“Everyone has their biases, after all. They still wouldn’t necessarily be on the same page even if Serenity were his actual sister-in-law. Sometimes, the ones who wish most for your failure are your own flesh and blood.”

“That logic applies to most, but not to River and his cousin’s wife.”

Decades of life had honed Old Mr. Lafayette’s judgment to razor-sharpness.

“I can tell Ms. Serenity genuinely treats River as if he were her younger brother, and he respects her deeply in return. They’re li