As much as they wanted to continue the prank—watching the officials squirm, seeing the husbands grow pale—they eventually had to stop.
The break was over.
Everyone had returned to their seats, shuffling papers and murmuring amongst themselves, trying to regain their composure after the bizarre audio incident.
Mika lowered the barrier.
The shimmering shield dissolved, revealing them both to the world once more. The crowd, still flustered, still nursing collective headaches from the ordeal, turned toward the front table.
And they froze.
They were used to seeing Nadia with a cold, composed mask, a stone face that never cracked, never wavered, no matter the provocation.
But right now, something was different.
Her cheeks held a faint tint of red. Her eyes glimmered with an unusual brightness. A few strands of hair clung to her forehead, damp with sweat.
