Tegan caught a whiff of the same smell that had beening from the clothes Finley had discarded outside.


    The butler approached her respectfully. "Ste will be down in a moment.''


    "Okay, thank you," Tegan nodded.


    The butler had someone bring Tegan a choice of juice or coffee. She chose the juice.


    About twenty minutester, Ste came downstairs. She looked refreshed, and her hair was still slightly damp at the temples, clear evidence that she''d just showered.


    "Tegan," Ste began apologetically, "I was already on my way down to meet you, but... something came up."


    "Was it because of Prof. Yoder?"


    "You ran into him?" Ste asked. Finley was world-renowned in his field, so of course Tegan would know who he was. Since Tegan also had a prominent international standing, it was possible they knew each other, even if they didn''t travel in the same circles.


    Tegan set down her juice ss and nodded. "Yes. I happened to see him... without most of his clothes on."


    "What?"


    "He was stripping as he walked away."


    Ste sighed. She knew it. Finley''s overwhelming stench had to have been deliberate.


    "What brings you to Ferrond all of a sudden? I thought you were going to Yornd."


    "I''m here for an academic conference, so I thought I''d stop by and see you," Tegan exined. Her gaze shifted to Ste''s noticeably round belly. "Star, I''m so jealous of you."


    "Hmm?"


    "Even though your biological parents weren''t good to you, you have a home here in Ferrond. A family."


    Her words, ''a home,'' were tinged with a palpable sadness. Hearing that heartache, Ste wasn''t sure how tofort her.


    Home. In Port''s City, Ste had witnessed the coldest side of blood rtions. But the Quinn family had shown her how precious a


    harmonious family could be. A good soul.


    family was an anchor for thet


    Without that anchor a person was


    like a drifting leaf on the water, with nothing to hold onto.


    Ste took a sip of her orange juice. "How long are you nning to stay in Yornd


    before you go back to Portis City?"


    "I''m not going back," Tegan said quietly.


    Ste was taken aback. "What?"


    "I''m nning to settle down in Yornd long-term. I mentioned itst time."


    "What about Uriah? Is he okay with that?"


    Uriah... In truth, the Horner family had never really been Tegan''s home, but she had lived there for so many years. Unlike Ste''s situation, Uriah''s mother and sister genuinely disliked Tegan. Although Uriah had lived with Tegan separately for years, they were always expected to return to the Horner estate for holidays and family gatherings. When she was younger, Tegan had no choice but to go with Uriah and endure it. But as she got older and their hostility became more tant, she stopped going.


    But even when she stayed away, the Horners didn''t keep their animosity confined to their home. No matter where Tegan was, trouble from the Horner family always seemed to find her, As a child, she never understood why they hated her so much. Now, she understood all too well. As long as she didn''t leave Uriah, she would never have peace.


    "Him? Whether he agrees or not, it is what it is. I''m just... so tired."


    As she said the word ''tired,'' her voice was heavy with exhaustion. Beneath that fatigue was a deep well of sadness.


    "Star, I need your help."


    Tegan looked directly at Ste, finally revealing the true purpose of her visit.