{Third Person}
Human Clan.
The mall was crowded, alive with movent and noise as people drifted from store to store under bright, polished lights.
Glass displays reflected luxury from every angle, and soft music blended into the steady murmur of conversations.
Lila walked through it all with quiet confidence.
Her posture was straight, her steps unhurried, and there was a natural elegance in the way she carried herself.
She looked like soone who belonged in that space, soone who did not need to check price tags or second-guess her choices.
Behind her, Torin followed closely, his arms filled with shopping bags from nearly every high-end store they had visited.
The weight of them did not seem to bother him, or at least he did not show it. His expression remained calm, his attention fixed on Lila as though nothing else in the mall mattered.
Lila paused briefly in front of a glass panel and lifted her wrist slightly, admiring the bracelet she had just purchased.
"Do you think this colour suits ?" she asked, turning her wrist so it caught the light.
Torin glanced at it. "It does."
That was all she needed. A faint, satisfied smile appeared on her lips before she turned and continued walking, her heels clicking softly against the floor.
People noticed them. It started with glances, then turned into quiet stares. A few people slowed their steps, watching them pass, while others leaned closer to their companions and whispered.
"They look really good together," soone said.
"They do," another agreed.
Lila heard that, of course. She allowed herself to enjoy it. The admiration, the attention, the quiet approval—it wrapped around her like sothing she had every right to claim.
She stepped into another boutique without hesitation and selected items with practised ease, barely pausing as she chose dresses, shoes, and accessories.
Torin followed her through it all, carrying each new purchase without complaint.
By the ti they stepped back into the main corridor, the number of bags in his hands had doubled. This ti, the whispers shifted.
"They look good, but... isn’t that a bit much?"
"He’s carrying everything."
"He looks more like her servant than her boyfriend."
A soft laugh followed. Lila did not stop walking, but sothing in her expression cooled slightly.
Then another voice cut through the murmurs.
"Isn’t that the girl who took her sister’s boyfriend?"
"Yeah, I heard that too."
"That’s actually disgusting."
"Honestly, I don’t know how she walks around like that."
This ti, Lila stopped. Her movent was slow and deliberate, not sudden enough to draw attention at first, yet enough to shift the atmosphere around her.
Torin stopped as well, his gaze lowering slightly as he waited.
Lila turned her head. Her eyes moved across the crowd until they settled on the group speaking. The mont those people realized they had been noticed, their voices fell silent.
For a brief mont, no one spoke. Then Lila stepped towards them.
"What did you just say?" she asked. Her voice was calm, but sothing beneath it made the air feel heavier.
No one answered her question. One of the girls looked away imdiately, pretending not to have been involved, while another shifted uncomfortably under Lila’s gaze.
Lila took another step closer. "You seed very confident just now," she continued. "Say it again."
The girl who had spoken earlier swallowed hard. "We didn’t an anything by it..."
Lila did not respond imdiately. Instead, she reached out and caught the girl’s wrist. Her grip was not violent, but it was firm enough to make the girl flinch.
"Then what did you an?" Lila asked, her eyes fixed on her.
The girl’s face paled instantly. "I’m sorry. I didn’t an it like that," she said quickly.
Lila studied her for a mont longer before releasing her. The girl stepped back imdiately, clutching her wrist as though she had been burned.
The tension lingered in the air for a while, then Lila straightened and let her gaze sweep across the small group, and even beyond them, allowing others nearby to feel the weight of her attention.
"If you are going to talk, then make sure you can stand by your words," she said, her voice now sharper.
No one dared to talk back to her. The earlier whispers had completely disappeared.
Lila turned away as though nothing had happened and said casually, "Let’s go."
Torin shifted the weight of the shopping bags again in his hands, then, together, they walked towards the counter.
Behind them, the crowd slowly returned to life, but the energy had changed. The admiration was still there, but now it was mixed with sothing more cautious and restrained.
At the counter, Torin reached into his pocket and brought out his card without hesitation.
The cashier began scanning item after item, the total rising quickly, but Torin did not react. He simply paid, signed, and gathered the receipts as though it were routine.
Lila stood beside him, relaxed, her attention already drifting elsewhere. It was very obvious that she was enjoying this.
By the ti they stepped out of the mall, Torin’s arms were once again filled with the bags. He walked ahead this ti, opening the trunk of the car and carefully arranging everything inside so nothing would crease or fall.
When he was done, he closed the trunk and walked around to the passenger side, opening the door for her.
Lila slipped into the seat with a small smile, as though everything was exactly as it should be.
Torin shut the door gently before moving to the driver’s side. A mont later, the engine started, and the car pulled smoothly out of the parking lot.
Torin spoke after a mont, "You shouldn’t have reacted like that back there."
Lila turned her head slightly, her expression already sharpening. "Like what?"
"In the mall," he said, keeping his eyes on the road. "You didn’t need to confront them. People talk. You should learn to ignore it."
Lila let out a small, incredulous laugh. "Ignore it?"
"Yes," Torin replied calmly. "It’s not worth your energy."
Her expression cooled imdiately. "So I should just stand there and let them insult ?"
"That’s not what I said."
"It’s exactly what you said," she shot back, her voice rising slightly. "You want to pretend I didn’t hear them."
Torin exhaled slowly. "I want you to avoid unnecessary trouble."
Lila turned fully toward him now. "Unnecessary trouble?" she repeated. "So defending myself is now a problem?"
"That’s not—"
"You know what?" she cut in, her tone sharper now. "Forget it. You wouldn’t understand."
A brief silence followed, but it was no longer calm.
Torin’s grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly before he spoke again, more quietly this ti.
"I’m just saying you don’t have to prove anything to them."
Lila scoffed. "I don’t need to prove anything. I just don’t tolerate disrespect."
Another silence settled in. This one was heavier.
Torin glanced at her briefly before looking back at the road. "...Fine," he said after a mont. "I’m sorry."
Lila did not respond. Her gaze shifted to the window, her expression still cold.
"I shouldn’t have said it like that," he added, but still, she remained silent.
After a mont, she spoke, her voice quieter but sharper than before. "I’m disappointed in you."
The words landed harder than the argunt itself.
Torin did not respond imdiately. He simply nodded once, his jaw tightening slightly. "I’m sorry," he said again.
This ti, Lila did not argue further, but she did not soften either.
Instead of heading towards her residence, Torin took a different turn. Lila noticed, but said nothing.
A few minutes later, the car pulled into the entrance of a high-end restaurant. The kind that required reservations, with soft lighting and impeccable service.
Torin stepped out first and walked around to open her door. "Co," he said simply.
Lila hesitated for a second, pretending to be oblivious to his intention, then stepped out.
Dinner was quiet at first, but the tension slowly eased as the courses arrived. The food was carefully prepared, the atmosphere refined, and the attention she received once again shifted Lila’s mood.
By the ti dessert was served, the earlier argunt had faded.
Lila was smiling again. Torin noticed it and relaxed. He was relieved that his efforts were not in vain.
When they finally left the restaurant, the air between them had returned to sothing more familiar.
The drive resud.
As they approached the Caldwell estate, Torin spoke again, his tone casual this ti. "When do you think would be a good ti for to et your father?"
The question caught Lila completely off guard. Her smile faltered, but only for a split second.
She turned slightly toward him, her expression already composed. "My father has been very busy lately," she said. "There are a lot of state matters to handle. I don’t want to bother him right now."
Torin exhaled quietly. "You should still find the right ti to speak to him."
Lila nodded with a small smile. "I will."
But her eyes shifted away. And in her mind, she did not agree with him at all. In fact, they were not on the sa page.
The car rolled to a stop in front of the estate.
Torin stepped out imdiately and walked around to open her door. As Lila stepped out, two servants approached quickly.
"Take everything from the trunk inside," Torin instructed them.
They nodded and moved at once.
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