Hull didn''t say a word; he simply lifted his ss of red wine and took a slow sip.


    Susanna, face flushed and nose dewy from the spicy food, pressed on. "Honestly, if you ask me, the man''s probably infertile."


    "Hm?" Hull turned to her, not quite sure where she was going with this.


    Susanna leaned in closer until her face was just inches from his. Hull gave her a wary look. "What are you doing?"


    "Just look," she insisted.


    "Look at what?"


    "Look at me!" she said, exasperated. "I don''t look anything like Derek."


    Hull was speechless. Across the room, Derek''s silence spoke volumes as well.


    Caden, standing just behind Derek, shot his boss a sidelong nce. Derek''s expression had already soured, darker than a summer storm.


    Hull took a moment to study Susanna''s delicate features, then pictured Derek in his mind. Despite the years etched on Derek''s face, he still had the remnants of a striking man—the kind who must have turned heads in his youth. Susanna''s eyes, though, carried that same piercing look.


    But after Susanna''s blunt im, Hull let out a quiet chuckle. "You definitely take more after your mother."


    It was the truth-Susanna''s face bore a striking resemnce to Lacey Tucker''s. The connection to Derek was there, but not nearly as pronounced.


    To Derek, though, the words stung in a way that cut deeper than mere gics. His jaw tightened, and his chest rose and fell with anger.


    As if determined to stir the pot, Susanna went on, "If I don''t look like him, then those hideous twins are even less rted! And thest time I saw Dan Murray, he''s no spitting image either!"


    She paused, then grinned mischievously. "Honestly, what if none of the kids are his? Can you imagine? How miserable would that be?"


    If that were really the case, you could only wonder what wretched karma Derek must''ve racked up in a previous life to deserve such utter misfortune.


    Derek''s breath came short and fast. He turned over his shoulder to fix Caden with a hard stare. "None of them look like me?"


    Caden stiffened, blindsided by the question. He had zero clue how to navigate this conversationalndmine.


    If he said they did... well, everyone knew Ivanna and Leanne Nelson were famously nothing like Derek. But to say they didn''t... the evidence spoke for itself.


    After a moment''s hesitation, Caden ventured carefully, "Susanna''s eyes-they''re a lot like yours."


    It was the only safe answer when the question felt like a trap.


    Derek''s gaze lingered on Susanna as sheughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners. In that fleeting smile, he caught a glimpse of his younger self. offered him the tiniest bit of


    Meanwhile, Susanna was warming to her subject with gusto.


    "Seriously, I have never in my life seen anyone as ugly as those twins. Not even makeup can save them—can you picture what they look like with nothing on? Thest time Ivanna and Leanne tried to kill me, they were both made up, and they were still terrifying."


    She shuddered theatrically. "God only knows what fresh hell they are without makeup!"


    "And it''s not like their mother is unattractive, Susanna went on, genuinely mystified. "So how did she end up with kids that look like that? Even cheating, you''d think she''d pick someone passable! Seriously, if her secret lover is that ugly, it almost exins the result."


    Her remarks echoed exactly what Barnaby had said earlier.


    Derek''s face, which had only just begun to recover itsposure, clouded over once more.


    Hull, clearly amused, gazed at Susanna with fondness. Spotting a stray smear at the edge of her mouth, he gently wiped it away.


    Susanna, ready to deliver another zing, suddenly felt Hull nudge her leg under the table. “Hey!” she protested, shooting him an annoyed re.