The dining room opened before them with the kind of quiet grandeur that only wealth handled with restraint could create. Morning light spilled in through tall windows, muted by sheer drapes, glinting off pale stone floors and a long table of dark oak polished to a mirror sheen. A centerpiece of fresh-cut lilies sat in a low crystal vase, their faint scent mingling with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and warm pastries.
Everything was laid out with almost military precision, porcelain plates rimmed in understated gold, fine linen napkins folded with crisp angles, silver cutlery so polished Elias caught his own reflection in the curve of the spoons. At one end, a set of covered dishes waited, steam curling faintly from the vents in their lids.
