Chapter 38\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ridley\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
I pushed open the front door of my mansion, fatigue settling into my bones after a grueling day of meetings. The last thing I needed was an unexpected visitor. Yet there she was\u2013Daisy Black, perched on the edge of the chair like she belonged there, nervously fidgeting with her scarf.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Black.\u201d I let the chill seep into my voice. I wasn\u2019t informed of your visit.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She rose quickly, smoothing her dress. \u201cI apologize for the intrusion, Mr. Sterling. Aria fell asleep after her training session, and I thought it best to bring her home myself. Henderson has already taken her to her room.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I moved to the bar cart by the windows overlooking the skyline. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t explain why you\u2019re still here. I poured myself two fingers of Macallan,\u00a0<\/p>\n
deliberately not offering her anything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to discuss Aria\u2019s recent behavior.\u201d Daisy took a small step forward. \u201cI\u2019m concerned about her emotional state. She\u2019s been unusually quiet during lessons, staring out the window for long periods. Sometimes I find her alone in the practice room, not dancing, just\u2026 sitting.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took a measured sip of my scotch, keeping my face unreadable. \u201cChildren have moods, Ms. Black. I\u2019m sure it will pass.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Chicago Arts Center competition is in six weeks, she persisted. \u201cIt\u2019s the most prestigious junior ballet competition in the Midwest. Aria has a real\u00a0<\/p>\n
chance of winning, but not if she remains so\u2026 disconnected.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you suggesting?\u201d I kept my tone clipped, business\u2013like.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daisy hesitated, then spoke softly. \u201cChildren need stability, Mr. Sterling. A complete home environment. A mother\u2019s love.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGet to your point, Ms. Black. It\u2019s been a long day.\u201d My patience was wearing thin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something in her seemed to snap. She crossed the room and, before I could step back, wrapped her arms around me. The intrusion into my personal space\u00a0<\/p>\n
sent a wave of revulsion through me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve waited years for you to notice me,\u201d she whispered, her voice suddenly thick with emotion. \u201cI would sacrifice my position with the Chicago Ballet\u00a0<\/p>\n
Academy in a heartbeat. I could be a good wife to you, a mother to your children. They already accept me, trust me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood perfectly still, my scotch glass suspended midair. \u201cMs. Black,\u201d I said with dangerous quietness. \u201cRemove your hands from me immediately.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Can\u2019t you see how perfect it could be?\u201d Her fingers clutched at my lapels. \u201cI understand your world, your position in society. I come from a good family. I-\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Ms. Black. I cut her off sharply. \u201cNow.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Slowly, she released me, but desperation still burned in her eyes. \u201cIs it because of Irene? She\u2019s been gone for years, Ridley. You need to move forward.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the mention of that name, something inside me shattered. I felt the color drain from my face, a sudden coldness spreading through my chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not, I whispered, each word like ice, \u201cever mention that name in this house again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daisy stepped back, but her chin lifted defiantly. \u201cShe\u2019s dead, Ridley. She\u2019s been dead for six years. You can\u2019t spend your life haunting empty rooms looking for her ghost.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know nothing about her,\u201d I hissed, fighting to maintain control.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
3:59 pm M\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 38\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know enough.\u201d Daisy\u2019s voice rose slightly. \u201cShe\u2019s my cousin. I know she wouldn\u2019t want this for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I set my glass down with careful precision, using the motion to center myself. \u201cLet me remind you of something, Ms. Black. You are Aria\u2019s dance instructor. Nothing more. You were hired for your professional credentials, not for your insights into my personal life or my children\u2019s emotional needs.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a principal dancer with the New York Ballet, Daisy said, her voice brittle with pride and hurt. \u201cTeaching your daughter was supposed to be temporary, a stepping stone back to the stage. Her laugh was hollow. \u201cBut somehow, years have passed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I felt nothing at her confession. \u201cYour personal disappointments are not my concern.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Just come to her performance, Daisy said, deflated. \u201cThat\u2019s all I\u2019m asking.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGot it,\u201d I replied dismissively, already turning away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After she finally left, I stood motionless, staring out at the glittering skyline. Irene. Just the thought of her name opened wounds I\u2019d spent years trying to\u00a0<\/p>\n
close.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aiden\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood silently in the shadows of the second\u2013floor gallery, watching Dad and Daisy below. Henderson waited behind me, his presence reassuring but unnecessary. I\u2019d been on my way to my room when I heard voices\u2013one cold and controlled, my father\u2019s; the other desperate and pleading, Daisy\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I hadn\u2019t meant to eavesdrop, but when Ms. Black wrapped her arms around Father, I couldn\u2019t look away. The scene was like watching a moth fly directly into\u00a0<\/p>\n
a flame, knowing destruction was inevitable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But it was the name\u2013Irene\u2013that truly caught my attention. I\u2019d never heard it before, yet it clearly meant something significant to Father. His reaction had\u00a0<\/p>\n
been immediate and violent, a crack in his usually perfect control.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After Ms. Black left, Father remained motionless, staring out at the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is Irene?\u201d I asked Henderson quietly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Henderson shifted uncomfortably beside me. \u201cYoung Master Aiden, I don\u2019t think-\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s alright, Henderson,\u201d I said, using the measured tone I\u2019d learned from Father. \u201cI don\u2019t expect you to know. Could you help me to investigate?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Young Master.\u201d Henderson\u2019s response was immediate. \u201cThat would be ill\u2013advised. In the Sterling household, researching the private matters of family\u00a0<\/p>\n
elders is\u2026 prohibited.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded thoughtfully. \u201cI understand.\u201d I paused, watching Father\u2019s solitary figure below. \u2018Henderson, which would make a better mother for us \u2013 Daisy or Ms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wright?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The question hung in the air, seemingly innocent yet loaded with meaning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not for me to say, sir,\u2018 Henderson replied carefully.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned toward the vast expanse of windows, the lights of Chicago spread out before me like fallen stars. \u201cI wish I could call Ms. Wright \u2018Mom\u2018 the way Oliver does,\u201d I said quietly, more to myself than to Henderson. \u2018It seems so\u2026 natural for him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I straightened my shoulders, feeling the weight of the Sterling name. \u201cBut I\u2019m the Sterling heir. I can\u2019t just\u2026 follow my feelings.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
213\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 38\u00a0<\/p>\n
My reflection stared back at me from the darkened glass, superimposed over the city that would one day be mine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish Ms. Wright could be my mom too,\u201d I whispered, so softly that even Henderson couldn\u2019t hear me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Sky Remembered the Touch of Our Uninished Goodbyes by Lysa Orion Rehn 38 Chapter 38\u00a0 Ridley\u2019s POV\u00a0 I pushed […]<\/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-30437","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\/30437","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=30437"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30437\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}