Chapter 123
He started towards me, his movements smooth and purposeful, like a predator closing in on its prey. I forced myself to stand my ground, to meet his gaze without flinching.
"Miss Alayna?"
Mr. Armand stood there, looking profoundly misplaced. His face was pale, etched with a deeper anxiety than I had ever seen at our dinner table.
"Hello, Mr. Armand," I said, adjusting my grip on the linens.
He blinked, as if the question and my appearance in a stark white coat, my hair pinned back, holding soiled sheets required significant mental recalibration.
"Nice to see you again. What are you doing here?" he finally managed, his voice carefully neutral.
A flare of defiance warmed my chest. "This is exactly where I'm supposed to be. In the hospital." I nodded toward the linens, as if they were proof. "But you? Is someone unwell?"
