After a moment, Emily Blair's gaze sharpened.

Andrew Lane and his assistant were emerging from the restaurant. The assistant waved for their car to pull around, while Andrew lingered by the door, waiting.

Even though hardly anyone else was around, Andrew Lane still managed to stand out—tall, striking, impossible to ignore.

Emily's eyes flickered. Suddenly, Andrew glanced in her direction, and across the distance, their eyes met.

The car windows were tinted; no one outside could see in. Still, Emily couldn't shake the feeling that Andrew somehow saw her anyway.

She frowned and quickly turned away, breaking eye contact.

As she moved, something in her peripheral vision startled her-something suddenly drawing close.

Emily's heart gave a jolt. Instinctively, she pressed herself back against the seat, trying to get as far away as possible.

She looked up and found Tristan Davis leaning in, his face only inches from hers, eyes sharp and focused-not on her, but on the window outside, his expression dead serious.

"Tristan, what are you doing?" Emily snapped, shoving at his shoulder. He didn't budge he was solid as a rock.

She scowled at him.

Tristan kept staring out the window for a long moment before finally turning to her, still wearing that somber look. "That guy out there is that Andrew Lane?"

Emily didn't even need to look to know who he meant.

She pushed at his shoulder again, exasperated. "Yes. Now, will you please sit back? You're way too close."

Tristan shot Andrew Lane another hard look before reluctantly sliding back into his seat, his mood visibly sour.

"He didn't give you any trouble, did he?” Tristan asked after a long pause, his voice gruff.

Emily sighed. "No, Tristan. What are you thinking?"

He turned to her, eyes fixed, refusing to look away. "Really? Nothing happened?"

Her face was unreadable. “What do you think he did, exactly?"

Tristan fell silent for a while. Then he said, quietly, "Emily, can I ask you something?"

Emily hesitated. "What do you want to know?"

Tristan opened his mouth, and for once, there was uncertainty in his usually stubborn face. “...Can I really ask?"

Emily rolled her eyes. "If you don't spit it out, you can get out of the car."

Tristan pressed his lips together. "You and Andrew Lane... what was your relationship, before?"

Emily had already guessed what he was trying to ask.

Tristan had been acting strangely for weeks-especially ever since he found out she

was meeting Andrew. He barely seemed like himself anymore.

If anyone else had asked that question, Emily would've wondered if they had some ulterior motive.

But this was Tristan.

Tristan was different from everyone else in her life.

He'd done so much for her over the years-far too much to list.

To her, Tristan was irreplaceable. He wasn't just a friend. He was her best friend.

She doubted she'd ever meet another friend like Tristan Davis for the rest of her life.

Naturally, he got special treatment.

Things she'd never discuss with anyone else, she'd discuss with him. Questions she'd refuse to answer for others, she'd answer for him.

She didn't hesitate, and she certainly didn't want to lie. Quietly, she said, "I was taken in by the Lane family for a while. I lived with them. Andrew Lane... was sort of like my brother back then."

She briefly explained the past to him.

Tristan watched her closely, saying nothing.

After a moment, Emily added, "He was good to me at first, but then something happened. I left the Lanes, left Riven, and we stopped being siblings. I haven't seen him in five years."

Hearing her say all this out loud didn't seem to bring Tristan any relief.

He looked weighed down, his chest tight with something he couldn't name. “Emily, I never thought you'd actually tell me all this."