Derek hesitated, then looked toward Darla. Alex shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
Finally, Derek offered a clipped response. "Well… if you take care of us, I'll make sure to take care of Jean's resilience too. What do you say?"
Daniel chuckled, low and sharp like a knife sliding from its sheath. Even that sound churned something cold in Alex's stomach.
"I've already given you what you needed," Daniel said, voice like velvet wrapped around steel. "And you still ask for more. Surely you are the most greedy father of the year."
Derek stiffened, but masked it behind a tight smile. He couldn't afford pride. Not now.
Still, the venom dripped from his next words. "Well, after what your son did to my daughter, no amount can ever measure up to that sin."
The room stilled.
The fire cracked.
Daniel's expression darkened. His voice dropped into a razor's edge. "And yet here you are again… selling off your daughter to my son."
Silence slammed into the room like a bullet.
