~Narrator’s~

“Mrs. Streams… or is it Mrs. Cuss?”

That one question alone sends a ripple through the parlor.

It comes from a woman with a sharp bob and sharper tongue, seated at the far end of the U-shaped discussion panel. She’s a new liaison from a regulatory PR firm that the board claims is just here to “streamline public sentiment.” But no one misses the smirk curled on her matte lips.

Jennie doesn’t flinch.

She folds her hands on her lap, slowly, and shifts her weight on the chiffon-cushioned seat. Across from her, Leo stays eerily calm. His knuckles brush hers once—barely noticeable. But enough to remind her: he’s here....