Esme was bone-tired. The kind of exhaustion that made her limbs feel heavy and her mind clouded.
All she wanted was to slip into the house unnoticed, collapse on her bed, and let the world fade away. But the moment she stepped through the door, something felt off. Unsettling.
The silence struck her first—unnaturally still, like the house was holding its breath. Normally, the space would be filled with life. Jay should've been racing through the halls, his voice echoing as he darted from one side of the house to the other.
And there'd always be the familiar sound of shuffling papers or quiet murmurs as he—their guy—buried himself in his files. But tonight, none of that.
Her steps slowed as she entered the foyer, her gaze scanning the hall. And that's when she saw it—the brothers. All four of them. They were seated together, each with a stack of documents in hand, eyes down, faces unreadable. Esme blinked, her confusion deepening.
