CHAPTER 51 SPEAKER FOR THE DEAD

The somber atmosphere hung heavy over the grand halls of the Green family estate, shrouding its opulent surroundings in a veil of mourning. The news of Marcus Green's untimely demise had cast a pall over the entire household, leaving its inhabitants reeling with shock and grief. Luke stood at the center of the vast foyer, surrounded by his grieving family members as they gathered to pay their respects to the fallen heir. The air was thick with unspoken words, the silence broken only by the occasional sniffle or stifled sob. His mother, a picture of dignified sorrow, sat stoically in an ornate armchair, her eyes red-rimmed from tears shed in private moments of grief. Beside her, Luke's father, a stern figure of authority, stood with his shoulders squared and his jaw set in a grim expression of resolve. Luke's siblings, too, bore the weight of their loss heavily upon their shoulders, their faces drawn and pale as they struggled to come to terms with the reality of Marcus's passi