CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY ONE - Uninvited Echoes

Mason Steele sat at the kitchen table, a spoonful of pureed carrots hovering in the air as he made exaggerated airplane noises. His six-month-old son, Henry, giggled and squirmed in his high chair, more interested in playing with his bib than eating breakfast. "Come on, buddy," Mason coaxed, his voice taking on a playful lilt. "Open up for the carrot rocket ship!" Claire watched from the counter, a mug of steaming coffee cradled in her hands. She couldn't help but smile at the scene before her. Mason, the tech billionaire who once commanded boardrooms with unwavering authority, now reduced to silly faces and sound effects for their son. "You know," she said, moving to join them at the table, "I never thought I'd see the day when Mason Steele would be making airplane noises." Mason glanced up, a grin spreading across his face. "What can I say? Fatherhood changes a man." As if on cue, Henry chose that moment to swat at the spoon, sending a glob of orange puree flying across the kitc