Chapter 154: Net Worth
....
The August heat still lingered in the evening air...
The morning light poured in through the high kitchen windows... Birds chirped distantly outside.
Regal sat at the head of the dining table, sleeves rolled up, the top two buttons of his shirt undone.
His plate sat pushed aside, a few stray crumbs left on the edge.
He held a fresh glass of grape juice in one hand - dark purple, almost black against the white porcelain cup - and a thick file folder in the other.
He looked... fine.
Focused, even.
His brow furrowed slightly as he flipped a page, scanning through the printed... papers.
He didn't look tired. He didn't look shaken. He didn't look like someone who had woken up sweating in the dark, whispering the names of fictional children through uneven breath.
Across the table, Gwendolyn sat with one leg tucked beneath her, sipping from a mug of tea. Her laptop was open, a spreadsheet glowing faintly on the screen.
She glanced up at him once, just once, as if checking for signs.