Yet beneath that anger lay something more frightening:
Morning sunlight streamed through the tall dining room windows, casting a gentle glow over the Andersons' long mahogany table. The aroma of fresh bread and coffee filled the air—an atmosphere of normalcy that Canary desperately needed after the previous day's chaos.
But as he stepped inside, his steps halted.
His breath caught.
There, seated comfortably as though nothing had ever happened, was Joel.
Joel looked up with a slow, satisfied smile.
"Good morning, Canary."
Canary stared, struggling for words that refused to form.
"I… didn't expect you back," he finally said, voice flat.
Joel shrugged lightly, as though the entire mansion and all its power belonged to him by right alone.
"I thought I should give you two some space. But you know how it is—east or west, home is always best."
Canary's jaw tightened. "Really."
"Yes, really," Joel replied with studied warmth. "I must apologize for all the fuss I caused. But I'm here now… to make peace between my dear sister and dear nephew." His smile widened as if he were delivering a blessing instead of a threat.
Canary didn't respond. He simply lowered himself into his chair and began to eat, every movement deliberate—controlled. Lucy sat quietly at the opposite end of the table, her silence screaming louder than any argument.
Joel leaned back, folding his hands with exaggerated calm.
"And I must say," he continued, his tone dripping with satisfaction, "I was actually impressed yesterday. I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable in the conference room. Now I fully understand why they made you the CEO."
Lucy's spine stiffened. She opened her mouth—
"That's enough, Joel—"
He cut her off smoothly, holding up his hand.
"I was only appreciating my nephew." His voice remained sweet, too sweet. "Now, let's enjoy breakfast, shall we?"
The clink of Canary's fork against his plate was the only reply—sharp, metallic, and echoing through a dining room suddenly too silent.
In that stillness, one truth became clear:
Joel wasn't back for peace.
He was back to reclaim power.