Maximilian glanced at the screen.
Dorian.
For a fleeting second, a dark impulse flashed through him… if only one could punch someone through a phone.
He almost declined the call himself.
But before he could act, Catherine did something he did not expect.
She pressed the accept button and placed the phone in his hand.
Then she turned and walked straight to Alexander, slipping quietly into the circle of her brothers as if the world outside that space no longer existed.
She didn't want to deal with Dorian. So she handed him over.
Maximilian stared at the phone for half a second.
"Hello?"
"Catherine?" Dorian's voice came through, tight with urgency.
Maximilian's mouth curved slightly.
"What do you want?"
Silence.
"…What are you—" Dorian stopped mid-sentence.
Then realization dawned.
"Max… Maximilian?"
Maximilian had a thousand sharp things he could say. A dozen threats he could imply without raising his voice.
But he looked up.
