Love Unspoken

A sudden, tumultuous cry shattered the tranquil silence, drawing the attention of everyone present. Joseph, his hands clutching his face, was squatting on the ground.

His sobs pierced the quiet, reverberating through the room. Meanwhile, Alexander stood aloof, nonchalantly toying with the plastic gun.

His demeanor was detached, seemingly oblivious to the tears streaming down Joseph's face. His attention was solely focused on the toy in his hands, almost as if he was implying that Joseph's distress was his own doing. Quinn felt her heart rate spike, her hands involuntarily tightening around the fabric of her sleeves. Valerie and Hugh were the first to react, rushing over to the sobbing child. Valerie scooped up Joseph, her eyes frantically scanning his face for any signs of harm.

"What happened, Joseph?" she asked urgently. The boy was struggling to catch his breath between sobs, the corners of his eyes inflamed and red.

The redness around his eyes seemed less pronounced, but it was the puffy redness at the corner of his eyes that sent Valerie

Alexander, her voice sharp, "What's your problem, Alexander?" Alexander merely met her gaze, his tone nonchalant. "It's just a plastic bullet. It doesn't hurt.""You..." His dismissive retort left Valerie speechless, her indignation caught

Alexander!" Valerie shot up, her anger boiling over. "You're thirty years old, picking on a seven-year-old kid. What kind of man does that make you?""Come on, you're making a fuss over nothing. When have I ever nitpicked? But you, you blow up over a plastic bullet. Who's being petty now?"Valerie, so angry she could faint, found herself unable to

remarked, "It's really not that serious. Let it

a weeping Joseph, Valerie approached Wayne. "Dad, maybe skip inviting me to these things in the future. It's just not our place to

speak, Valerie, still holding Joseph, walked away. Kaitlyn let out a sigh. "That girl has quite the temper, doesn't she?" Wayne glanced at her and abruptly stood, making his way upstairs without another word. He was done with the evening's drama."Walter, let's go to bed," Freya said firmly, her face stern, having kept her distance from the earlier chaos. Already upset by the servants' gossip, her suspicion toward