The group parted, making way for Eloise to walk between them before they followed without a sound. Eloise stood at the end of the desks; her arms elegantly crossed against her chest as she waited for them to sit. Tilda and Laurent sat to her right; Laurent’s hand draped protectively over the back of Tilda’s chair. Aldrick sat on the other side of him, leaving Caroline to sit between Corbin and Nadine on the opposite side.

“First, despite the fact what you did was incredibly ...