She lowered her eyes, a hint of mockery flashing across her face like a fleeting blossom.,His eyes guarded as he met the man's gaze, his own a pool of cool indifference. His voice held an unreadable tension, "You don't have to force yourself," he said, though there was a hint of accusation in his tone.,It's not that I'm afraid of hurting his pride, it's that if I admit it, this man will go back on his word.。