"You're... the General?" I stammered.

He inclined his head. "So you do recognize me."

I gestured toward the living area, my mind reeling. "Please... sit."

The woman—Cassandra—strutted past me like a panther. The room felt smaller with every step she took. I offered drinks, but Reginald dismissed the thought with a flick of his hand. "Sit."

I sat. My body obeyed him before my mind could protest.

"This is my wife, Cassandra," Reginald said.

"Wife?" I couldn't hide the shock. She looked young—far too young to be his wife, and barely older than Roman. She smiled at my discomfort, a sharp, satisfied curve of her lips. She wasn't a fragile bride; she was a viper in silk.

"I'll be damned," Cassandra said, her eyes raking over me. "I would have bet my life Roman would never stray from his... preference for blondes. You're quite the rebellion, aren't you?"

"People's tastes evolve," I said flatly, my hands curling into fists. "I don't see why that matters."

She touched her jet-black hair. "It’s a wig, darling. I’m naturally blonde." She winked, the implication of Roman’s 'type' hanging in the air like poison.

Reginald’s cane struck the floor. "I trust my invitation to the Manor was received?"

"Yes... sir."

"And I expect to see you there, then?"

My heart hammered. If I said yes, Roman would be furious. If I said no, I was insulting a man who could erase me.

"I—"

"She will not be attending."

We all turned. Roman stood in the doorway, his eyes burning with pure venom. He stepped between us, his shoulders a wall of protection. "And I believe I’ve already made her decision known."

"Are you challenging me, Roman?" Reginald’s voice was like iron.

"You know damn well I am," Roman rasped.

Reese leaned back, enjoying the show. "Why don't we let her decide? Straight from the horse's mouth."

Every gaze in the room—the General’s iron stare, Cassandra’s mocking smile, the guards’ cold eyes—landed on me.

"Tell them, Sav," Roman said quietly. "Tell them you wouldn't wish to attend."

He wasn't just asking. He was begging me with his eyes. But the General was daring me to defy him. Whichever truth I spoke, it felt like it might be the last thing I ever said.