Cynthia thought he wouldn't let this go so easily. He'd definitely investigate every website and newspaper overnight. She warned Bonnie to be careful and told her if the higher-ups forbade them from publishing, she shouldn't push the issue and cause trouble.
After all the commotion, Doreen Lancaster had no mood left for drinking. She left, sobbing, following her agent, leaving the large private room empty except for Cynthia and him.
The atmosphere felt stifling. Cynthia lowered her head, silently reciting the verses from the *Book of Songs* that Mistress Extinction insisted they memorize: "The osprey sings, from the river's isle. Fair and graceful is the lady; a noble match." She repeated the lines over in her mind.
He stood there, silently staring at her, and Cynthia's scalp tingled under his piercing gaze, feeling as though it could burn a hole into her head. She even had the unsettling feeling that he already knew she had orchestrated the entire incident.
