Lucy took a slow, steady breath, forcing the initial wave of shock down. Anger was powerful, but control, control was a weapon. And she intended to wield it.
She turned to her father, her expression carefully composed, though the fire still burned beneath the surface. "You knew."
Her father smirked slightly, taking a sip of his drink. "Not for certain. But I suspected. The way Shepherd senior moved tonight, the way the brothers looked at her, it wasn't just admiration. It was claim." He glanced at her, amused. "Didn't think to do a little background check before dismissing her, did you?"
Lucy's jaw tightened, but she said nothing.
She had underestimated Mara.
And that mistake would not happen again.
She took a step forward, her eyes scanning the room, her mind already working, calculating. She wouldn't lash out. No, that was what jealous women did. Lucy wasn't jealous she was strategic.
She needed to turn the tide.
First, the whispers.
