Crafting the Illusion

CLARA

I delicately dabbed the corners of my mouth with the crisp linen napkin before laying out my master plan. What? I might not come from ridiculous money, but I still possess basic table manners. He could take his intense, scrutinizing gaze elsewhere.

Somewhere between the silent, suffocating drive over here and actually sitting across from him at this secluded, dimly lit table, I had firmly