"Grandfather, you can't just throw a feast because you feel like it!" Toby groaned. "You're getting older. Your energy shouldn't be spent trying to keep up with young people who still have plenty of time to waste on nonsense.""You spoiled little brat!” The patriarch pointed a finger at her. "Why do you think I'm throwing this feast in the first place?""Because you enjoy stressing everyone out?""Because I might be dead within the next two days!""If you knew that much, then you shouldn't be throwing a party!""You're the reason I'm throwing it!" The patriarch looked as though he wanted to throw something at her. "You are the reason!"Toby blinked. "What did I do?""You made me believe I could rely on you to get that medicine from the Belmont family." His voice rose. "And then you failed spectacularly!""I didn't fail!" Toby immediately protested. "Lombard was being difficult!""Well, in my day, the woman made the man do whatever she wanted.” The old man spoke with complete confidenc

Drake practically tripped over himself trying to move. "Give me one minute." He was already halfway to the door. "I'll come out right now.""Don't hang up.""Why?" Lombard asked. "So I can listen to your crazy groans while you take off your clothes?"And with that, he hung up.Drake stared at the phone.Okay.That was certainly one way to be welcomed.He quickly pulled on a shirt.Not that he had been wearing one before.At this point, however, he needed to get outside as fast as possible.Before Lombard changed his mind and drove away.On his way out, he stopped by his wife's room.Earlier that night, she had kicked him out after declaring that the bed was too small for both of them.Drake wasn't about to wake her now. Especially since she had barely slept in days.Instead, he grabbed a sticky note and left a short message.“Call me if you wake up.

"I know you're going to say this doesn't sound like me, but I met my wife at a bar." Drake leaned back slightly. A smile appeared on his face as the memories came flooding back."It was a crazy night." He laughed. "Honestly, I was trying to ruin my life."Lombard glanced at him."I'm serious." Drake pointed at himself. "I had already made up my mind that night. I was going to do something stupid. Something reckless." He shook his head. "Then she showed up." His smile widened. "She came over and started talking to me about how good life was."Lombard stared at him.Drake laughed. "Exactly." He pointed at Lombard again. "That's the same reaction I had."He sat up. "Like, who does that? Who walks up to a complete stranger who's clearly having a breakdown and starts talking about how wonderful life is?"Drake shook his head. "I thought she was insane." A moment later, he smiled again. "But then I started asking questions." He looked down at his hands. "And she answered every single one."

Lombard cursed under his breath as he doubled over slightly. “I wasn’t fucking expecting that!” He shot Drake an annoyed look. “The least you could’ve done was give me a warning before punching me!” If Drake had been angry before, he was furious now. He charged forward again, intending to land another punch. But Lombard was ready. The moment Drake got close, Lombard stepped aside. Drake missed completely, his fist slamming into a nearby iron swing instead. The howl that followed echoed across the playground. Unfortunately, it still wasn’t enough. There was too much anger, too much frustration, too much fear, and Lombard understood that. That was exactly why he had spent half an hour struggling to tell Drake the truth in the first place. But understanding someone’s emotions and volunteering to become their punching bag were two very different things. As Drake came at him again, Lombard moved. This time, Drake crashed directly into one of the inflatable climbing structures nearby. T

“What led you to the people who led you to him?” The question lingered between them.Lombard sighed. “I’ve been chasing one particular bastard for more than two years.” His gaze drifted toward the night sky. “The moment Clara died, I already knew who could lead me to the people responsible.” He paused. “The problem was that the guy disappeared.” “So I took a break.”Drake raised an eyebrow. “A break?”“Yeah,” Lombard nodded. “I figured it was a good opportunity to reconnect with life.”Drake smirked. “Reconnect with the parts of your life that don’t involve being a psychopath?”“No,” Lombard pointed at him. “But you’re getting closer.”Drake chuckled. “And?”“And I met a woman,” Lombard shrugged. “Beautiful. Complicated. The usual disaster.”Drake nodded slowly. “That tracks.”“I later found out she was some high-ranking religious figure with supernatural abilities.”Drake blinked. “What?”“I’m not talking about fantasy,” Lombard looked completely serious. “That stuff is real.”Drake