139. LET’S WELCOME, MRS POWERS!

VINCENT

I sat beside Katerina and she took my hand in hers, still smiling. It was like she could not stop smiling, and I could not stop staring at her. That smile looked amazing on her face, her scary. What in the world was this woman up to now?

The hall buzzed with anticipation, the kind of tension that builds right before a show starts. People milled around, sipping champagne and making small talk, glancing toward the stage where my mother was set to make her big entrance. The murmur of conversation filled the air, a mix of curiosity, gossip, and excitement.

Katerina sat close enough that I could feel the warmth of her arm against mine even as I held her hand, though we hadn't said much since finding our seats. I glanced over at her after looking around for a couple of seconds—almost a minute—taking in the way she casually held her glass, looking serene while the room buzzed around us. But she also looked different. Good different or bad different? I had a feeling we were about to