Bernard's POV
The terrace felt suffocating after Penny and Maya vanished into the crowd. Tension clung to the air like humidity before a storm. Only the faint melody from the ballroom broke the uncomfortable quiet that had settled over everyone remaining.
Cassandra wore that self-satisfied expression she always got when she thought she'd landed a perfect blow. Her poisonous remark about Penny had clearly hit its target, and now she stood there radiating triumph, convinced she'd successfully humiliated me in front of everyone.
Felicity and Silas shifted uncomfortably, their eyes darting between each other as they tried to process what had just unfolded. Philip appeared completely bewildered, attempting to piece together Cassandra's implication without any real context to guide him.
