The blond sighed, his lips tugging downward as he looked away, the weight of his plan pressing against his chest.
"Not really… Starla keeps changing the concept. Everything's slower than it should be." He paused—just long enough to measure Clyde's reaction—before adding carefully, "I… I think something's bothering her lately."
Clyde's eyes darkened with concern. "What do you mean? What's troubling her?"
Ryley's heart beat faster; this was the opening he needed.
"I'm not sure, but…" He pressed his lips together, his breath hitching softly. "She reminds me of myself. Of how I was when I was away from you… heartsick, anxious, missing the one I belonged to."
Clyde fell quiet, the tension in his shoulders clear as he pushed a hand through his hair, his mind turning over Ryley's words.
Ryley seized the moment, his voice dipping lower, layered with feigned sorrow.
"She loves someone she shouldn't. Someone the world won't let her have, just because of status. It's unfair… cruel."
