Old Mr. Thorne adjusted the microphone with steady hands, though his voice, when it filled the hall, carried the weight of decades of grief and longing.
"Many of you know me as a businessman. A man of industry, of empire. But tonight, I stand before you not merely as Edward Thorne the magnate, but as Edward Thorne the father… and now, the grandfather."
The room hushed, leaning into his words. His eyes, pale yet burning with unshed emotion, scanned the crowd before softening on Athena.
"I once had a daughter," he began, his tone trembling, "a daughter who was my pride, my joy, my only child. She chose her own path, married the man she loved, and for a time, I believed life could be whole. But fate can be cruel. I lost her, and with her, the hope of an heir. For years, my wife and I lived in silence… just the two of us, growing older, carrying sorrow like a stone in our chests."
