Anne set her glass down with deliberate care, her nails tapping lightly against the crystal. The irritation simmering beneath her skin was difficult to mask, but she forced her features into an expression of detached amusement.
"You know," she began smoothly, "it's unlike you to embrace someone who has actively defied you, Catherine." She glanced at her, tilting her head slightly. "Is that what you're doing? Embracing Aurora's return?"
Catherine's lips pressed together in a thin line. "Don't be foolish," she said coolly. "This is not about Aurora. This is about Seraphina."
Anne scoffed, unable to hold back the bitterness creeping into her voice. "A child born from a woman who humiliated your son, abandoned him, and then waltzed back into the city like she owns it?" She shook her head with mock sympathy. "I thought you were smarter than this, Catherine."
