Chapter 30\u00a0<\/p>\n
The room fell silent. Thomas\u2019s face drained of color as he looked between us, clearly anticipating an explosion. Most employees would never dare challenge me, especially regarding my children.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cExcuse me? My voice dropped several degrees. \u201cYou\u2019re interrupting a private conversation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedar didn\u2019t flinch. \u2018I heard your tone from the hallway. There are better ways to communicate with children than intimidation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I studied her for a long moment. Her posture was defensive, shoulders squared, chin lifted slightly\u2013a shield between Aiden and myself. Most intriguing was that Aiden, who typically maintained rigid formality around strangers, had subtly shifted closer to her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you consider yourself an expert on parenting, Ms. Wright?\u201d I asked coolly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI consider myself someone who recognizes when a child is afraid to speak,\u201d she countered: \u201cSilent reflection isn\u2019t punishment\u2013it\u2019s withdrawal. Children need guidance and explanation, not isolation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The directness of her challenge was remarkable. Most people cowered under my scrutiny, yet she held her ground, her eyes unwavering.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aiden understands the consequences of his actions,\u201d I replied. \u201cDiscipline builds character.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo does compassion, Cedar said simply. She turned slightly, addressing Aiden with a gentler tone. \u201cAre you alright?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
To my surprise, Aiden nodded, his expression softening fractionally. \u201cI\u2019m fine, Ms. Wright.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have to be fine just because you\u2019re expected to be,\u201d she told him, then looked back at me. \u201cChildren aren\u2019t miniature adults. They\u2019re developing\u00a0<\/p>\n
humans who need space to make mistakes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thomas cleared his throat nervously. \u201cPerhaps we should-*\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fine, Thomas,\u201d I interrupted, my gaze fixed on Cedar. \u201cMs. Wright clearly feels strongly about this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedar didn\u2019t back down. \u201cI do. Punishment without understanding creates resentment, not respect. Whatever he did, he deserves the chance to explain\u00a0<\/p>\n
himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
An unexpected warmth flickered in Aiden\u2019s eyes as he glanced up at Cedar, and something tightened in my chest. When was the last time I\u2019d seen that look from my son?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI apologize, Father, Aiden said suddenly, his voice small but clear. I shouldn\u2019t have gone through your desk and\u2026 asked about that woman.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The admission surprised me. Aiden rarely offered explanations, preferring stoic acceptance of consequences.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Just know better now,\u201d I found myself saying, the words emerging before I\u2019d fully considered them. \u201cI hope you won\u2019t do it again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aiden nodded, relief visible in the slight relaxation of his shoulders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedar stepped back, apparently satisfied with this exchange, but remained close to Aiden. The protectiveness in her stance was unmistakable, and strangely\u2026 familiar.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018I see you\u2019ve been hired as our new Design Director,\u201d I said, changing the subject and gesturing to her file on the desk. \u201cCongratulations.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
3:58 pm\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 30\u00a0<\/p>\n
A flash of surprise crossed her features, quickly replaced by professional composure. \u201cThank you. I look forward to proving myself worthy of the position.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe design world is unforgiving of mediocrity,\u201d I tested.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen it\u2019s fortunate I\u2019ve never been mediocre,\u2018 she replied without hesitation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A smile threatened to form at her confidence. There was fire beneath her polished exterior\u2013a quality I reluctantly admired.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll see,\u2018 I said. \u201cThe Sunshine Development will be your first test.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m ready for it,\u201d Cedar responded, her voice carrying quiet conviction. \u201cIf you\u2019ll excuse me, I should return to my orientation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She turned to leave, her posture straight and dignified. Before exiting, she offered Aiden a small smile that he\u2013to my astonishment\u2013returned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After she departed, a strange silence fell over the room. Thomas busied himself with paperwork, clearly eager to escape the lingering tension.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFather,\u201d Aiden said unexpectedly, \u201cI will take my responsibilities at Nest Design seriously.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I studied my son\u2019s face, noting something different in his expression\u2013a subtle shift I couldn\u2019t quite identify.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope so,\u201d I replied evenly, though my thoughts remained on Cedar and the peculiar effect she seemed to have on both my son and myself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Sky Remembered the Touch of Our Uninished Goodbyes by Lysa Orion Rehn 30 Chapter 30\u00a0 The room fell silent. […]<\/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-30429","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\/30429","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=30429"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30429\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}