Chapter 293 The FaçAde

• Connie POV
• I smirked despite the heat gathering behind my eyes—every glare in the room fixed on me, accusing, judging, hating. But I refused to shrink back. If they expected fear from me, they would have to dig deeper; I had long learned how to hold my ground, even while tremors of panic crawled beneath my skin.
• Adam lingered by the bar, his spine painfully rigid, his eyes like twin flames daring me to speak again. I felt a spike of dread as I noted the shimmer in his gaze—the wolf beneath his façade was awake, prowling.