"Mother, do you know her?" Melissa asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

I could see the same bewilderment mirrored in Ryan's eyes. Just as I was about to fabricate another lie, Alex's voice cut through the tension like a knife.

"She does," he said, his tone flat and emotionless.

Alex's mother straightened her spine, her face a mask of practiced nonchalance. "She works for my son. Why wouldn't I know her?"

Ryan, his eyes darting between us, ventured cautiously, "You just seemed...surprised to see her."

"I didn't know she would be coming home with him," she replied, her words clipped and precise.

Melissa, ever the eager participant, chimed in, "She...