<b>Chapter </b><b>752 </b>


    Selene nodded, her eyes thoughtful.


    “She is.”


    “What happened to her if you don’t mind me asking?”


    “Honestly, we aren’t sure,” Selene said as she started towards the corridor. I followed after her. <b>“</b><b>It </b>happened shortly after L’s birth. She used to be so vocal… her voice was the most soothing thing I had ever heard. But then she just stopped…”


    “And you never figured out why<b>?</b><b>” </b>I didn’t mean for my tone to sound usatory, and I wished I could swallow it back down. Selene didn’t seem to take any offence over it, though.


    She just shook her head, a sad expression on her face.


    “We tried all we could… eventually, it learned to live with the new normal,” she exined. “Come on… let me show you around further so we can give the men some time to talk further.”


    I nced over my shoulder at the closed dining hall door. Biting my lip, I nodded and followed Selene


    further away.


    Gavin’s POV


    The dining hall was empty without the others, but it didn’t feel any lighter. If anything, the silence pressed harder now that I was alone with Zachary Backwell. The man hadn’t moved from his seat at the head of the table, posture straight, hands folded neatly before him as though the entire evening had been nothing more than a prelude.


    I suppose it was.


    “Your father would have stormed out by now,” Zachary said atst, his voice calm, almost conversational. “He never had much patience for theatre.”


    I knew he was right; my father was too serious at times, and if he found his time was being wasted, he would have been gone. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt before I make my judgments. He always said that would be one downfall one day, and it made me wonder at this moment if he was right.


    “Then it’s a good thing you didn’t invite him to dinner.”


    This earned a slight chuckle from Zachary.


    “Believe me, if ghosts could dine, he’d be here,” Zachary said. “But seriously, Gavin. I’m impressed with you. I might have been off the radar for a long time, but I wasn’t living under a rock. I had been keeping updates on you, and you’ve built quite a reputation. <b>You’ve </b>taken the Landry Foundation further than I


    had ever seen it and all without the help of your father. It’s something to be proud of.”


    I didn’t like speaking of my father with a man who turned his back on him.


    “Get to the point,” I said, my voiceing out gruffer than I meant it.


    Zachary leaned back in his chair, studying me.


    “The point is simple, Gavin. The past is over. The Moon Gem is back where it belongs. I’m not entirely sure the details of how my daughter received it, but I’m not going otin now that it’s back in our family. I know it wasn’t your fault as to how it ended up in your family. You were a teenager when it happened. The feud that formed between our families died with your father, and now that the gem has returned, I’m ready to put the past where it belongs… in the past.”


    I wasn’t sure if I could trust him, but his words were sincere, so I rxed a little.


    “Is this why you came out of hiding? To reconcile with the Landry family<b>?</b>” I asked.


    “That and because my family deserves more than being stuck in the… shadow region… as you call it. I wanted to make a business n, and I wanted you to be involved in that n.” <fnf2bb> ?? ??? ???? ?? ???? ???? ???????s, ????s? ??s?? Find?Novel</fnf2bb>


    “You want to involve me in ckwell business?” I asked. “After years of silence?”


    “You’ve proven yourself more capable, Gavin. The Landry name holds weight, even beyond these walls. With my family stepping back into the light, I want an ally that the world already trusts.”


    “An ally,” I repeated, my voice t. “Or a pawn.”


    His gaze sharpened, but he didn’t rise to the bait.


    “That depends entirely on you.” He leaned forward, folding his hands on the table. “Think on it. The ckwells are back, and this time, we will not be content with shadows. The question, Gavin, is whether you intend to and beside us… or in our way.”


    I held his stare, refusing to look away. My wolf pressed against my skin, restless, already deciding for me.


    But I said nothing. Because the weight of his words wasn’t just about me, through the body, I could feel Judy, unsettled, shaken–somewhere deeper in the manor, her presence tugging at me like a thread I couldn’t afford to lose.


    And I knew, whatever Zachary ckwell was nning, it would rage us both straight into the fire.