The woman stepped inside, bringing the cool night air with her. No one rushed to speak. My mother looked as though she’d seen a ghost. Dominic remained standing, tense and watchful. Rose moved closer to me instinctively. The woman removed her gloves slowly, taking in the room with quiet appraisal.
“I imagined this conversation many times,” she said at last. “None of them ended well.”
She wasn’t an enemy. But she wasn’t entirely an ally either.
She finally introduced herself properly. “My name is Vivian Langford. I was the youngest signatory to the original agreement—representing the Langford family interests after my father’s death. I inherited responsibility for it. Just as you may now be inheriting its consequences.”
The parallel landed quietly. Another woman carrying a burden she ha
