Rafael's apartment was quiet in the way only well-managed lives ever are.
Morning light filtered through the sheer curtains, pale and restrained, catching on glass surfaces and the clean edges of furniture. The city beyond the windows moved on without him, while inside, time had narrowed to something smaller as Rafael had done everything in his power to ignore the society after the luncheon.
Rafael received even more invitations to parties, events, and social events that would have made even his mother faint. He ignored all of them.
He sat at the dining table that doubled as his home office, tablet propped at an angle, a cooling cup of coffee untouched at his right.
The night before had been long, as Prince Arik of Agaron had been born just before dawn.
