In the northern sector of Isla, where the terrain was rougher and the winds carried the sharp scent of salt and stone, another group of arrivals stirred the otherwise disciplined rhythm of the excavation.
"Dad! Brother!"
Layla's voice rang bright and unrestrained as she ran across the clearing, her laughter cutting through the noise of machinery and distant voices. She threw herself into Leonard's arms before turning just as quickly to Liam, wrapping him in an equally enthusiastic embrace.
She stood out immediately.
Her peach summer dress fluttered in the wind—light, elegant, and far too eye-catching for a place filled with dust, scaffolding, and hardened workers. Against the muted tones of the site, she looked like a fragment of another world entirely.
Behind her, in striking contrast, Summer Vibora approached with measured grace.
