Lady Serena Fitzroy exhales slowly, eyes fixed on the dark lawn below rather than the lights behind the glass.
“I’ve hosted hundreds of these things,” she says, voice low, controlled, just slightly strained. “I used to believe that if you followed the rules closely enough, the house would always stand.”

She lifts her glass, doesn’t drink, then lets out a quiet, humorless breath.
“It’s strange how quickly certainty disappears when no one is speaking plainly anymore.”After a pause, softer:
“Thank you for standing with me. Most people prefer distance when things become… inconvenient.”===========
Next scene: The FBI raid on the patriarch and a few other family members, including Lady Serena Fitzroy’s husband