"Are you so blinded by wealth that your son's happiness means nothing to you?" Mr. MacQuoid’s voice shook with frustration as he glared at Mr. Lewiston.

Mr. Lewiston merely smiled, his gaze cold and unyielding. "Happiness? Tell me, MacQuoid," he drawled, "what do you truly know about happiness?"

If this was how the meeting would play out, so be it. With so much at stake, he couldn't risk any missteps—especially given the power Signoral now wielded.

Mr. MacQuoid shook his head. "Enough to see that Ranya's happiness doesn’t lie in the world you're forcing upon him," he replied, his voice a mixture of resentment and conviction. "If you'd only seen...