The proclamation of Dame Beatrice cut through the heavy air of the grand hall like a gavel, intending to finalize the professional execution of her granddaughter. But before the echo of her voice could even fade, Liam stepped out from the periphery. His posture was no longer that of the stoic househusband; he stood with a rigid, undeniable gravity.
"I object," he said. The words weren't shouted, yet they filled every corner of the room.
For a heartbeat, the hall was plunged into a vacuum of silence, only to be shattered by a collective, jagged eruption of laughter from the assembled Montgomery Clan.
"Am I hearing things? Did the stray actually just voice an opinion?" one cousin jeered, wiping a tear of mock-mirth from his eye.
"Someone remind him that just because he’s on a first-name
