Chapter 3 - Shadows in the Study
By late afternoon, the sprawling estate had grown eerily quiet, save for the distant sound of the ocean crashing against the rocky Newport coastline. In his second-floor study, surrounded by glowing monitors and encrypted financial reports, Pedro found it impossible to focus.
Instead of tracking the European market shifts, his fingers hovered over the mouse, clicking open the live security feed of the kitchen.
On the screen, Abigail was sitting at the wooden breakfast table with Ben and Jerry. There were no toys scattered across the floor, no tablets flashing cartoon characters to distract them from their reality. Instead, an open math workbook lay flat between them.
"If a train leaves Chicago traveling at sixty miles per hour..." Abigail read aloud, her tone even and encouraging.
Ben furrowed his brows, chewing on the eraser of his pencil. "Eighty miles?" he guessed tentatively.
"Show your work, Benjamin," Abigail corrected gently, not with anger, but with an expectation of effort that left no room for shortcuts.
Pedro watched through the monitor, resting his chin in his hand. For two years, since Clara’s sudden passing, Pedro had tried to shield his boys from pain by burying them in luxuries. He bought them whatever they pointed at, enrolled them in elite private schools, and hired a revolving door of nannies who treated them like fragile glass. He had never once sat down at a table and made them show their work.
A soft knock at the study door broke his concentration.
"Come in," Pedro commanded, leaning back in his leather chair.
Marcus Vance, his chief legal counsel and long-time fixer, stepped inside with a portfolio tucked under his arm. Marcus took one look at the security monitor paused on the kitchen scene and let out a cynical laugh.
May you like
"Still spying on the hired help, Pedro? How long before this one packs her bags?" Marcus smirked. "The betting pool in the executive suite says she won't last through the weekend."
Pedro locked his gaze onto Marcus, his eyes cold. "Tell the executive suite to find a better hobby, Marcus. She’s staying."
