ALEXANDER
I led my mother straight to my office, bypassing the common areas and guards with a single nod. The door closed behind us with a click.
Helen took the chair across from my desk without being invited. I remained standing for a moment, watching her. She looked composed, elegant as always, but I could see it now—the tightness around her eyes, the way her fingers rested too carefully on the armrest. She was alert… calculating.
We sat in silence for a moment.
Not the awkward kind. The deliberate kind. The kind where both people knew the conversation coming could not be undone once it began.
Finally, she spoke.
“I didn’t ignore your calls to be cruel, Alex,” Helen said calmly. “Or dismissive.”
I leaned back in my chair, folding my arms. “Then why?”
“Because I had a hunch my pho
