his storms but a suffocating quiet that made Liora's skin crawl. He sat across from her at the dinner table, the untouched steak between them going cold. His hand held a glass of whiskey but he hadn't taken a sip in the last ten minutes. His eyes were fixed on her unreadable.
"Liora," he finally said voice deceptively soft. "Do you have something to tell me?
Her fork clattered against the plate the sound way too loud in the quiet. Her mind scrambled, guilt clawing at her throat. She wanted to lie, wanted to dodge but his stare rooted her in place.
She forced a laugh, weak and shaky "What? Did I eat the last piece of garlic bread?
I thought you hated carbs.
His lips curved not in amusement but in mockery. "Garlic bread? That's what you choose little one?
Her heart skipped He only called her little one when he was either being tender… or about to tear someone apart.
