Lucien:
The call came through just as my father’s voice filled the office.
He was shouting about something trivial, territory allocations, trade routes, a council slight that only mattered because he said it did. I let him rage, nodding where expected, my attention half elsewhere.
My phone vibrated.
Once.
Twice.
I glanced down.
An unknown number.
My father followed my gaze and scoffed. “If that’s another one of your distractions, you can return the call after I’m done reminding you what a failure looks like. You couldn’t even manage to find the b***h that you were supposedly going to marry, screwing around with others is your one resolve.”
I slid the phone into my pocket. “Of course. You needn’t worry about my life, father. I have it all together.”
“You had nothing together since
