Heather stood just outside the room, her eyes scanning the faces of the men seated inside.
She recognized them instantly. Weren't these the same council members from the other day?
So this was the "surprise" Amaranth had mentioned?
It hadn't even been two hours since she arrived, and they already wanted her to sign something—the ledger of inheritance.
She didn't need to guess because she already knew exactly what was happening.
Behind her, she could hear Caius speaking in a low voice with his mother.
She couldn't hear every word, but enough floated to her ears to piece things together.
"Why are you doing this today?" he asked.
"You know very well we have to do this," Amaranth replied.
"But does it have to be today, Mother?"
Of course it did. Of course they couldn't wait.
Heather thought, for a second, about turning around. Maybe she could just walk away, go back to the bedroom, and lock the door behind her.
