Chapter 312: Family Dinner

That evening, the backyard of the Leonard residence in the General’s Quarters was alive with a warmth that had become rare in Isla.

Lanterns hung from the trees, spilling golden light over the long dinner table. Plates of roasted chicken, skewered meat and vegetables, and freshly baked pizza covered the table, while the smell of charcoal and herbs drifted through the cool evening air.

For a change, no one was talking about dead bodies, ancient ruins, security breaches, or missing people.

It was simply family.

It was the kind of evening that reminded Leonard how much had changed.

Not long ago, Liam, Logan, and Lucas had been scattered across the mobile houses. Now, all three had moved into Leonard’s residence, freeing their former quarters for the steady stream of people arriving in Isla.

And Isla itself was changing almost as quickly.

Lucas had become a familiar face at the island’s expanding hospital.

When he first arrived, it had been little more than a clinic with barely enough rooms to handle emergencies. Now, new floors were rising above it, new departments were opening, and specialists were arriving from the mainland.

Some days, Lucas could be found in the emergency room.

Other days, he disappeared into the laboratories, working alongside medical geneticists and forensic pathologists.

Logan had returned to security duty, but no amount of work could make him let go of Lara’s kidnapping.

Two decades had passed.

He still wasn’t willing to accept that the answers were buried with the past.

Every lead, every old record, every unexplained detail was another piece he could fit into the puzzle. He needed to know not only who had taken Lara, but why they had kept her from the Norse family for all those years.

Liam had been equally busy.

He was currently overseeing the investigation into the attempted thefts at both the Kromwel Mausoleum and Hevenfort.

Hevenfort had finally been excavated, though restoration work was still underway. With that site secured, the excavation teams had moved deeper into the island—to Helian Manor, the Eos Haven, and eventually the ancient city center of Calma.

There was always another ruin.

Another mystery.

Another piece of history waiting beneath the soil.

But tonight, none of that mattered.

For once, the brothers had managed to put their work aside.

Tonight was about family.

And that meant Layla was there, too.

She had been staying at the Imperial Hotel with Summer. Summer had recently stopped volunteering as part of the medical staff in Isla and had instead devoted herself to filming with Scarlet and Layla.

That afternoon, Summer had repeatedly pestered Layla she wanted to come to dinner with her.

She missed Liam and Lucas.

Especially Liam.

Layla wanted to agree, but Liam had warned her not to bring Summer.

The dinner, he had emphasized, was strictly for family.

So when Lara entered the backyard with Amelia, her hand intertwined with Liam’s, Layla’s expression immediately darkened.

The peaceful family dinner was about to become considerably less peaceful.

Her eyes narrowed as she watched them approach.

Then her gaze snapped toward Liam.

"Liam," she said sharply, "you told me this is a family affair. You specifically told me not to bring Summer. So what are they doing here?"

The laughter around the table faded.

The warmth that had filled the backyard seemed to drain away, replaced by an uncomfortable silence.

Lara didn’t even spare Layla a glance.

Instead, the moment she spotted Madeline, her face lit up.

"Mom!"

She hurried across the yard, throwing her arms around Madeline in a tight embrace.

"How was your trip?" Lara asked warmly.

"Hello, Auntie." Amelia released Liams hand and followed behind Lara. She leaned down to give Madeline a quick kiss on the cheek.

"How are you?"

"I’m fine, dears." Madeline smiled, clearly pleased to have them both there. Her gaze swept across the people gathered around the table, and her smile deepened.

"Seeing all of you here makes me happy. The trip was worth it."

But Layla was displeased.

"Lara, you..."

Her voice died in her throat.

Mom.

The word echoed in her mind.

Lara had said it so naturally and with such easy affection, as though she had belonged to Madeline’s family for years.

As though she was her real daughter.

Layla felt something tighten painfully in her chest.

She had expected Lara to be treated as a guest.

An outsider.

Someone who had been welcomed into the family out of kindness.

But watching Madeline embrace her so warmly—and hearing Lara call her Mom as though the title belonged to her—made Layla feel as if someone had quietly taken a place that had always been hers.

Her fingers curled against her palms.

She glared at Lara before turning back to Liam, demanding the explanation he had deliberately avoided giving her.

"Liam, are you deaf too?" she snapped. "Why aren’t you answering me? If I’d known they were coming, I should have brought Summer. She really missed you and Lucas."

Lucas’s expression hardened.

"Layla, watch your tone. How can you talk to Liam like that?"

His voice wasn’t loud, but the warning in it was unmistakable.

He glanced toward Lara and Amelia before looking back at his sister.

"And there are no outsiders here."

Layla’s eyes widened.

"No outsiders?"

She gave a short, incredulous laugh before pointing toward Lara and Amelia.

"What about them? Aren’t they outsiders?"

The words hung heavily in the air.

For a moment, no one answered.

Layla looked from one brother to another, almost challenging them to contradict her.

But before Liam could say a word, Lucas leaned back in his chair, his expression turning colder.

"What outsider?"

His tone was almost incredulous.

"Lara is our sister. Mom and Dad took her in as their goddaughter. And Amelia is Liam’s fiancée."

He gave Layla a pointed look.

"She’s practically already family."

Layla’s jaw tightened.

Her eyes shifted toward Lucas.

For a moment, she simply stared at him.

It seemed that every time she expected at least one of her brothers to take her side, they found another reason to stand with Lara instead.

Even Lucas. The one who was very close to her.

"But..."

"Enough, Layla."

Leonard’s voice suddenly filled the backyard.

The sharpness of it silenced everyone.

He had just emerged from the back door, with Logan following closely behind. They had only just finished a private discussion about Logan’s latest discoveries regarding the kidnapping investigation.

Leonard’s usually composed expression had hardened.

He looked from Layla to the rest of the family before shaking his head.

"We haven’t had a proper family dinner together in far too long," he said. "And now that we finally manage to get everyone around the same table, you’re already arguing like cats and dogs."

Layla swallowed the words that had been forming on her tongue.

She knew that tone.

Her father’s voice wasn’t merely irritated.

He was angry.

And for once, Layla knew better than to push him further.