My father finally unfroze.

He stepped quickly off the stage, his polished shoes crunching over the shards of his broken glass.

He forced his charming, political smile back onto his face, though it looked entirely synthetic.

“Admiral Reed, please,” Arthur chuckled nervously, holding his hands out in a placating gesture.

“I’m quite sure there’s been some bizarre administrative misunderstanding here.

Evelyn has always had an unfortunate talent for melodrama.”