James POV

I stood upright, dismissing the incident as if it had never occurred. I smiled effortlessly, aware of how to manage my mother's presence. “Nothing much, just going over the specifics of the meeting, Mom.” "It's all managed effectively."

I didn't require her participation, not at this moment. Not when everything was unfolding precisely as I envisioned.

Alexis, on the other hand, appeared to relish taking on the role of the martyr. She started to speak again, but I was ...