Soft laughter immediately spread throughout the room. The heavy atmosphere that had lingered moments earlier slowly began to dissolve.
But the lighter mood did not last long. Cale finally set down the document he had been holding the entire time. His expression turned serious again.
The shift was enough to make everyone else in the room straighten up as well, their expressions becoming equally solemn.
“There’s a reason I asked everyone to gather here today.”
Nathan nodded slowly. “Because of the will?”
“Yes.” Cale’s answer came without hesitation.
Silence settled over the room once again.
“The situation is moving much faster than I anticipated,” Cale continued. “As I said before, Naomi has been found. The people who have been targeting the Devereux family are becoming increasingly aggressive. And now there are parties openly trying to separate Naomi from my protection.”
Throughout the discussion, Nathaniel Miller had remained remarkably calm while listening to everything Cale and Lydia revealed. Most of the questions forming in his mind had already been voiced by Daven and Chris. At the very least, he now understood the general outline of the situation that had drawn Cale into yet another complicated storm, one deeply tied to a difficult past.
“For a situation like this, what are you thinking, Cale?” Nathan asked evenly.
For several seconds, Cale said nothing. His gaze moved across each member of his family before he finally let out a quiet breath. “I want to hear your opinions first,” he said. “This isn’t an easy decision to make.”
Chris immediately raised an eyebrow. “When you ask the family for opinions before making a decision, it’s usually a bad sign.”
“Chris,” Lydia warned.
“I’m just being honest.”
Yet Cale seemed completely unfazed by his younger brother’s comment. If anything, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
The expression alone was enough to make Chris regret speaking. “Oh no...” he muttered. “Please tell me I’m not about to get assigned something weird.”
“I think I found a loophole in the will,” Cale said calmly.
Nathan narrowed his eyes. “A loophole?”

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