Chapter 5 - Dawn Over the West Hills
The sun rose slowly over the Portland hills, burning away the heavy river fog and painting the sky in strokes of bruised purple, amber, and gold.
Inside the grand master suite of the Cade estate, the heavy silence of the night before had been replaced by the soft, comforting sounds of normalcy. In the adjoined nursery, Chloe sat propped up in her bed, eating a bowl of oatmeal while Marcus—his arm bandaged in a heavy white sling—entertained her with shadow puppets against the wall.
Downstairs in the private study, the heavy oak doors were closed.
Ashton sat behind his mahogany desk, though the corporate reports and quantum encryption files were pushed aside. Across from him sat his mother, Rose, looking pale but remarkably composed, a cup of herbal tea resting between her hands.
“The feds picked up the rest of her cell in Seattle an hour ago,” Rose said quietly, taking a sip of her tea. “Turns out Victoria Lane—or whatever her real name is—was part of a syndicate known as the Red Lotus. They’ve been targeting high-net-worth tech executives for three years. We weren't just targets, Ashton. We were a blueprint.”
Ashton nodded slowly, staring into the dark amber liquid of his own coffee. “I know. Marcus is already auditing the board. Anyone connected to Victoria’s shell companies is being purged.”
Rose set her cup down, her sharp eyes studying her son’s face. The harsh, arrogant lines that had defined him for the past eight months seemed softer, worn away by the crucible of the night before.
“And Wren?” Rose asked, a faint, knowing smile touching her lips. “Where is she?”
“She’s upstairs, making sure Chloe finishes her breakfast,” Ashton replied, a small, involuntary smile touching the corner of his mouth. “Though I suspect she’s about to hand in her resignation. After all, getting kidnapped, concussed, and ambushed at a timber mill isn't typically covered in the standard nanny job description.”
Rose raised an eyebrow. “And will you let her leave?”
Ashton didn't answer immediately. He stood up, walking over to the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the manicured gardens and the towering Douglas firs glistening in the morning dew.
May you like
He thought about the past six months—about the fortress he had tried to build out of stone, money, and emotional isolation, believing that control could protect him from pain. He had looked for love in a polished, artificial reflection, ignoring the real, unvarnished loyalty that had been standing right in front of him all along.
“No,” Ashton said softly, watching as a small, familiar figure walked out onto the stone patio with a cup of coffee in hand, looking out over the valley. “I don't think I’ll let her go anywhere.”
