Father finally turned, his gaze sweeping across the table before settling on me. Aiden? Your thoughts?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The room\u2019s attention pivoted to my corner. I straightened instinctively, mind racing through the proposal details I\u2019d been reviewing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I believe we should consider a partnership with Nest Design for this project.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A collective intake of breath circled the table. Nest Design was our subsidiary, yes, but normally operated independently. Father\u2019s eyebrow arched\u2013the closest he came to expressing surprise.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cElaborate, he commanded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood, connecting my iPad to the room\u2019s projection system with practiced efficiency. \u201cNest has developed a new modular construction system that incorporates both sustainability and adaptability. Their approach allows living spaces to evolve with changing family needs\u2013expanding, contracting, or repurposing without major renovation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Slides appeared on the wall screen: conceptual drawings, material specifications, cost projections. I\u2019d been analyzing Nest\u2019s R&D reports for weeks, preparing\u00a0<\/p>\n
for a moment like this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPositioning Sterling not just as sustainable, but as future\u2013forward. Adaptive architecture for adaptive lives,\u201d I continued.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Father studied the projections, his expression revealing nothing. The executives watched him, awaiting their cue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, he nodded once\u2013decisive, final.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPrepare a detailed integration plan. I want it on my desk by tomorrow noon.\u201d He swept his gaze across the table. \u201cMeeting adjourned.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The room emptied quickly, executives offering tight smiles and cautious nods as they passed my chair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Father gestured for me to follow him to his office. The space was minimalist\u2013a statement in white marble and clear glass that architectural magazines had featured repeatedly. No family photos adorned his desk, only a single award statue and a precisely arranged stack of blueprints.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour proposal has merit,\u201d he said, settling into his chair. \u201cThough I question your timing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood before his desk, hands clasped behind my back. \u201cThe opportunity presented itself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed. His eyes narrowed slightly. \u2018Where have you been this morning?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cConducting preliminary research,\u201d I answered, the half\u2013truth sitting uncomfortably in my mouth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Father nodded, seemingly satisfied. An unexpected opening presented itself in this moment of approval. I gathered my courage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Father, I began carefully, I\u2019d like to ask about Mother.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. Father\u2019s expression hardened, all traces of approval vanishing. \u201cWhat about her?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018You\u2019ve told me she died in childbirth six years ago. But I\u2019d like to know more\u2013her name, what she was like.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no need to know,\u201d he said flatly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 24\u00a0<\/p>\n
The matter is closed, Aiden. His voice left no room for argument. \u201cFocus on the task at hand. The Wilson development could define Sterling Design\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
direction for the next decade.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I swallowed my questions, recognizing the familiar wall that appeared whenever Mother was mentioned. \u201cYes, Father.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A knock at the door saved us from the uncomfortable silence. Father\u2019s assistant appeared in the doorway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Sterling, your one o\u2019clock appointment has arrived early. The Johnson Group representatives are waiting in the west conference room.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Father rose immediately. \u201cWe\u2019ll continue this discussion about the Nest integration later,\u201d he said, straightening his already perfect tie. Review the production timelines while I\u2019m gone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He strode from the office, leaving me alone amid the sterile luxury. I waited thirty seconds, counting silently, then moved around to his desk.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I slid into Father\u2019s chair, fingers hovering over the keyboard. What was I doing? This violated every rule of respect and privacy I\u2019d been taught. But the questions about Mother burned inside me, intensified by seeing Oliver with Cedar Wright. Their natural connection made the void in my own life more\u00a0<\/p>\n
apparent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tried several password combinations\u2013the company founding date, my birthday, various project codenames. Each attempt was rejected. Frustration mounted with every failure until I noticed something I\u2019d never paid attention to before: a small locked box on the upper shelf of Father\u2019s bookcase.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood on his chair to reach it, my heart pounding against my ribs. The metal was cool under my fingers as I examined the lock. Perhaps a key was hidden in the desk? I began carefully searching through drawers, mindful not to disturb their perfect organization.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The handle of the office door turned without warning. I froze, paralyzed by the realization of discovery. In my panic to descend from the chair, my foot slipped on the leather surface. I fell backward, arms windmilling uselessly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Sky Remembered the Touch of Our Uninished Goodbyes by Lysa Orion Rehn 24 Father finally turned, his gaze sweeping […]<\/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-30423","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\/30423","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=30423"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30423\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}