Chapter 18\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oliver\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
After dinner, I helped Mommy clear the table, carefully stacking the plates the way Hunter taught me. I even remembered to put the napkins in the trash.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOliver, let\u2019s get you ready for bed, Mommy said, wiping her hands on a dish towel. I\u2019ll brush your teeth first, then tuck you in, okay?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay!\u201d I beamed at her. At home, the nannies never helped me brush my teeth\u2013they just stood there checking their phones while telling me to be\u00a0<\/p>\n
thorough.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the bathroom, Mommy knelt down to my level and opened the medicine cabinet. She pulled out two colorful tubes of toothpaste.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLook what I got specially for you! Strawberry flavor or tropical punch\u2013which one would you like to try tonight?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at the tubes, trying not to make a face. At home, I used the same mint toothpaste as Father\u2013I hated fruity toothpaste.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Mommy was looking at me with such excitement in her eyes. She\u2019d gone shopping just for me, picking out things she thought I\u2019d like.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStrawberry looks yummy!\u201d I exclaimed, pointing at the red tube. \u201cI bet it tastes better than ice cream!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mommy smiled so big that I knew I\u2019d made the right choice. As she squeezed the sickeningly sweet paste onto my toothbrush, I prepared my taste buds for\u00a0<\/p>\n
the sacrifice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOpen wide,\u201d she said, gently brushing my teeth in small circles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The strawberry flavor was even worse than I imagined\u2013like medicine trying to pretend it was candy. But I smiled through it all, making happy \u201cmmm\u00a0<\/p>\n
sounds that made Mommy laugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Later, tucked under the covers with Mr. Bunny (another thing I pretended to love), I grabbed Mommy\u2019s hand before she could leave.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t worry about the eight million dollars,\u201d I whispered. \u201cBy morning, it\u2019ll magically appear in your account. Just wait and see!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She kissed my forehead with a sad smile. \u201cSleep tight, my little optimist.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After she left, I pulled my special phone from under my pillow, checking for notifications. Nothing from Aiden yet. I refreshed the banking app every few minutes until my eyes grew heavy,\u00a0<\/p>\n
The last thing I remember before falling asleep was the clock showing 11:42 PM, and still no money from Aiden.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aiden\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at my phone, the call with Oliver still ringing in my ears. Eight million dollars? And who was that woman he called \u201cMommy\u201c?\u00a0<\/p>\n
The study remained quiet. I was trying to process what I\u2019d just heard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy made dinner. Come eat, sweetie!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The voice had been soft, warm\u2013nothing like the sharp tones of our nannies. Oliver had been missing for days, and now he was with some woman he called\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Mommy\u201c?\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
3:50 pm\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 18\u00a0<\/p>\n
I mentally cataloged possibilities. A kidnapper wouldn\u2019t let him make calls. A random woman wouldn\u2019t care for him so tenderly. Someone targeting the Sterling fortune would have contacted us already.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My fingers tapped rhythmically against the armrest. Should I transfer the money? It would be traceable, of course. But if Father found out\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
A knock interrupted my thoughts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Mr. Aiden?\u2018 Henderson entered with a portfolio. The quarterly projections for Nest Design.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded absently. \u201cThank you. Leave them on the desk.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He hesitated. Is everything alright, sir?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHenderson,\u201d I said slowly, \u201cI need you to find out who Oliver is living with now. And\u2026 her info.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ten minutes later, Henderson returned with a tablet displaying a profile with a woman named Cedar Wright.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was the designer whose innovative storage concepts had impressed me at that design show just a few days ago. Her minimalist approach had stood out\u00a0<\/p>\n
among the other exhibitors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs she married?\u201d I asked, studying the photograph more carefully.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, sir. Never has been, according to our records.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHas she had any children then?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNone whatsoever, at least according to all my information channels. Her medical records show no history of pregnancy or childbirth.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
How could she possibly be our Mommy? What on earth was Oliver doing? Was he so desperate for a mother figure that he\u2019d latch onto just anyone? That\u00a0<\/p>\n
wasn\u2019t like him at all \u2013 even though he did tend to warm up to strangers more easily than I ever could.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Prepare a check for eight million and arrange to meet Oliver tomorrow at that ice cream parlor he frequents.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYoung Master, that\u2019s significantly more than his standard allowance,\u201d Henderson remarked, his eyebrow raising just enough to convey his concern.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m aware.\u201d I stared at the woman\u2019s picture, tracing the outline of her face with my finger. Something about her seemed vaguely familiar, yet I couldn\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
place it. \u2018I need to get Oliver to spill the beans.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The door opened without warning\u2013Daddy never knocked. He entered with the commanding presence that had intimidated boardrooms across the Midwest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Aiden,\u2018 he said, \u2018I\u2019d like an update on the Nest Design project.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I quickly minimized the profile page, \u2018We\u2019re ahead of schedule. The material sourcing is complete. The prototype will be ready for the Chicago Design\u00a0<\/p>\n
Exhibition next month.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Father nodded, his approval as restrained as his criticism was cutting. And the sustainability metrics?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cForty percent reduction in carbon footprint compared to standard models.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Good. His gaze shifted to the window. \u201cAny word from your brother?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
3:50 pm D\u00a0<\/p>\n
N\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 18\u00a0<\/p>\n
My pulse quickened. \u2018No, I don\u2019t get any news.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Father\u2019s eyebrow raised a fraction. Interesting. I saw him yesterday, but he escaped, unwilling to come back. Do you know what he\u2019s up to?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m looking into it, I admitted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Find him, Aiden. I need to know what he\u2019s doing. And when you do, inform me immediately.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The door closed with quiet precision.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Sky Remembered the Touch of Our Uninished Goodbyes by Lysa Orion Rehn 18 Chapter 18\u00a0 Oliver\u2019s POV\u00a0 After dinner, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-zero-stars-for-daddy-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30417"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30417\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}