Mirella stepped closer to Belle, her heels clicking softly on the floor. The other girls held their breath, watching. Mirella tilted Belle's chin up with two fingers, her touch cold and controlling.
"How did you feel watching them?" she asked softly, almost sweetly. "Seeing the guards take Rina like that... did it make your heart race?"
Belle swallowed hard, her lips pressed tightly together. She didn't answer.
Mirella smiled. "No words? Interesting."
She looked around at the silent girls. "Back to your rooms. Now."
The girls hurried off without a word. Belle followed behind, her mind spinning. But just as she reached the corner near the hallway leading to her room, she stopped. Alessandro was there, leaning casually against the wall with a grin on his face.
"Well, well," he said, straightening up. "Didn't think I'd see you alone so soon."
