The champagne was cold and sweet in a way that made it deceptively easy to drink.Emma held her flute and told herself she was in control of the situation. She was not drunk. She was simply relaxed, which was a completely different thing, and she was fully capable of distinguishing between the two.Logan, sitting beside her, watched her accept the second refill Vivian's server had brought to the table with the expression of someone who had made a calculation and was not pleased with the result."You should slow down," Logan said, his voice low enough for only Emma to hear.Emma's eyes moved to him, slightly slower than usual. "I'm fine.""You've had three glasses in forty minutes.""It's a celebration." Emma straightened in her chair with the careful deliberateness of someone whose coordination had started requiring conscious effort. "I'm celebrating. People drink at celebrations. That's what celebrations are for."Logan reached across the table and moved her champagne flute two inche

The dining hall door closed behind Logan with a soft, definitive click.For a moment, Vivian stood motionless. Her expression, which had been carefully arranged into warmth and generosity, shifted with almost imperceptible smoothness into something else entirely. The softness drained from her face, replaced by a cold clarity that made her eyes look sharp and calculating. A small smile pulled at the corner of her mouth, the kind that belonged to someone watching a complex plan slide into its proper place like machinery finally aligned.She exhaled slowly through her nose, satisfaction moving through her with the particular warmth of anticipation.Everything was working perfectly.Across the dining hall, Ashley and Trevor had stopped pretending to focus on their meals. Their attention had locked onto the unfolding situation with the focused interest of people watching entertainment that had been specifically designed for their enjoyment.Trevor leaned toward Ashley, his voice dropping t

The dining hall felt heavier after Logan stepped out, the chatter dipping into a tense hush that no one else seemed to notice. Emma sat there, the world tilting softly around her from all the drinks, her face blank and cold like she had already checked out.Vivian slid in close with a fake-sweet smile, her fingers wrapping around Emma's arm like a trap snapping shut."Come on, Emma, you poor thing, you look like a dizzy little rat who wandered into the wrong cage," Vivian cooed, tugging her up. Her eyes sparkled with cruel delight, thinking how perfectly this trap was closing. Ashley jumped in on the other side, giggling as she looped an arm through Emma's."Yeah, let's get this worthless bug out of here before she pukes on the fancy tablecloths like the disgusting insect she is," Ashley added, her nose wrinkling in fake concern while her grip pinched hard enough to bruise.Emma's expression stayed icy and detached, her body moving on autopilot, not fighting but not caring either, lik