"Is that mermaid… Laia?" Sylene asked carefully.
He remembered what Mavis had told him. About Zirron. About Laia.
Zephyr's expression darkened instantly.
"Don't mention that name again," he said sharply. Then, quieter, "I just...hope he can be happy with that baby."
He exhaled.
"But I lost that man... And now there's a serious problem with stock..."
His eyes closed for a moment, as if pushing the thought aside.
When he opened them again, Sylene was standing there—wide-eyed, innocent.
Zephyr gestured.
"Come here, young man," he said. "Let me show you something."
His voice hardened.
"This is why I can't trust those bloodsuckers—"
"even when they're kind," he added quietly, "like you...say they are."
He led Sylene into a room that looked like an office—warm, elegant, dominated by a large fireplace. Documents were stacked everywhere, organized chaos. Sylene's eyes accidentally caught sight of scattered supply-demand reports—
He looked away immediately.
