Chapter 66
A knock sounded at the door. “Are you up?” Irene called from outside
Alex immediately went to open the door. “Yeah, we’re up.”
“Come on then, time to get ready for breakfast,” Irene said.
Alex nodded, his eyes going straight to his mother’s foot with concern. “Mom, how’s your ankle? Did you sleep okay last night?”
“Much better, though it’s still a bit swollen,” Irene smiled. “And I slept pretty well without you three little troublemakers around.”
Adam emerged from his room then, his eyes immediately assessing her ankle. “It’ll take at least two or three days to heal completely.”
Irene nodded, knowing he was right. After a night’s rest, her injury actually looked worse not only was the swelling more pronounced, but dark bruises had started blooming across her ankle. The bruising was actually a good sign, though it didn’t look pretty.
“How did you sleep?” she asked. “The kids weren’t too much trouble, were they?”
“It was fine,” Adam replied, thinking back to the night’s events.
Trene took the children back to change their clothes while Adam went to get ready himself. When they came downstairs, they were
surprised to find Joseph and James had arrived. Irene immediately had a bad feeling about this. “Is the power still not working at our place?”
“No, it isn’t,” Joseph answered. He’d woken up to find the house empty except for James, and only later learned that his granddaughter and great–grandchildren had taken refuge next door due to the power outage. Rather than stay behind, he’d decided to join them.
“This is getting absurd,” Irene frowned, genuinely frustrated. “How long does it take to fix a simple power outage? What exactly is the property management doing?”
While Irene remained oblivious to any ulterior motives, Joseph’s shrewd gaze suggested he had his suspicions about the conveniently persistent electrical issues. However, he kept his thoughts to himself, content to observe how things played out.
“I’ll have professional technicians take a look,” Adam stated with quiet authority. “They’ll make sure it’s resolved today. The promise in his voice left no room for doubt that the issue would be handled swiftly and thoroughly.
Breakfast flowed with surprising ease, as if their two households had been sharing meals forever. Joseph held court at his end of the table, thoroughly enjoying his grandchildren’s animated chatter, while James maintained his professional demeanor despite the obvious amusement dancing in his eyes.
After breakfast, Adam’s IT team descended on Sterling’s villa like a highly specialized SWAT team. Within ten minutes, the system hummed back to life, every light and appliance working perfectly,
As Irene prepared to take the children back home, Alex asked to stay behind for a few minutes to finish something on his laptop. With the power restored next door, there was no reason to refuse. His small fingers flew across the keyboard, accessing a high–level programming forum that would have impressed even senior developers – if they’d known a five–year–old was behind the surprisingly sophisticated posts.
[Message sent: Katherine, have you landed? We need to meet tomorrow. It’s urgent.]
Reply received: Already in Silver City, little boss! Got myself a sweet apartment downtown. What’s the emergency?]
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Chapter 66
[Message sent: Can’t explain Ifere. Just come by tomorrow morning. And remember don’t tell Mom!!
The next morning, the peaceful quiet of Emerald Garden Estate shattered under the aggressive purr of a Lamborghini engine. A candy–pink supercar pulled up outside Sterling’s villa, drawing more than a few curious stares from passing neighbors. The driver who emerged managed to be even more eye–catching than her vehicle a stunning woman with exotic mixed–heritage features, her wild curls barely contained by a designer scarf.
“Katherine!” Alex flew down the front steps, launching himself at the newcomer, his mother’s student and assistant in R country,
Katherine caught him mid–leap, spinning him around with practiced ease. “There’s my favorite little genius! Her accent carried hints of multiple continents, matching her exotic appearance. “Look at you getting taller every time I see you!”
“You finally made it!” Alex beamed, then quickly dropped
his
“All set up in my new lab,” Katherine winked. “Now, where’s
voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Did you bring the stuff I asked for?”
that mom of yours?”
As if on cue, Irene appeared in the doorway, her slight limp immediately catching Katherine’s sharp eyes. “Joy!” The overseas name rolled naturally off her tongue. “What happened to you?”
“Minor accident,” Irene waved off her concern. “When did you get in You should have told me – I’d have picked you up from the airport
Katherine’s laugh rang out bright and uninhibited. “Please, I’m not some helpless tourist. Besides,” she gestured at her Lamborghini with a proud grin, “I’ve got my own ride.”
“I see that,” Irene’s lips twitched. “Very… subtle.”
“You know me – why blend in when you can stand out?” Katherine flashed her signature megawatt smile, following them inside. “Got) myself a nice place downtown too. The view’s absolutely killer.”
They settled into the living room, where Katherine launched into animated descriptions of her latest research cases, her hands painting pictures in the air as she talked. “But honestly, I’m here to learn more about your neurostimulation techniques. The results you’re getting are incredible – my patients keep asking for ‘Dr. Joy’s miracle treatment.“”
While the women dove deep into medical discussion, Alex seized his chance. He carefully slipped a small evidence bag from his pocket, pressing it into Katherine’s hand when his mother wasn’t looking.
“Can you run the tests right away?” he whispered. “And remember – don’t tell Mom anything about this.”
Katherine’s perfectly shaped eyebrows rose slightly as she felt the strands of hair through the plastic, but she kept her voice equally quiet, “Why all the secrecy, little man?”
“Just trust me, Alex’s face was completely serious. “This is really important.”
“Your secret’s safe with me,” Katherine promised, tucking the bag away. “I’ll have results for you soon.”
