CHAPTER 422

Declan stood with a drink in his hand, a rare, genuine smile tugging at the corners of his lips as the massive LED screen on the far wall lit up.

One by one, familiar images began to roll in—grainy photos from a different time, snapshots of scraped knees, awkward grins, and sun-drenched summer afternoons. Memories long buried in the blur of adulthood.

A picture of teenage Gael appeared next—lanky