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~Spring's POV~

The room was warm from the sunset filtering through the glass panels, but the sudden heat crawling up my neck had nothing to do with the weather.

Rose's eyes glittered like she'd been waiting years for this exact moment.

I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms slowly, giving her my best bored expression. "Dare."

Her smile deepened—never a good sign. "Fine. I dare you…" She glanced around the circle like a queen surveying her court. "…to tell everyone the one person in this family you trust the least. And explain why."

Even Mum's polite smile faltered.

Kaius straightened in his seat, his jaw flexing. Eryx's gaze locked on me, steady, like he was silently telling me to think before I spoke.

Rose, of course, sat there like she'd just tossed a match into dry grass and was waiting for the fire to spread.

I tilted my head, letting the silence stretch. My pulse beat hard in my ears, but I made sure my smile matched hers—sharp and sweet.

"Well," I said at last, "that's easy…"

And I saw her lean forward, ready to collect her prize.

"Rose."

Her smile froze mid-breath. "Me?"

"You," I confirmed, my tone light enough to be mistaken for casual—if you ignored the undercurrent. "Because I never know if the hand you're offering me is to help me up… or push me off something."

A small ripple went through the room. Dad shifting slightly in his seat, Mum's brows lifting just enough to register surprise.

Rose's laugh was airy but brittle around the edges. "That's… dramatic."

"Is it?" I tipped my head, letting the words settle like I was laying cards on a table. "History says otherwise."

Eryx's gaze flicked between us, while Kaius leaned back with an expression that was somewhere between amused and unimpressed.

Rose recovered fast—she always did. "Well, I'm honored to be memorable." She swirled the last of her champagne. "Your turn to dare someone."

I didn't look away from her as I said, "Fine. Rose, truth or dare?"

Her lips curved, all faux-confidence. "Dare."

I let my own smile return. "I dare you to go the rest of the game without using anyone's name. No slipping, no pet names, no 'sweetheart' or 'darling.' Just… you and your own sentences. Think you can manage it?"

For the first time that night, she blinked, a tiny stutter in her poise. "That's… childish."

"Afraid to try?" I asked, leaning back in my seat.

Her chin lifted. "Please. Easy."

"Great," I said, and passed the imaginary torch. "Let's see how long before you choke on it."

The circle moved on, dares growing sillier—Rhys had to sing a chorus of something ridiculous, Kaius had to eat a bite of an unholy oyster-horseradish combo—but all the while, Rose sat there calculating, and I could feel the weight of her plotting from across the low table.

When her turn came back around, her smile was back in place, but there was a glint in her eyes that was colder than the ice in the drinks.

She turned to me. "Truth or dare?"

I didn't blink. "Truth."

She tilted her head. "What's the worst thing you've ever done to someone in this family?"

The air tightened. Even the warm sunset through the glass felt dimmer, smaller.

And for a moment, I wondered if she'd finally decided to stop playing small and go for blood.

I thought about her question for a while but did not find any negavtive thoughts on what I had done.

Putting on the best smile I could muster, "Nothing."

Rose's jaw twitched. "Lies."

I tilted my head. "Why? Afraid I'm actually honest and good at the same time? Or—unless you think hogging my brother to myself since I was a kid is a moral crime, then… nope. That's all I've got."

Her lips parted, ready to fire something back, when Rhys' voice cut clean through the tension.

"Alright, enough cross-examination," he said, leaning forward to snag the empty wine bottle in the center and spin it. "It's a game, not a court hearing."

The glass whirled, sunlight catching on the curve until it slowed and landed, neck pointing squarely at Kaius.

Rose's attention shifted immediately, her posture changing like a cat spotting a bird. "Truth or dare?"

Kaius shrugged. "Truth."

Her eyes narrowed, the edges of her smile curling. "Who in this room do you think would survive the longest stranded on an island?"

Kaius didn't miss a beat. "Eryx."

"Not me?" Rose asked, feigning surprise.

Kaius gave her a flat look. "You'd get bored and try to redecorate the sand."

The room broke into light laughter, even Mum smiling faintly. Rose managed a little chuckle too, but her gaze slid back to me—watching, always watching.

The bottle spun again. This time, it stopped with the neck angled toward her.

Eryx lifted a brow. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," she said instantly, chin high.

He leaned back, considering. "Go five rounds without speaking."

A few amused murmurs went around the circle, but I caught the flicker of irritation in her eyes. Rose thrived on attention. Getting silenced was a punishment she couldn't dress up as poise.

She gave a small, graceful nod, though, and sat back like it was nothing.

The game kept moving, more harmless dares, more truths that weren't really truths, but I could feel it in the air. Rose was coiling for something, her silence making her sharper, not duller.

When her imposed vow finally lifted, she didn't waste a second.

"Truth or dare, Spring?"

I smiled, slow. "Dare."

She leaned forward, voice dripping sugar. "I dare you to tell everyone here exactly what you think of me… no filters, no jokes, no walking it back later."

And there it was, the bigger play.

I sat up slowly, like I'd just been handed a crown I wasn't sure I wanted. "No filters, no jokes, no walking it back," I repeated, my eyes locked on hers.

Rose tilted her head like a cat toying with a bird. "Don't worry. I'll be gentle."

I almost laughed. "Gentle's not in your vocabulary."

Her smile widened. She thought she'd cornered me.

"Fine." I let my gaze sweep the circle once, pausing on each face before I landed back on hers. "You're beautiful. Smart. Magnetic, in that way people can't quite explain but still feel."

Her chin lifted, shoulders relaxing like she was already chalking this up as a compliment.

"And," I added, "you're also the kind of person who keeps score when no one else is playing. You give gifts with one hand and sharpen knives with the other. You know exactly how to make people love you—and exactly how to make them regret it. You don't burn bridges; you take people halfway across, then pull up the planks behind them so they have no choice but to cling to you."

The air in the room tightened that even if a pin or fork fell at this moment, it'll be so loud.

"And the worst part?" I leaned forward slightly. "You could choose not to be that way. But you won't. Because control tastes too good to you, and you'd rather starve everyone else than share the feast."

Rose's fingers curled tighter around her glass. For a second, the mask cracked—enough for me to see something colder than anger flash in her eyes.

"Wow," she breathed, smiling just a little too wide. "Tell me how you really feel."

I leaned back, folding my arms. "You asked."

Kaius broke the silence with a low whistle. "Well… that escalated."

"Next round," Rhys muttered, shifting in his seat.

Rose forced a lighter tone and spun the bottle. "Fine. Truth or dare, Rhys?"

He groaned. "Dare. And make it worth my time."

Her smile returned like nothing had happened. "Alright… I dare you to prank call one of Dad's business partners and tell them you're opening a goat sanctuary and need donations."

Dad choked on his drink. "Rose—"

"On speaker," she added sweetly.

Rhys grinned like this was his natural habitat, took Dad's phone, and launched into an absurd sales pitch about rescuing elderly goats with trust issues. By the end, half the table was crying with laughter, even Mum hiding a smile behind her glass.

Kaius was next. "Spring. Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

He smirked. "Switch outfits with Eryx for the rest of the game."

Eryx shot him a glare. "You're an idiot."

"Rules are rules," I said, grinning as I stood. Eryx muttered under his breath the entire time we swapped hoodies, his far-too-broad clothes drowning me while my shawl barely reached his elbows.

I noticed the way he looked at me with adoration in his eyes when I wore his hoodie over my dress.

The game kept rolling—more dares, more truths. Someone made Dad eat a chili pepper, and Mum confessed she once "accidentally" set fire to a rival's dress in college.

The tension eased… but I noticed Rose barely played unless it was her turn to target me.

And when she turned to me again, her voice was all silk. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Why are you always the one daring or asking her?" Eryx voiced suddenly. "No, I'll be the one to ask Spring."

Rose didn't look please but she did not want to prove him right and finally nodded.

"Good. Now, Spring truth or dare," Eryx said, his tone holding that low rumble that made the rest of the table fade for a heartbeat.

I opened my mouth to answer. "Dare."

"Hmm, okay. I won't go easy on you," Eryx winked at me.

"Oh you shouldn't." I barely finished talking when Rose's voice sliced in, smooth as silk.

"I've got one for her," she said, and every head turned. "Spring should give Eryx a lap dance."