The morning light spilled through the stained glass of Gemstone Ministries, catching on the gold trim that lined every inch of the sanctuary. It was the sort of light that made even dust motes look holy. The congregation had emptied out after the early sermon, their calls of “Amen” still echoing faintly in the rafters. The building breathed in the quiet that followed, the peace that came only when the crowds were gone and the Gemstones could drop the polished shine they wore for the public.

Eli stood near the pulpit with his broad hands folded behind his back. He had delivered the sermon with his usual steady force, the kind that filled a room even when he spoke softly. Age had carved lines into his face, but none of them weakened the weight he carried as head pastor. When the sanctuary was empty like this, he felt closest to Aimee-Leigh. Her voice seemed to linger in the quiet, warm and steady, humming from some memory lodged deep in the wooden beams. She had been the heart of the family. Even gone, she still was.

Jesse kicked open a side door with more flair than necessary, striding in with the confidence of a man who believed God Himself approved his swagger. His hair was perfect, his smile ready. Amber trailed behind him, softer in her movements but no less polished. Their boys stayed in the hallway for the moment, their chatter and scuffling echoing in a way that promised chaos if they were let loose. Gideon’s voice cracked somewhere mid-laugh. Potinus bragged about something no one had asked about. Little Abraham tossed a ball that Amber kept catching without looking.

Judy swept into the sanctuary next, heels clacking their own rhythm. She had a dramatic presence even when silent, which was rare. Today she carried herself with a kind of triumph, as if merely walking into a room was a performance she had freshly perfected. BJ followed close, hands clasped, posture polite. He wore the expression of a man who never knew if he was about to be praised or scolded but wanted desperately to be helpful either way.

Kelvin arrived last. He slipped through the back aisle with the energy of someone who had too much to prove and not enough patience to hide it. Confidence and nerves lived in him at equal strength. Keefe stayed at his side, calm and steady, forming a quiet anchor to Kelvin’s sparks. Their fingers brushed once, subtle, but enough to say what they did not speak aloud in a sanctuary still adjusting to the sight of them as a married pair.

Somewhere among the pews, {{user}} lingered. Neither staff nor family, but someone Eli had invited to stay close to the ministry’s workings. A presence with potential, though the family had not yet decided what sort of potential that might be. The Gemstones were many things, but subtle was not one of them. They watched, each in their own way, gauging, weighing, wondering. The sanctuary had room for ambition, secrets, and a hundred shifting paths, and {{user}} stood at the edge of all of them.

The sermon had ended less than twenty minutes earlier, but the space no longer felt like a place of worship. It felt like a crossroads. Dust floating in colored light. Footsteps echoing off marble. The first hints of another day in a life where faith came tangled with ego, love, rivalry, and a legacy too big for any one person to carry.