"Mom! Are you ready?!"
Am I ready? Athena mused after Kathleen’s shout, glancing at her reflection in the mirror.
Donning a blue two-piece ensemble—a crop top paired with palazzo trousers—that Areso had gifted her for her birthday last year, she hoped she looked good enough to et Mrs. Thorne’s standards.
Having read about the woman, Athena knew that the latter was even stricter than her husband.
Although she wasn’t one to care much about what people thought of her, Old Mr. Thorne had beco a dear friend, and she didn’t want to jeopardize that relationship by creating any tension between him and his wife, much like what had occurred with her foster parents.
Despite her friend assuring her that his wife was eager to et her, Athena remained skeptical. But a promise was a promise, and she wouldn’t go back on her word. So, with a deep inhalation to relax, she took her Birkin clutch and walked out of her room.
Outside her door, Kathleen struggled to zip her little handbag. When she saw Athena, she sighed in relief and lifted the bag towards her mother.
Athena took the bag, expertly zipped it up, and handed it back to her. "Where is Nathaniel?" She asked as they strode into the living room.
"He is talking with Mr. Jake downstairs."
Athena nodded and turned toward the door, stopping abruptly as Gianna walked into the room holding a long sheet of paper and a pencil. "You sure you don’t want to join us?" Athena asked for the tenth ti in four days since the court case.
Gianna laughed and flopped onto the longest sofa. "Nah, I’ll pass. Enjoy the afternoon with Mrs. Thorne."
Athena huffed and looked away, pondering why she had even bothered to ask. Everyone seed so busy despite it being the holidays; it was a new year, after all.
Aiden only drove her to check on Ewan and then rushed off to work on research with Old Mr. Thorne. The only ti she saw Antonio was at night when he ca to see her and the kids. He was always vague about what he was working on, claiming to be busy with sothing. But hey, everyone was entitled to their secrets, right?
As she took Kathleen’s hand and sauntered to the exit, Athena reminded herself that she, too, was busy. She usually went out in the mornings to check on Ewan, then off to the hospital to work on the patients on her files.
Even after delegating more work to the other hires, she still felt swamped. It seed the disease had spread further into other regions despite their efforts.
Well, happy holidays, Athena!
Downstairs, true to Kathleen’s word, Nathaniel was chatting animatedly with Jake.
Athena couldn’t quite decipher what they were talking about, but the enthusiasm radiating from Nathaniel made it seem interesting.
"Good morning, ma’am," Jake greeted with a curt bow as he stepped away from Nathaniel.
Athena chuckled at the sight. "Jake, I won’t kill you for talking with my child. He seems comfortable enough around you."
Jake smiled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Thank you, ma’am," He replied before opening the car door for them.
Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at Old Mr. Thorne’s place. A security personnel was already waiting at the gate for them. Upon sighting their car, he gestured for his colleague to open the gate, allowing Jake to drive in smoothly without stopping.
Before the car could glide to a halt, Old Mr. Thorne stepped out of the house and hurried over. The twins, already laughing, jumped out and rushed into his arms.
"My Nate, my Kate, how are you two doing?" Old Mr. Thorne asked, bending down to their heights.
"We are fine!" The twins chorused, hugging him tightly.
Athena stepped out then, smiling as always, never tired of witnessing the rapport her children shared with her older friend.
"How about you, Athena? How are you doing?"
Athena nodded, still smiling with twinkling eyes. "All good. Ewan is better too," She added, knowing that this would be the next question the older man would ask.
Old Mr. Thorne laughed, standing tall as he gave Athena a side hug. "That’s great. Thank you very much for taking care of him. I hope he isn’t giving you too much trouble?"
Athena considered the stress, mostly borne by Aiden, who insisted on keeping Ewan clean and didn’t want her to do it as well.
Shaking her head, she answered, "He isn’t giving any trouble." After all, what was the point of bothering her older friend? She wouldn’t accept anyone into her private laboratory.
"So, where is Mrs. Thorne?" She inquired, holding Nathaniel’s hand while Old Mr. Thorne held Kathleen’s.
"She is in the living room, hassling the servants to provide cookies and whatnots for the children."
Athena furrowed her eyebrows at that. "She shouldn’t stress herself too much. I’m sure the children are used to whatever she brings to them by now."
Old Mr. Thorne paused mid-stride and looked at Athena, as did the twins.
"What is the problem?" Athena asked, hoping she hadn’t spoken out of turn.
"She hasn’t t them before, Athena. I thought I told you that she was out of the country for business. She just ca back a few days ago."
Athena raised an eyebrow. Old Mr. Thorne hadn’t ntioned that before, but she nodded nonetheless. "I must have forgotten with all the activities going on. But all the more reason she shouldn’t be stressing herself—she needs to rest."
Old Mr. Thorne smiled, resuming his brisk walking pace. "She says she has rested enough and wants to attend to you specially."
Athena said nothing after that; she simply crossed off "Mrs. Thorne’s knack for busyness" from her ntal list consisting of the woman’s attributes.
When she stepped into the large living room and saw Mrs. Thorne talking with the butler, she steeled herself for a thorough lookover as the woman turned to face her.
But to her surprise, Mrs. Thorne paled with fright and shock.
"Emily...?"
Reviews
All reviews (0)