Arm finally looked up. His eyes weren't filled with fear or even anger; they were as cold and dead as a frozen lake. He set his glass down with a slow, deliberate click.
"You think you can touch him?" Arm's voice was a low, terrifying whisper. "You think your little political connections and your father's influence can reach past the wall I've built around him?"
He stood up, towering over her, his presence radiating a predatory stillness. "Mild is the only thing in this world that is truly mine. If you so much as breathe in his direction without my permission, I will dismantle your family's legacy brick by brick. I will turn your name into a curse before the sun sets."
He leaned in, his gaze boring into hers. "I dare you to try, Mileh. Give me a reason to show you why they call me the Ice King."
Mileh recoiled, the sheer weight of his threat silencing her. She realized then that Arm wasn't just obsessed; he was willing to burn the entire world down just to keep Mild in the ashes.
