As soon as James finished his report, I turned towards the study door.

—Alice—I called in an even tone.

She looked up immediately, her thoughts clearly elsewhere.

—Follow us.

Her eyebrows met slightly.

—You don't want Fernando to make another attempt to take you away right now, do you?

I gave a small, mocking smile afterward, just to top it off. I'd figured out pretty quickly that Alice found my amusement deeply irritating. As expected, her expression immediately turned serious.

Without saying