C28 The Art of Provocation

Guinevere’s lips curved, slow and deliberate, a smile too soft to be innocent, too certain to be dismissed.

“You, of course,” she said lightly.

Her lashes lowered and lifted in a measured rhythm, each blink almost theatrical, as though every glance she cast carried a quiet, calculated gravity. The air seemed to tilt toward her confidence.

Katie didn’t flinch. Her gaze was steady, sharp