Chapter 25 —A Distraction

Narrator:

Aylin was in the kitchen, arranging Sasha's snack tray, when the sound of heels echoed on the marble floor.

She didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

Roxanne's perfume arrived before she did. An intoxicating, expensive fragrance, the kind that lingers in the air like a damn mark of territory.

“Well, look at you... so dedicated to your role,” Roxanne's voice was honeyed, with that false sweetness that barely concealed the edge behind it. “I suppose you have to earn a living somehow.”

Aylin turned with the same calm she had perfected over the past few weeks, which allowed her not to give Roxanne the satisfaction of seeing her affected.

“Miss Duval,” she replied with a polite smile. “Do you need anything?”

Roxanne leaned one hip against the marble island, crossing her arms over her perfect chest, which the strategically unbuttoned white shirt barely contained.

“Oh, nothing important. I was just exploring the house. It's been a while since I've