495: Cutting Ties and Calculating Risks

In the quiet aftermath of the tumultuous visit, the siblings convened, their frustration boiling over as they rehashed the day’s egregious events. The audacity of their visitors to repeat their offensive behavior—and with even less subtlety—was unfathomable. "Big brother, it’s clear to me that we must sever our ties with Teddy and his kin," Maxwell said emphatically, his anger palpable. "Today's display was inexcusable. It's highly probable that all three were complicit in their mother’s death. “Neither Clarke Zodiac nor his father exudes any semblance of decency. More disturbingly, the way Clarke Zodiac looks at our sister—it's as if he sees her as a mere replacement for his own mother. This goes beyond inappropriate; it’s perverse. We cannot maintain contact with them." Maxwell's conviction resonated in the room, bolstered by the absence of any real need to cling to such a compromised alliance. Echoing Maxwell's sentiments, Gable, who typically abstained from deeper family entan