The conference ended in applause, but not everyone was clapping for the same reasons.
Ayla's speech still echoed in the hall like a promise too perfectly delivered to ignore. People surrounded her, smiling, shaking hands, asking questions she answered with effortless poise. But her eyes scanned beyond them, subtly… searching.
And then she found him.
Leon.
Leaning against a pillar near the refreshment table, his jaw tense, eyes locked on her like he hadn't blinked in minutes. The moment their eyes met, everything else around them blurred.
It wasn't just silence.
It was recognition.
Grief and longing layered behind Leon's gaze. A silent question she didn't answer — because she already had. He was too late.
Ayla turned her face away, breaking the moment like glass underfoot.
Maureen saw it all.
Saw the way Leon stared. Saw the exact second Ayla looked away. And like a serpent that sensed its prey was distracted, she moved in.
She smiled and looped her hand through Leon's arm again.
"You're doing it again," she said under her breath.
Leon didn't answer.
"Staring at her like she still belongs to you."
He finally looked down at her. "I don't have to explain anything to you."
"Oh, you will," she said sweetly. Then louder, for the nearby press to hear: "Smile, love."
And before he could stop her — before anyone could look away — she kissed him.
Not deeply. Not romantically.
But publicly.
The shutter of cameras followed.
Ayla saw it.
Jean saw it.
So did Elise.
And for the first time that night, Ayla's smile slipped — just a flicker, just long enough for Leon to catch it.
He pulled away from Maureen immediately. "What are you doing?"
"Letting them know the truth," she said, her voice laced with sugar and venom. "That I'm the one who stayed. I'm the one who took a bullet for you. I'm the one by your side."
Leon's face darkened. "Don't push me."
"Oh?" she tilted her head. "Or what? You'll run to her — again?"
But Leon didn't reply.
Because Ayla was already gone from the crowd. Elise had her by the arm, shielding her, and Jean was right behind them.