Chapter 194: First day at school
The morning air shimmered with the brightness that promised a scorching noon. The Shepherd mansion was alive with its controlled chaos, nannies zipping back and forth with lunch boxes, the faint clatter of dishes being cleared from breakfast, and the sound of Mara’s voice calling for shoes, bags, "Where’s Andrew’s bottle? No, the blue one!"
She was dressed in a crisp cream blouse tucked into high-waisted trousers, hair swept up in a loose knot that made her look every bit the composed woman she fought to be. But inside was a storm.
Her brothers gathered at the front steps, each holding something absurdly expensive for the twins. Stanford with two tiny diamond-studded wristwatches, why, Standford, why?, Stanley with a pair of gold-trimmed leather school bags, Stefan handing them little good luck charms shaped like hearts and stars, and Steve, who gave his gifts a day before.
The twins giggled under the attention, Audrey twirling in her pleated skirt, and Andrew already pulling on his backpack like a boy on a mission.
Mara smiled because it was impossible not to in moments like this.
"Alright, let’s go," she called, ushering the twins toward the waiting van.
And that’s when Ethan pulled up.
A sleek, obsidian car that gleamed like a threat in the sunlight. He stepped out in a dark suit that was probably too formal for a school run, but then again, this was Ethan; he wasn’t there just for the twin. Always sharp, always calculated.
"Good morning, Shepherds," he said, his voice smooth as silk dipped in venom.
"Ethan," Mara greeted tightly, already sensing the oncoming friction.
He crouched low, arms open, and the twins ran straight to him. Andrew, especially, with that bond that still bruised her heart. She’d spent a year clawing him back from the darkness, and Ethan could steal him in a heartbeat with just a smile.