ASHLEY
The game room goes quiet the moment father steps fully inside. He feels like a stranger no one invited but no one knows how to ask to leave. Well, Asher and Ashton have always been gutsy enough to try.
I instantly feel the air change with his intrusion. The game room has always belonged to the four of us. For us, it's a neutral territory in a house where every other space carries the weight of expectations and legacies and decisions that can make or break industries. Growing up, this was where we escaped the boardrooms and strategy meetings that began far too early in our lives.
The fact that Brett Rollins is standing here now means something has gone wrong somewhere.
His gaze sweeps across the room slowly, lingering on each of us in turn. Asher is leaning against the edge of the billiards table, his glass resting loosely between his fingers. The rest of us sit on the leather couch, posture relaxed but eyes sharp with attention.
