Taking a deep breath, I turned back to Thomas. "Okay," I said. "You can stay. But you'll be treated like anyone else here. No special privileges, no exceptions. You'll work, you'll contribute, and you'll follow the same rules as everyone else. Is that clear?"
Thomas nodded, a look of relief washing over his face. "Yes, absolutely. Thank you, Bella. I promise, you won't regret this."
As Thomas left to get settled in, Jason turned to me with a raised eyebrow. "You sure about this?"
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Not entirely. But if we're going to build a fair society, we have to be willing to give people a chance to change, right?"
Jason nodded slowly. "I guess you're right. It's just... it's weird, seeing him here."
"I know," I agreed. "But who knows? Maybe this is the sta
