The door to the private room swung open.
Sebastian strode out. He didn't even glance at the commotion. His attention was solely on the figure launching herself at him. He opened his arms, catching Stella as she threw herself into his embrace.
"Why did you come back alone? I told you I'd pick you up," he murmured, his voice dropping to a gentle timbre I hadn't heard in years.
"I missed you! I wanted to surprise you!" Stella's laughter was bright, brittle, piercing.
I knelt on the freezing marble, hidden behind a face mask, less than a meter away.
The diamonds encrusting Stella's wristwatch caught the light, stabbing into my reddened eyes. Just one of those tiny stones could cover Sebastian's imported medicine for three months.
"General James, I am terribly sorry," the manager stammered, bowing low. "This clumsy idiot smashed the liquor."
Polished black military boots halted in front of my face.
Sebastian frowned, impatience radiating from him. "Enough."
He pointed a gloved finger at me. "You broke it. You clean it. Pick the shards out of the carpet with your hands. If Stella steps on even a fragment, I'll make you swallow the rest piece by piece."