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Magnetic. Unmistakable.

And now… here we are.

Something happened. Or maybe nothing happened. I don’t know. And I won’t ask her. Not now.

There’s an ease in her shoulders, a spark in her eyes that wasn’t there before. And I’ve known Thalia long enough to feel when something has changed inside her.

Whether it was a kiss, a conversation, or just the beginning of something neither of them expected—whatever it was, it left a mark.

I want to ask her, I really do. But not in front of the boys. I’ll wait until it’s just the two of us—no noise, no eyes, just sisters.

“Ser.” Thalia’s voice is quiet, almost hesitant, like she’s afraid the words might come out wrong. “Since you’re moving to London, I think… I think I’d like to do the same.”

She doesn’t lift her eyes from the rummy tiles she’s fidgeting with in her lap.

My head snaps toward her so fast I almost knock over my mug.

“What? You serious?” I blurt out, completely unable to hide the excitement in my voice.

Nick lets out a low chuckle next to me.

“That’s a fucking good idea, Thalia,” he says, grinning.

Then leans into me, his hand finding mine under the table.

“And yeah, I know I’m a bit selfish, but I think it’d help Sierra a lot to have you here. I hate the thought of her being lonely when I’m away.”

He gives me a wink, and my heart squeezes at how well he knows me.

I can’t believe it. I’ve thought about this so many times since we started talking seriously about the move—the first time, I mean, after the wedding. I even imagined how nice it would be to have Thalia here, how it would help me adjust…

But I never dared to ask. I didn’t want her to feel pressured or like she had to do it for me.

”Yeah,” she says, a bit more confidently this time. “I really would like that.”

Theo doesn’t miss a beat. He lets out a short laugh and pulls her toward him effortlessly, pressing a kiss to her temple in a way that’s both friendly and impossibly intimate.

“Jesus, Thalia,” he says with a grin, “that’s a great idea.”

Thalia gives him a grateful smile, and for the first time tonight, she actually relaxes into him, resting her head briefly on his shoulder.

But I can’t help but think about the way her eyes track Ethan every time he walks into a room—and the way her body reacts to his presence.

I know Ethan gets to her. He pushes her buttons like it’s a game he’s been playing for years—makes her frustrated, flustered, absolutely insane in the span of a single glance.

He pulls reactions from her like he’s tuning an instrument, knowing exactly which string to touch and how hard.

But we all know how this ends. Ethan is married—to his job.

And that’s no metaphor. He carries the heaviest weight out of all of us. As the CEO of Hartho, he doesn’t just oversee a piece of puzzle like we do.

He watches the whole machine. Makes sure every division, every project, every branch runs smoothly. So the entire empire doesn’t collapse under its own pressure.

“Perfect,” Thalia says suddenly, her head still resting lazily on Theo’s shoulder. “Then I’m gonna start looking for a place to rent nearby.”

“There’s a free apartment right below ours,” Nick chimes in, wrapping his arm around my waist as he speaks. “And since Theo owns the building… I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”

Theo laughs, that teasing spark always ready in his eyes.