These past few minutes had to be the most painfully awkward moments of Sophia’s life. The room plunged into a heavy silence. The intense eye contact between Julian and the woman named Olivia spoke volumes, yet revealed nothing at the same time. There was an undeniable tension, clear from the way his jaw tightened and fury flashed in his darkened green eyes as he stared at her.

Could she be an ex-lover? A relationship that had ended badly, perhaps? That seemed like a reasonable explanation.

For the briefest moment, Julian glanced at Maya, raising his eyebrow in a way that felt almost threatening. Sophia noticed her father awkwardly shifting in...