At that moment Liam exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of everyone's eyes on him.
Without being told he knew Maria was setting the tone. She was making sure everyone in the room understood the hierarchy—who was truly at the top and who was meant to stay beneath.
And at that moment, Chloe finally tore her gaze away from Raymond.
Her lips curled into a smirk as she crossed her arms and watched.
She knew exactly what her mother was doing.
And she wanted to see how Raymond would react to it.
Liam's muscles tensed the moment Chloe leaned into him, slipping her arm around his and pressing herself against him in a way that made it clear—she was making a statement.
Her smile was soft, sweet even, but there was something else beneath it. A quiet insistence. A silent challenge.
She tilted her head, resting it lightly on his shoulder, her fingers giving his arm a small, almost affectionate squeeze.
