Chapter 27 : Reality Strikes

As days passed slowly Duncan's life and health became a delicate dance between power, secrecy, and family. As the patriarch of his clan, he wielded influence that reached far beyond the walls of his mansion, yet his most important decisions were often made in the quiet solitude of his study. It was here, surrounded by shelves of leather-bound books and the faint scent of aged whiskey, that Duncan found himself facing the most consequential decision of his life.

The events with the proposed marriage leading up to this moment had unfolded with a relentless inevitability, like pieces on a chessboard moving towards an uncertain endgame. Duncan's health scare had been the catalyst, a sharp reminder of his mortality and the fragility of the empire he had built. For years, he had navigated the treacherous waters of the underworld with cunning and ruthlessness, building alliances and crushing adversaries with equal measure. But now, faced with the prospect of his mortality, he found himself q