"Jay," he began, his tone steady but soft. "You've been with us through thick and thin through chaos, blood, danger, and the kind of silence that only real loyalty can fill."
Jay blinked, unsure where this was going, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the glass in his hand.
Dominic took a few slow steps closer. "You never once walked away, even when it would've been easier to. You've shown us what loyalty looks like not because of money, not because of power, but because you believed in something greater than yourself. You believed in us."
The room fell silent. Even Carl stopped fiddling with his lighter, and Elena's lips curved into a knowing smile.
Dominic exhaled and continued, "I remember when you told me, years ago, that your biggest dream was to have a name. Not a fake one. Not a name on a file. A real one. A name that meant something."
