Chapter 129: Divided Loyalties

Quam speared an olive with his fork, a bitter taste lingering on his tongue that had nothing to do with the food. He stole a glance at Mariana across the dimly lit table. Admiration, a persistent undercurrent, warred with the sting of rejection. He'd made his feelings clear, and her response had been polite but firm – friendship only. He understood, or at least told himself he did. Yet, here he was, relegated to the farthest seat, a physical manifestation of the boundaries she'd established. Pushing the unpleasant thoughts aside, Quam focused on the conversation. Or at least, he tried to. The air crackled with a strange tension, a silent judgment he felt directed squarely at him. Was it too much to ask for a simple friendship with Mariana? He gritted his teeth, forcing a smile as Nicole regaled the table with a hilarious anecdote about a previous shoot gone wrong. Despite the undercurrent of tension, the dinner flowed with a veneer of normalcy. Daphne, ever the social butterfly,