Yinuo stared at Melody, then at Trisha, and finally at General Bethilda, seated directly in front of Melody. The General shook her head with a long-suffering sigh, as though tired of the entire ordeal before it had truly begun. Although Yinuo had merely accepted a coworker's invitation to dinner, she couldn't shake the feeling that she had unwittingly set off a chain of events she wouldn't be able to undo.
The atmosphere around their group had grown heavy, enough so that nearby diners cast wary glances in their direction as if anticipating a full-blown argument to break out.
"Anyway," Bethilda cut in with a firm voice that carried the authority of her former rank. "Why don't you sit down first?"
She gestured toward the seat Trisha had reserved—a subtle but deliberate attempt to de-escalate the mounting tension.
"That's true," Yinuo responded quickly, seizing the opportunity.
