Three hours later, Daisy sat in what had once been the Grand Dame's formal parlor, now serving as an impromptu conference room for dealing with human bureaucracy. Christian stood beside her, frost patterns swirling beneath his feet in controlled vigilance. Dr. Hathaway sat to her right, tablet filled with medical evidence before her. The twins waited nervously in an adjacent room with Cassius, who had promised to "dazzle them with unnecessarily flashy light tricks" until needed.
Across the antique coffee table, looking increasingly bewildered, sat Margaret Winters from Child Protective Services—a careworn woman in her fifties whose sensible pantsuit and practical haircut screamed "government employee" louder than any ID badge.
"Let me get this straight," Ms. Winters said, pinching the br
