Since her death, his father's obsession with hierarchy and influence had only deepened as if he believed they were the reason to push through even harder.
He treated every relationship like some investment, measuring everything by the impact of their future gains and benefits. Even Liam's small circle of friends, a bond that had existed for a long time, was quietly being absorbed into that logic.
And somewhere along the line, what had once been a simple friendship twisted, transforming into a shared path already laid out for them before they could even have a say in it.
Liam thought about the upcoming party, a constant example of their expectations.
Over the years, they had developed a silent agreement to survive those nights. They would stay close, drifting through the room, smiling at the right people and exchanging the right words to satisfy their parents' ambitions and greed framed as 'a better future for the kids.'
