Alaric hesitated briefly before answering, "Not now. We'll talk about it later."
"Understood, Mr. Splendor," Vera responded professionally before the line went dead.
Alaric spent an uncomfortable night sleeping in the hallway.
At dawn, Jade greeted him with icy detachment. "I'm bringing Aria home this afternoon. Are you coming?"
He nodded with a bitter smile. "I'll... eat humble pie and apologize to your dad."
Her pulse jumped at his words, though her expression remained stern. She gave a curt nod and said nothing more.
That afternoon, the atmosphere turned frigid the moment they entered her parents' home.
"Dad, I'm back," Jade announced, forcing calm into her voice.
No welcome came. Gavin sat hunched over his newspaper, ignoring them, while Aunt Cherrie busied herself loudly in th
