“Cassia,” Ace called.

She didn’t slow.

Her steps were steady, precise, deliberate, like a rhythm that demanded attention without asking for it. That cold, regal stride made the crowd instinctively part around her. No one dared block her path, not because they feared her, but because she carried an authority that belonged only to her. She didn’t look at anyone. Didn’t speak. Just moved forward as if she owned the ground beneath her feet.

Ace quickened his pace, weaving past a group of ...