_Kaden’s POV_
The evening had started like any other. My mother had just finished telling me that the designer would come to Avery’s house directly, so she wouldn't need to come all the way to our place for the fitting. I agreed, not bothering to question it. It was one less thing for Avery to worry about, and if it made my mother happy, then so be it.
But that wasn’t what was on my mind as I stood there, listening to my mother’s last words. No, what was on my mind was my father.
“He’s in his study,” my mother had said, her voice full of that maternal warmth that always made me feel like a child again, no matter how much I tried to stand tall. “He wants to talk to you.”
I nodded, excusing myself, and headed toward my father’s study. The air was thick with a mixture of duty and unease a
