How are you, you stubborn fool?" he said, his tone deliberately cheerful.
The room was... better than he'd expected.
Curtains drawn back, sunlight flooding the space.
Floor clean, linens white.
But on the bed...
Lyomord sat, back against the pillows.
His long blonde hair clean but somewhat disheveled.
Face gaunt, pale, but not lifeless.
And his beautiful emerald eyes...
Utterly vacant.
Lyomord froze.
His head snapped toward the sound.
"Daniel?!" His voice emerged hoarse, mixed with shock and fury.
"In the flesh," Daniel replied happily, closing the door quietly.
"Get out!" Lyomord shouted, hand gripping the blanket's edge. "Get out now!"
"No."
"Victoria!" Lyomord bellowed with rage.
Victoria appeared at the threshold, only her upper half visible, the rest of her body carefully concealed behind the door.
"Yes, my lord?" she answered with gentle calm, as though the shouting hadn't been directed at her.
She felt Daniel Devon's gaze settle upon her—scrutinizing, not without amusement.
Lyomord said sharply, his voice tighter than it should be:
"Victoria, remove this wretch immediately!"
Victoria looked at Duke Devon—who stood taller and far more substantial than she, his imposing frame filling the doorway with an almost overwhelming physicality—then returned her gaze to Lyomord.
She said with complete seriousness:
"My lord... even if I tried for the rest of my life, I couldn't budge this mass of muscle."
Daniel's smile widened instantly, and he turned to Lyomord with obvious mirth:
"You heard? Mass of muscle. Best description I've heard in years."
Lyomord ground his teeth:
"Victoria, I swear—"
"Leo." Daniel's voice cut through, no longer playful. "We're going to talk. Whether you like it or not."
Silence fell, thick and dangerous.
Then Lyomord turned his face away.
"Fine. Say what you came to say, then leave."
Daniel glanced at Victoria, still hovering at the door's edge.
"You may go, Miss Marsh. I'll call if we need anything."
Victoria hesitated for the briefest moment—her eyes flicking between the two men—then bowed her head slightly.
"As you wish, my lord."
She closed the door softly behind her.