In the well-lit foyer, Leonel shrugged off his coat, handed it to the help, and then made his way over to them. Since they didn't reside with their folks anymore, he brought a gift for his visit-some black tea that Waylen had taken a liking to recently.

"I'm here to pick Alexis up." Leonel's tone was polite and composed, as if they were still the picture of marital bliss. Truth was, their union wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, but they kept up appearances, and Waylen could only pretend not to notice.

Waylen still held out hope for them to get along swimmingly.

Accepting the tea, he grinned and said, "This is top-notch. Thanks a bunch!"

Leonel leaned in, took a seat, glanced at his wife, and then asked softly, "Mind if I have a game of chess with your old man first?"