Chapter 52: Fiancée

I lay sprawled on my bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. My mind was a mess, tangled with thoughts of failure and the clock ticking louder with every passing second.

Sebastian had said no. Not just no, but no with an added sprinkle of irritation that I couldn't quite figure out. And to make things worse, I still hadn't come up with a decent plan for Carla's dinner.

"Just perfect," I muttered, rolling onto my side and hugging the pillow tightly.

Every time I tried to think of a solution, my mind circled back to the same dead ends. No ideas, no backup plans, and no clue how I was going to dig myself out of this mess.

The door burst open so suddenly I nearly rolled off the bed.

"What now—" I started, sitting up, but my words died when I saw Carla storm into the room, her expression thunderous.

"Lyla." Her voice was sharp enough to slice through steel.

I blinked, frozen under her glare. "Carla, what—"