Chapter 195

Cecilia's pov The lunch hour arrived with the tension of a drawn line in the sand. Amara appeared at my office door, her designer suit immaculate, her smile polished to a mirror shine. "Join me for lunch?" she asked, using that honeyed tone she reserved for people she wanted something from. I glanced up from my computer. "Sure." But before I could even close my laptop, a deep voice sliced through the room--flat, final, and unmistakably in charge. "She's already committed." Both Amara and I turned. Sebastian stood at the door, posture relaxed but unmistakably alpha, his expression stone-serene, the kind you couldn't read unless he wanted you to. His presence filled the space--shoulders squared, one hand casually in his pocket, as if he hadn't just walked in to plant a flag. Behind him, Beta Sawyer managed a diplomatic half-smile, the kind you wear when you're watching a train wreck in slow motion but can't look away. "Oh," Amara recovered quickly, her voice climbing half an octave. "I d