“Give her back”

Breakfast was quiet, almost awkward. But that was nothing new for the Wildfires.

They were already seated when Dawin arrived.

He found his way to the dining area, his gait composed and just a little too casual. He loosened his dark tie with one hand as the housekeeper stepped forward to take his coat. His face looked like he hadn't slept, but his presence, as always, was impossible to ignore.

The entire family looked up.

Elisa Wildfire, the matriarch, put down her teacup with practiced grace, her gaze softening almost imperceptibly as it landed on her eldest son. The Patriarch, Devon Wildfire, usually an invisible force in the estate, sat at the head, his expression as unyielding and stern as ever. Beside him, Van sat hunched in his seat, one leg bouncing, his expression somewhere between indifference and suppressed irritation.