The Billionaire’s Secret Quartet (Thalassa and Elowen)

Elowen's eyes were rimmed with red, tears swirling but not yet falling.

At Elowen's questioning, Sophia and Dorian also drew closer, looking at Lysander seated in his wheelchair.

Neither of them spoke; they just quietly observed Lysander. As they did, their eyes misted over with a thin veil of tears.

To them, their dad had always been a towering figure, authoritative and commanding, someone they looked up to with respect.

The dad they remembered was like a majestic mountain, towering and imposing, an object of their admiration and reverence.

But the Lysander before them now, seated in a wheelchair, seemed so much smaller, almost at their height, no longer the unreachable, awe-inspiring figure he once was.

They thought back to when Zephyr had sent them to military school, their dad's fate hanging in the balance, fighting for his life in a hospital. And now, three years later, they were reunited with him in a wheelchair.

children's hearts ached,

had known about Lysander's paralysis for some time. He wasn't as shocked as his siblings, but

wheelchair for the first time had been a shock to Atticus

understood all too well how his siblings

in his children's eyes, understanding their pain. This sympathy, however, didn't comfort him; it felt

adapted to

found a semblance of peace

of knowing

care about the stares from strangers, but the looks

hands, she spoke with a gentle smile, "Your dad is doing great, don't worry. Although he can't walk for now, he's still

dad, he..." Elowen's voice trailed off, her tear-filled eyes glancing

man I know," Thalassa said, eager to shift the children's perspective from one of pity