Within moments, every adult at the table had manufactured a reason their nephew should return to the estate — a meeting, a discussion, a negotiation, a carefully timed business dinner.
Sera listened in silence. Very quiet silence.
"Perhaps," Cedric continued with calculated care, "if he returned for a few days—"
"No."
The single word sliced through the conversation like a blade.
The table fell instantly still. Sera rarely interrupted. When she did, it mattered.
She folded her napkin with deliberate grace and set it beside her plate before lifting her gaze. The warmth that usually softened her features remained, but beneath it lay something colder, unmistakably Nightshade.
"Kade will not be returning."
Lucien attempted a polite smile. "Sera, surely—"
"No."
Again. Simple. Absolute.
Sera leaned back slightly, her posture still elegant. "If your purpose in remaining here is to corner my son into conversations he has already chosen to avoid, then you are wasting your time."
