Chapter 25: Unspoken Ties
Merlina froze for a second too long. It wasn’t just the suddenness of the greeting. It was the person standing in front of her.
"Hi there. Can I help you?" Adriana repeated the question, a soft smile on her face, her tone polite but curious.
Merlina hadn’t expected to be greeted so warmly. Adriana’s voice, when she spoke, was velvet-wrapped and disarmingly kind. She didn’t need an introduction. She had seen her at the party, close to Craig in a way that didn’t need explanation. The way they moved around each other, how he let her in without hesitation. His girlfriend, obviously.
She was beautiful. Of course she was. The kind of beautiful that didn’t ask for validation. Poised, self-assured, with the kind of grace that made Merlina suddenly aware of her frizzing hair and scuffed sneakers.
And to top it all off, she was polite.
Merlina straightened her spine. "Hi. Sorry to show up like this. I was just... I’m looking for Conor Lesnar."
Adriana’s brow lifted just slightly, the only visible sign of surprise. But even that was perfectly measured. "Conor?" she asked, as if tasting the name.
Merlina nodded once. "Yeah. I was told he might be here."
Adriana shook her head gently. "He hasn’t been around."
Merlina blinked. "He hasn’t? Not even this weekend? At Brandon’s party, someone said—"
"No," Adriana said again, more firmly this time. "I haven’t seen him. He’s been out of town."