Hull shot her a look of warning.


    Susanna followed his gaze and spotted Derek and Caden standing not far away.


    In an instant, her steaming te of hot wings suddenly seemed tasteless.


    Five minutester.


    Derek finally managed to secure a moment alone with Susanna—though Hull stayed within earshot, keeping a watchful eye on them.


    That alone was enough to make Derek seethe, but with Hull looming so close, he didn''t dare let loose even a single reprimand. All the recent chaos swirling between ck Gate and the Murray family-every bit of it—had started because of Susanna. Yet now, faced with the very person who''d set it all in motion, he could only bite back his frustration.


    He recalled Adelle''s instructions before he came.


    Forcing a pleasant smile, Derek said, “Come back to cktower with me. That''s your home."


    He''d debated for ages about how to begin; in the end, this was what he could manage.


    But as soon as Susanna heard him, her brows knit together. "And you think meing back to cktower with you will magically fix everything?" she shot back.


    "What do you mean?" Derek asked, clearly perplexed.


    Susanna didn''t mince words. "I''m just a distraction, a scapegoat for everything that''s happened with ck Gate. Finding me will get you nowhere."


    She''d spent enough time around Hull by now to sense his bone-deep hostility toward ck Gate-not the kind thates from a petty grudge, but a hatred etched deep over time. She wasn''t na?ve about what that meant. So when Derek finally cornered her, Susanna decided not to waste anyone''s time.


    Derek frowned. "Just a scapegoat?"


    She nodded. "Exactly."


    The words hung in the air between them, heavier than Derek expected. ''Just a scapegoat''-for him, it was a gut punch. If Susanna really was just a decoy in someone else''s ware against ck Gate, then the situation was far worse than he''d imagined.


    He studied her, noticing how her features her brow, her eyes-mirrored his own.


    Taking a slow, steadying breath, Derek pressed on. “Then tell me, what do you think ck Gate should do now?"


    Susanna''s voice was icy. "I don''t know."


    And even if she did, she wasn''t


    about to share it with him. Her


    mother and father stood on and opposite sides now, and Susanna had chosen hers the moment she''d arrived in Litamark. She''d always known, that meant, knowyour known what that meant know your loyalties and you know how to answer when it matters.


    So standing here with Derek, she let herself feel nothing.


    She''d grown up with no father in her life; at a moment like this, the absence of one felt like a blessing.


    Derek''s face clouded over. Narrowing his eyes, he stared at her. “Susie, I know you hate me. I know you resent all those years I wasn''t there as your father."


    He paused, voice sharpening. “But Susie... I am your father."


    Heid heavy emphasis on thosest words, as if reminding her where her allegiances should lie.


    Of course Susanna caught his meaning. She mighte off as brash and carefree, but at moments like this, no one saw sharper than she did. Hearing him, her lips curled into a faint, mocking smile.


    Derek could hardly stomach such disdain from his own daughter. Drawing another deep breath, he tried again. "Come back to cktower with me. Please?”


    He''d spent the past days scouring the city for her, obsessed with finding her desperate to see her face. Now that he finally had, he refused to leave


    empty hand


    in


    his mind, as long as Susannaand Haff were close, bringing her home would force Hull to think twice


    before making any more moves against ck Gate.