The seven women all shot Max different looks, each reaction revealing more than they wanted him to see. Some were mesmerized for a brief moment by the sheer weight of his presence, while others looked terrified by what he had just said.
Their fingers tightened against their dresses, their breathing changed, and their proud faces struggled to remain steady under a pressure they had not expected from a man they had only known through rumors.
"Did you not clean your ears before coming to see me?" Max asked, his voice coming out low and eerily calm, quiet enough that it somehow felt colder than a shout.
"I said kneel and crawl to me. Now."
Ilyndessa's fingers clenched around the fabric of her robes with enough force to wrinkle the delicate material, her knuckles paling as she tried to control the anger rising through her chest.
