Elira scoffed from across the room, arms folded as she paced back and forth. Her robe was wrapped so tightly it looked like she was trying to hold herself together. "I regret raising that Karl! Disrespectful. He doesn't even acknowledge his own mother."
Danny rolled his eyes. "That's because you're his stepmother."
"Hmph!" Elira raised her chin. "Still. If our sweet Lucien had married Ruby, we'd be swimming in gold by now. Fortune! Fame! Blissful retirement! Instead…" she waved toward the chipped teacup and threadbare curtains, "we live like this!"
Lucien clutched his stomach dramatically. "Father, Mother, I think I'm going to faint. I haven't had a proper fruit tart in weeks."
Danny stood up. "Then let's make a plan.".
***
