Gideon and his crew froze, entirely unprepared for such a blunt question. None of them had anticipated being caught off guard like this. Gideon blinked, struggling to come up with a suitable response.
Pax was the first to speak, weaving a story out of thin air. "Mirabella's mother went missing when she was little," he said solemnly, his voice steady, as if delivering a tragic tale.
Jax, ever the opportunist, decided to embellish his brother's story. "Yes, our captain's wife took a fancy to another captain and eloped with him," he added, wearing a convincingly sorrowful expression.
Gideon was gobsmacked by their tale and gritted his teeth. Before he could refute it, Toby chimed in, "She left baby Mirabella with our captain. Oh, Poor Mirabella!"
