After delivering the package, Victor returned back to the Zephyra Empire, where the thruster station was being built, and his sharp gaze instantly locked onto Maelona.
The moment she felt his intense stare burning through her back, she froze. A soft blush rose to her cheeks, colouring them a gentle pink. At first, she assumed it was a gaze of longing… of affection, perhaps. But when she finally turned and caught the way his eyes narrowed at her—filled not with love but with sharp disbelief—her stomach dropped.
It wasn't the gaze of a lover.
It was the gaze of a man thinking, 'Are you for real?'
Her heart stuttered. Embarrassment crashed over her like a wave as her entire face flushed crimson. Her body stiffened, and she quickly averted her eyes, unable to face him with the knowledge of what she had done.
Still... he didn't look away.
He kept staring at her… like he couldn't believe the nerve she had.
