Chapter 170

The dining room is filled with the warm, rich scent of roasted lamb and rosemary, the heavy crystal chandelier overhead casting a soft glow across the polished mahogany table. For the first time since the shooting, my family actually feels like a family instead of a collection of heavily guarded assets trying to survive a corporate war. Tyler is currently mocking Lucas about his miserable attempt at a soccer tryout earlier this week, his voice full of that annoying big-brother superiority that usually makes me want to slide a fork into his thigh.

​“I’m telling you, David, he tripped over the penalty cone before he even touched the ball,” Tyler says, leaning back in his chair with a smug grin as he passes the basket of fresh rolls down the table. “The coach looked like he wanted to cry out of sheer embarrassment for our bloodline.”

​“It was windy, okay?” Lucas fires back, his cheeks turning a bright, defensive red as he aggressively stabs a piece of potato. “The ground