The dinner table was set like a battlefield.

Crystal glasses gleamed under candlelight, silver cutlery aligned with military precision, and the heavy oak table seemed to stretch farther than Elena's patience. Her aunt had spared no expense. roasted lamb, truffle risotto, wine older than Elena herself. It was not dinner. It was a strategy disguised as hospitality.

And at the head of the table, her aunt smiled with the serenity of a queen who had already declared her move.

"Eat," the older ...