(Author's POV)
Jasper didn't let Phineas's exit bother him.
He couldn't win everyone over at once. That was fine. He was playing a long game, and tonight had already given him more than he'd expected.
Serena was at the estate.
She caught his eye across the living room and smiled - a small, deliberate smile - and said, "Hey, cousin. Come sit down."
The word landed somewhere in his chest. *Cousin.* He hadn't heard that from anyone in the main family in years. He kept his expression neutral, but something in him settled.
William didn't object. He watched Serena's greeting and then turned to Jasper with something approaching ease, as if the word had given him permission to relax.
By the time they moved to the dining table, William was asking about the Aether Life Sciences quarterly numb
