War

Ellen placed the cup of tea on the table in front of Aubrey. "Here's your tea," she said, forcing a polite smile. As much as she didn't like Aubrey coming here, she was still a guest, and Ellen needed to treat her politely.

"Thank you," Aubrey replied, her tone cool and controlled. She took the cup and brought it to her lips, not breaking eye contact with Ellen.

Ellen sat across from her, feeling the weight of Aubrey's serious gaze. What is she doing here? Ellen wondered. She decided to break the silence. "I initially thought you came here to meet Mason, but since you must know he's at the office, I believe you came to see me."

As Aubrey set the cup down and nodded, Ellen thought to herself that it was better Aubrey came to meet her rather than go to see Mason and try to get his attention. It gave her a chance to address whatever this was directly.

"Great catch," Aubrey noted.