#Chapter 14: Beneath the Surface

Lauren's POV The room seemed to freeze, the weight of his words hanging in the air. Alexander’s jaw tightened, his gaze dropping to where Liam’s hand rested on my hip. What? Fiancée? The word echoed in my mind as I stared back at Liam. My gaze flicked to Sophia, whose smile seemed to stretch wider by the second, her eyes sparkling with the satisfaction of a secret revealed. “Your fiancée?” Alexander repeated, his voice dangerously calm. “That’s right,” Liam replied, his tone light but his grip firm. “Though I suppose congratulations are in order for you and Sophia as well.” Sophia beamed, clearly pleased by the implication, but Alexander’s focus remained on me. His expression was unreadable, but the tension in his shoulders spoke volumes. His dark, intense gaze never wavered from me, as though he were peeling away the layers of my composure with every passing second. The heat of his stare crawled beneath my skin, leaving an unsettling trail I couldn’t shake. I hated h