The words hung in the air for a moment.
Bella froze.
Then she gasped, her eyes widening dramatically as if he had just said the most shocking thing she had ever heard.
Her free hand flew to her mouth, and her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red.
"That's… that's such a bold thing to say," she laughed, her voice tinged with disbelief and amusement. "You have such… grand dreams, Stanley."
She chuckled again, shaking her head slightly, though the way her eyes lingered on him suggested she didn't entirely dismiss his words as empty bravado.
There was curiosity there, and for some reason, she seemed excited.
Stanley smiled back at her, his earlier smugness returning in full force, though tempered just enough to keep up the image he had crafted.
A short distance away, Damien finally glanced in Stanley's direction.
The look lasted barely a second, but t was enough.
