Chapter 89 - Chapter 89. The Warning

The warm, muted glow of the chandelier in the entryway cast long, soft shadows across the polished marble floor as Anthony pulled Sarah into a gentle, reassuring embrace. Throughout the dinner, an unexpected sense of comfort had settled over the dining room. What could easily have been an awkward, tense encounter between a powerful patriarch and a young woman thrust suddenly into his family's complex orbit had transformed into a surprisingly tender evening. Anthony had not treated Sarah like a stranger, nor as a mere footnote in Jayden's life. Instead, he had spoken to her with a quiet, unwavering paternal affection—even explicitly asking her, before the meal was over, to look upon him as her own father.