Betty frowned slightly, her brows knitting together as she searched his face again, as though the answer might rearrange itself if she looked hard enough.
“Blackwood?” she asked slowly.
Grayson nodded once, calm, unbothered, as if he had just confirmed the weather rather than dropped a name that carried weight far beyond a surname.
The silence stretched and then it hit her.
Her breath caught. Her eyes widened. “Wait… Blackwood?” she asked again, this time sharper, disbelief creeping into her voice. “As in the Blackwood? The one everyone talks about?”
Grayson’s mouth curved faintly at the corner. Another nod.
Shock rippled through her. Betty’s body reacted before her mind could catch up, she almost pushed up from her seat, heart hammering wildly. But Grayson’s hand came out instantly,
