Elena’s POV

The entire studio froze the moment Xue Man stepped through the door.

Coffee dripped from ruined drafts onto the tile floor, voices overlapped in frantic explanations, and the air carried a sharp bitterness from the spilled pot.

Xue Man’s expression tightened as she took in the mess, her heels clicking forward with restrained irritation.

Before I could speak, Silvia darted into her line of sight, her voice pitched high with indignation. She clutched at her chest as though ...