"Just catching up with Ferdinand. You don't mind, do you, Ms. Winfield?"
"He's changed so much. He wasn't nearly this composed back in the day. When we were on assignment together, someone just brushed my hand once and he nearly beat the guy half to death."
Ferdinand's eyes darkened, as though the memory had surfaced on its own.
"I was young and hot-headed back then."
Someone had brushed Vera's hand, and he'd nearly crippled the man for it.
Minutes ago, he'd watched another man paw at me and hadn't so much as blinked.
So that was it. The difference between love and indifference really was that obvious.
As the event wound down, a message from Ferdinand lit up my phone.
"I still have some work to discuss here. Take a cab home."
When I walked through the front door, Ferdinand's parents were sitting in the living room. I hadn't expected them.
The moment I stepped inside, Doris Sanchez's gaze swept me from head to toe, sharp with disapproval.
"This late, dressed like that. Have you no shame?"
"I hear the influencer business is a messy world. I didn't realize you fit right in."
I couldn't stop myself from pushing back.
"Being an influencer is a legitimate career. I have eight million followers."