Chapter 9 Unshaken

Chapter 9 (Lysander's POV)

Lysander watched him leave, his footsteps fading into the steady hum of the mall.

She didn't know why she expected anything else.

Nolan Castille was exactly the way people described him-cocky, careless, and utterly impossible to ignore. He had walked away without a second glance, as if their conversation had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience in his day.

And yet, her pulse was still unsteady.

She exhaled, rolling her shoulders in an attempt to shake off the tension. It's none of your business.

Whatever argument he had with his family, whatever frustration he carried-that was his burden, not hers.

She glanced at the bookshelf, realizing she had been standing in the same spot for far too long. The book in her hand felt unfamiliar, like she had picked it up without thinking. With a quiet sigh, she slid it back into place, forcing herself to focus.

Across the store, a mother held her child's hand while browsing the shelves, her voice warm as she explained a story's plot. A group of teenagers laughed at something on a phone screen, their excitement bubbling into the quiet space. Normal moments. Normal people.

Lysander wanted to feel just as unaffected.

But even as she turned to leave, her mind kept circling back to Nolan-his sharp gaze, the way his smirk had faltered for just a second. He wasn't as unreadable as he thought he was.

Not that it mattered.

She had work to do, errands to run, and no reason to be standing around thinking about a man who clearly didn't think about anyone but himself.

Still, as she left the bookstore, weaving her way through the mall's shifting crowd, a question lingered at the back of her mind.

Why did he care if she had overheard him?