Clara held Ethan's ear, pulling him down slightly as she bombarded him with questions.
"What in the world were you thinking?" She released him sharply. "Do you not know how to maintain your demeanor?"
"I'm sorry." Ethan Caldwell looked down in shame.
"Sorry won't cut it," Clara Hightower sneered, folding her hands neatly.
"Did the Caldwell family not teach you how to conduct yourself, especially when facing something that affects your family's standing in the eyes of the outside world?"
Clara continued, scolding his behavior during the meeting.
"Give him grace," Amara Veyra said, having watched the entire exchange. "This was his first time dealing with anything on this scale. It's just inexperience."
"It may be inexperience, but he's still—" Clara rubbed her temple, ready to continue, but remembering they were still being 'guided,' she stopped herself.
Noticing the brief silence, Nathaniel Crow stepped forward, seizing the opportunity and drawing their attention.
"That should not be our focus right now. What we need to discuss is what we will be doing in the next two weeks before the next meeting. That should be our main priority."
Jay Everwell and Harold Jin, who had been silent, gave quiet nods in acknowledgment.
Nathaniel turned his gaze forward, to the only person paying him no mind.
"Lady Lydia Marques, do you have any input on the matter?"
Lydia, who had been quietly following the assigned guide, stopped in her tracks.
A faint mocking smile appeared on her face.
"It's soooo very funny," she said. "You ask for my opinion now."
She turned, a bright, beaming smile now on her face. "When the facts show that from the very beginning, when you decided to bring me into your effort to remove the Male Protection Act, you did not inform me of any crucial details."
Nathaniel Crow opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again.
Silence spread through the group.
Harold Jin cleared his throat, stepping in. "It's not that we didn't tell you," he said carefully. "It's more that we didn't know this was the case ourselves."
"In what way?" Lydia gestured for him to continue.
"This is a matter that closely relates to the government," he said. "It goes beyond what we can freely speak about."
"Then why did you drag me into this?" Lydia's voice sharpened. "And don't even try to tell me it was just because you needed a fourth member of the elite."
She looked around the group.
No one met her eyes.
Clara Hightower.
Nathaniel Crow.
Amara Veyra.
The three leaders all looked away.
"And you," Lydia said, pointing directly at Garfield Everworth. "Don't think I didn't notice."
Her gaze hardened.
"What in the world were you thinking? As part of a government-based family, how dare you misguide people who would otherwise remain neutral with your propaganda?"
Garfield straightened slightly.
"Miss Marques," he said, his tone measured, "you might find your stance rather impudent, don't you think?"
He continued calmly.
"Despite your moral position, and despite the fact that we failed to disclose certain crucial information, you still recognize the dangers of the Male Protection Act, do you not?"
His eyes narrowed.
"What gives you the right to stand above us? What makes you any different? Even if you dislike it, your family played a role in making this meeting possible. You helped pressure the Piao family."
He paused.
"So I would suggest you reconsider taking the moral high ground, especially now that you are someone the Piao family treats with caution."
For a moment, there was silence.
Then—
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHHHAHAHHHHAHHHHA—"
Lydia laughed, almost hysterically.
"You old man," she said.
"Do you think that just because the government protects you, you're untouchable?"
Her expression darkened.
"I think you've grown a little too comfortable."
She took off her glasses and handed them to the guide beside her.
"Hold this."
The guide instinctively took them, staring at the glasses in her grasp in bewilderment.
Lydia's voice lowered as she rolled up both of her suit's sleeves.
"I'm not the courteous type. And I think you need some sense knocked into you—"
Before the last word fully left her mouth—
She moved.
In a blink, Lydia closed the distance, her fist already drawn back as she struck directly at Garfield.
Jay Everwell reacted first.
He had sensed the tension long before.
The moment Lydia moved, he stepped in.
Their fists collided.
A sharp impact echoed through the space as Jay parried her strike, which sent him back several feet and knocking Garfield, who stood directly behind him, off balance.
Garfield stumbled, before quickly steadying himself as he moved out of range of the fight.
"Miss Lydia," Jay said, keeping his tone light, "don't you think this is a little inappropriate?"
"Jay," Lydia said coldly, shifting her stance. "Don't interfere."
She angled herself toward Garfield again.
Jay moved before she could.
This time, he fully intercepted, pinning her down.
"I don't think we need to go this far," he said.
He glanced over at Garfield, who immediately nodded in frantic agreement.
"We wouldn't want this to turn into a conflict of interest, would we, Miss Lydia?"
"Tsk—"
In a single motion, Lydia reversed the hold.
Jay was slammed to the ground instead.
She leaned down slightly.
"Don't think you've won," she whispered into his ear. "I'm letting this go. Just this once."
She straightened, still pinning him down.
"Next time…" She dragged a finger lightly across his throat in a clear gesture.
After finishing the threat, she stepped back, releasing him.
Jay rose slowly to his feet as Lydia turned away, completely composed.
Lydia returned to the guide as if nothing had happened, politely asking for her glasses back.