The Bait. Ophelia pov

I had heard whispers about the group Lila had brought with her—strays, salvages, whatever people called them. I didn't particularly care at first, but then Shin-ah mentioned something that piqued my interest.

"They're really close to Lila," he had said.

That changed things. If they were close to her, they were valuable. And if I wanted to understand Lila, to know her inside out, I had to dig deeper—into her private life, into the people she surrounded herself with.

There were five of them. Aurora worked at a small restaurant downtown, serving food with an easy smile. Ondine pulled shifts as a bartender, her sharp eyes sizing up every patron like a predator choosing its prey. Morrey, that sneaky bastard, doubled as Lila's driver and personal guard. Derek and Orion, the quiet duo, made a living fixing pipes and hanging banners around town.