Chapter 114
Chapter 114:
Hilliard’s lip twitched. He recognized the tone. He recognized the accusation. He didn’t smile, but something in his eyes softened slightly with understanding.
He sat down directly opposite Cailin — and directly above the spot where Davy was now hiding.
“So, this is the famous Elia,” Hilliard said, turning his gaze to the girl sitting beside Ashely.
Elia stared back at him with wide green eyes. She wasn’t scared anymore; she was curious. “Do you have the green stone?” she asked.
“Elia,” Ashely warned, placing a firm hand on the girl’s shoulder.
Hilliard’s eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second. How does this child know about the Ocean’s Tear? he wondered. It was a secret known only to himself, Cailin, and Kegan’s proxy. He filed the anomaly away carefully.
Under the table, Davy shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position. His knee connected with a dull, solid thud against Hilliard’s leg.
Hilliard paused. He glanced downward, but the tablecloth obscured everything. He looked back at Cailin, one eyebrow raised.
“Restless legs, Cailin?” he asked, his voice laced with quiet amusement.
“Nervous energy,” Cailin said smoothly, her face a mask of calm. Beneath the table, she subtly tapped her foot against Davy’s shin — a clear warning to stay still.
In protest, Davy reached out from the darkness and grabbed her ankle.
рo𝗉𝗎𝗅a𝗿 𝘴𝘁o𝗋𝗂es 𝗼ո ѕ.𝖼o𝗺
Cailin choked on her water.
The waiter brought a basket of breadsticks. The scent of garlic and butter filled the small booth.
Hilliard broke a breadstick in half and looked at Ashely.
“So, this ex-husband,” he said, his tone light but his eyes sharp. “What was his name p>
Ashely stiffened. The breadstick she was holding snapped clean between her fingers. “I don’t talk about him,” she said, her voice turning cold. “He’s gone. That’s all you need to know p>
Hilliard raised an eyebrow, sensing the raw nerve he had just struck. He decided to let it go — for now.
Under the table, Aron’s stomach let out a long, mournful growl.
Silence fell over the booth.
Hilliard looked around slowly, his head tilted. “Was that a dog p>
“That was me!” Ashely announced brightly, patting her stomach. “I’m absolutely starving p>
Cailin, seizing the opportunity, reached for a breadstick and broke it in half beneath the table, discreetly passing a piece back to the boys.
Davy took it gratefully, but in the cramped space a shower of crumbs cascaded from the breadstick directly onto Hilliard’s polished Italian leather shoe.
Hilliard felt the light patter of debris on his foot. He frowned and shifted his leg back.
“Something is on the floor,” he said, his voice now edged with suspicion. He reached for the hem of the tablecloth as if to lift it and look.
Cailin’s blood ran cold.
“Wait!” she blurted.
Hilliard stopped, his hand gripping the fabric. “What p>
“I dropped my contact lens. Don’t move — you’ll crush it!” Without waiting for a response, she dove beneath the table.
The space was dark and cramped. Two pairs of identical green eyes stared back at her in terror. She met them with a sharp glare. Stay still.