The laughter carried, spilling over into clinking glasses and the subtle shuffle of waiters bringing in the next wave of dishes. Dessert trays were being prepped somewhere out of sight, but the conversation at the table had already taken center stage. The food was no longer the main course… Rex was.
Noah leaned back with theatrical exhaustion. "Man, I should've brought a notebook. Every time Rex opens his mouth, it's either something deep or something meme-worthy. Next time, bro, you gotta give me a heads-up before you drop these lines. I almost choked on the duck earlier."
"Careful," Rex shot back dryly. "Choking on duck in the Sterling dining room probably makes the news."
"Headline," one cousin chimed in, mimicking a reporter's voice: "'Promising young Sterling heir tragically lost mid-dinner. Cause of death: poultry.'"
The table rippled with laughter again. Even Henry's shoulders shook slightly, though he masked it with a cough into his napkin.
