"Olivia! I didn't know you were here too," Penelope exclaimed, wide-eyed and pretending to be innocent. A few seconds later, she gasped dramatically, covering her mouth. "Oh no! Don't get the wrong idea! I just got a little excited, that's all…"
Dominic lightly tapped her on the nose, his tone playful. "What are you apologizing for?" he said, then turned to me, acting as if nothing was wrong. "The movie's already over?"
Before I could respond, the shrill sound of a fire alarm rang through the building.
In an instant, panic spread as people rushed toward the exits. The crowd surged, bodies pressing toward doors, the particular chaos of civilians who've never had to evacuate under real threat.
In the chaos, Dominic immediately grabbed Penelope's hand, shielding her as they ran toward the emergency exit.
He didn't look back.
He didn't reach for me.
The Don of the Sloane family, a man who commanded soldiers and controlled territory across the Eastern Seaboard, had exactly one instinct when danger arrived, and it wasn't me. It had never been me.