"What?" William was caught off guard by Lucas' sudden outburst of gratitude. At that moment, Allen, the more articulate of the two, chimed in. "Thanks a ton for letting Mom stay here! We were gonna head back to the apartment after Mom got discharged today. But then Mr. Hill called and said Dad had Mom sent here for treatment. So now we're all here! It's awesome!" Allen spoke with such clarity and confidence that it was hard to believe he was making it up on the spot. William let out a soft, disbelieving snort. Didn't he know how Greene, his assistant, would handle things? Clearly, the kids were now fully on Grace's side! Just look at this mess—they were ganging up on him with their words! William's head throbbed again, and his lips tightened into a thin, frustrated line. Grace, sensing

