The Inner Circle

"You know how it is—Grandpa's getting old. His eyesight isn't what it used to be." Winston bowed his head and let out a deliberately weary sigh. "Time spares no one."

It was a well-timed save. Vaughan's eyes noticeably softened.

He sat down across from Winston, gaze drifting to the flower arrangement on the table. Two plum blossoms, a few unnamed sprigs, a brittle peach branch, a red winterberry h