Noah exhales.
Slow. Shaky.
His fingers flex against the table.
He doesn’t want to relive it.
But he will. Because he’s Noah and that’s what he does: bleeds politely.
“She came into the bakery,” Noah starts. Voice quiet. Controlled. “Middle of the day. Didn’t buy anything. Didn’t pretend to be a customer.”
He swallows.
“She just... walked in. Like she owned the place.”
“Power move,” Callum mutters. “Minus the tip jar.”
Orion leans forward. “And?”
“She grabbed him.” Noah’s voice cracks. Just slightly. “By the front of his shirt. Yanked him forward. Started yelling at him in Russian.”
Callum’s grin is gone now.
Completely.
“I didn’t understand what she was saying,” Noah continues.
Juliet’s fingers tighten around Noah’s.
“What did Vitaly do?” she asks.
Noah relives the whole scene for us. “Then she turned on me,” Noah says.
The table goes still.
Orion’s chair scrapes.
“She what?” His voice drops.
“I stepped in,” Noah says quickly. “Told her to back off. She... she didn’t like that.”
“What did she do?” Juliet’s voice is too calm.
Noah’s voice shakes as he tells it.
Orion stands. Fists clenched at his sides. “She fucking touched you?”
“Orion,” I say.
“She put her hands on you and threatened you?” he presses.
“Sit down,” I say firmly.
He doesn’t.
“Orion,” Juliet says. Soft. But commanding. “Sit.”
He sits.
