Ard and Eva took both of Jolene's hands, then closed their eyes. The room fell silent; the only sound was the trading company staff moving back and forth, working without saying a word. Mirea, Alicia, Beatrice, Rosalind, Adeline, Pyria, Milia, and Claudia watched what Ard and Eva were doing with serious expressions. Meanwhile, Geoffrey sat silent and stiff on the sofa, flanked by Ainsley and Irwin. They also remained quiet, not knowing what to say after hearing the bombshell Jolene had just dropped.
After a few moments, Ard opened his eyes. He immediately turned to look at Mirea, then shifted his gaze to Geoffrey.
"Geoffrey, can I ask you something?" Ard asked.
"Ask away, bro," Geoffrey replied.
"Is your mother still around?" Ard asked, getting straight to the point.
Geoffrey was silent for a moment, then he slowly shook his head to answer Ard's question. Once he had his answer, Ard turned to look at Eva before looking back at Jolene.
