Darren had planned for a quieter day after the complicacies of the last few ones, but when he'd received the call from Ethan and Jonah about wanting to discuss something, he decided to make use of his rather free schedule.
Especially, because he had a good idea what this was going to be about.
As usual, he was in his private lounge in Castle Cottage— a place he had now made a home to all his private major business meetings and discussions.
He would also use the chance to see Penelope, and talk about how she was doing.
Now, he was waiting.
A flicker of the firelight painted the lounge in warm tones. Evening had just begun to settle outside, casting long orange shadows across the stone walls and elegant wooden beams.
The hum of muted jazz played from a corner speaker, just loud enough to fill the silence, but soft enough to be forgotten.
Darren Steele sat in one of the deep leather chairs near the hearth, legs crossed, a glass of untouched bourbon resting on the side table.
