Chapter 117: The Deal
For a long while, neither of them spoke. The night air carried a soft chill that crept through the leaves. Somewhere in the distance, a bird called, lonely and low. The world seemed to hold its breath, letting them exist in that fragile silence.
Orion's gaze lingered on Sophia's face. The moonlight fell across her features, tracing the curve of her cheek, the faint sheen of drying tears. There was a kind of wild determination in her eyes, the same stubborn light that had first unnerved him, then challenged him, and now… warmed him.
He cleared his throat, breaking the silence.
"You… you do realize what kind of deal you're trying to strike with me, right?"
Sophia tilted her head, wiping at her nose with the back of her hand like a child caught stealing fruit. "Of course I do," she said, voice soft but steady.
Orion arched a brow. "Do you, really?"
"Yes," she replied without hesitation. "I know exactly what kind of deal I'm trying to make."
