Chapter 11
The admission of Evan’s immaturity felt like the final gavel strike of a trial, and for a fleeting second, Calloway allowed himself to believe he had won. He expected Eleanor to concede—to break the ties and let Serenity walk away with her soul intact. Instead, the old woman’s eyes sharpened with a new, tactical light.
“I’ll tell you what, Mr. Chase,” she began, her voice regaining its iron core. “I will agree to end this arrangement and let Serenity go, but on one condition.”
Calloway’s brow furrowed, his grip tightening on the handles of his walker. “A condition?”
“Give me until Christmas. That is six weeks,” Eleanor countered. “Six weeks to prove that Evan is capable of maturing into a man of substance. A man of standard, duty, and the quiet strength required to care for
