"Rose?" Vanessa watches me carefully, her head tilted to the side. "Is everything alright?""Sorry, I zoned out for a second."

Vanessa raises an eyebrow but doesn't press further. "I was asking if Solomon informed you about the brawls."

"Brawls?" Come to think of it, he'd mentioned something about fighting. "Not in detail."

Edwin 's posture shifts, his spine straightening as he faces me. The change is subtle but unmistakable, and I sit up straight in response, rolling my shoulders back as I ...