As Josh, Renie, and Leila were led away in cuffs of pure silver, the situation was complicated by their various connections to Lord Duncan and his household. Josh, Lord Duncan's treacherous cousin, seethed with suppressed anger, his jaw clenched in defiance.
Leila, Josh's lover, shot daggers at their captors with her piercing gaze, her words laced with venom and vitriol.
But Renie's reaction was unexpected. Instead of fear or defiance, Renie's expression was one of subdued anticipation, a subtle glint of excitement barely concealed behind her mask of anguish. For all her outward distress, her beautiful features held a glimmer of triumph, the pain twisted into something akin to self-assuredness.
She knew that her daughter, Stephania, was still out there.
As they were led away, the sil
