(Author's POV)
Phineas strode through the massive double doors of the Everett estate.
In the drawing room, Matriarch Eleanor Everett sat on a velvet sofa, a porcelain cup of Earl Grey tea poised in her hand. She looked up, arching a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.
"Well, if it isn't the prodigal son," Eleanor said, her tone dripping with affectionate sarcasm. "I was beginning to think you treated this house like a hotel. Or perhaps you're just avoiding my calls about the debutante ball guest list?"
Phineas ignored the jab about his bachelor status. He unbuttoned his suit jacket, his expression unreadable.
"Mother," he acknowledged with a curt nod.
His grey eyes swept the room and landed on Serena. The young heiress sat in a wingback chair, looking slightly flushed. She had just finished
