Chapter 50 Tensions And Expectations

• The air in the ballroom crackled with an intensity that seemed to radiate from Alexander himself. His cold demeanor only grew sharper when Joe tried to approach him once again. Every attempt was met with a curt dismissal, Alexander's eyes distant, a silent barrier between them. The bond they once shared felt frayed, unraveling beyond repair, and Joe couldn't understand why his brother would push him away.
• Brayden, ever the innocent observer, hugged his uncle with unrestrained affection, his small arms wrapped tightly around Alexander's waist. But Alexander’s response was swift and brutal—he shoved Brayden aside, his fingers tightening on Dysis’s hand as he pulled her away. Brayden stood frozen, confusion and sadness clouding his young face.
• “I think I like her even more,” Brayden remarked softly to Joe, though there was no joy in his eyes—only an unsettling sense of loss.