Standing nearby, Caspian Langston offered a sarcastic sneer. "If the Everhart family hadn't interfered to cover for them back then, the Sinclairs wouldn't have been able to strut around for this long. We probably would have noticed the anomalies with their family ages ago, and we wouldn't have discovered the truth about the car crash this late. It's their fault our family is torn apart like this."

Just thinking about it made Caspian want to vomit blood in frustration.

If the Everharts hadn't cleaned up the mess all those years ago, the Langstons would have picked up on the inconsistencies much sooner. They could have followed the clues and realized Evelina Sterling's father was still alive.

If that had happened, they wouldn't have treated Lemira so horribly in favor of Evelina.

Thaddeus did not appreciate that narrative one bit.

He shot back mockingly, "Amelia manipulated the Everharts as a fallback plan to drag them down with her if things went south, not because they were so brilliant at covering up crimes. Back then, the Sinclair family held a lot more power than the Langstons. Amelia orchestrated the entire cover-up. Without the Everharts, you still wouldn't have found out a damn thing."

Lucian Langston bristled at the insult. "Are you so sure we wouldn't have found out? We always felt there was something strange about that crash. A key witness just vanished into thin air, after all."

"Right, and if Orion Everhart hadn't been in that car, you wouldn't have even had a reason to be suspicious."

Lucian was instantly rendered speechless.

It was true. If that key witness hadn't been missing, they likely would have never looked deeper into the accident.

At the time, the Langston Group didn't possess the influence or resources to conduct that kind of shadow investigation anyway.

Listening to their bickering, Lemira couldn't help but let out a quiet laugh.

Rowan, however, locked his gaze on her. "Why are you smiling, Lemmy? Do you also think we would have remained blind to the truth if it weren't for the Everharts?"

Suddenly, all eyes were on her.

Lemira's expression remained perfectly serene. "There's no point in debating hypotheticals."

Thaddeus chuckled. "She's right. The hardest thing to buy in this world is a cure for regret. You can't live on 'what ifs.""

Caspian and Lucian's faces darkened, stung by the brutal honesty of the remark.

Lemira turned away, planning to go check on Amanda rather than stay in that tense atmosphere.

Watching her walk away, Rowan murmured under his breath, "A cure for regret?" He would buy it.

No matter the cost, nothing would stand in his way.

Caspian crossed his arms, looking completely unsatisfied. "Are we really just going to roll over and cooperate with the Everharts? This feels way too humiliating."

Lucian sighed heavily. "But Lemmy

has made it perfectly clear she

intends to protect them. Even though she broke up with the

Everhart heir it's obvious there are still fingering feelings between them."

The only reason Lemira and Orion had split was the fallout from the car crash.

But objectively speaking, Orion was merely collateral damage in that entire conspiracy.

Given enough time, Lemira and Orion were bound to reconcile.

BUT

Caspian huffed, clearly displeased. "But Orion lied to her for so long. I just can't shake the feeling that he's bad news. Sure, his family has power and wealth, but it's not like the Langston family is lacking money."

Lucian gave a bitter smile. "If the Langston Group goes bankrupt, we definitely will be lacking in money."

The reality of their financial situation silenced Caspian. He looked up at his brother. "Rowan, what exactly is your plan here?"

Lucian also turned his attention to Rowan. Ever since their brother had returned, there was something fundamentally different about him.

Yet, this newly stoic, quiet version of Rowan also felt infinitely more reliable.

Right now, the survival of the Langston family rested squarely on his shoulders.

Rowan's expression drifted into

something distant and hazy. He finally answered, "I just want our sister to come back home. Everything we failed to give her in, plan

to her

the past give he

nakiti,

tenfold."

It was a debt the Langston family owed her.