“Of course. It would be my pleasure,” Rita answered smoothly, every inch the obedient attendant.

The need to be alone with Rita was almost a physical ache. Elliana set her silverware down and rose from her chair with controlled precision.

“Excellent. Then let’s go now,” she said, turning toward the staircase before anyone else could think to question it.

Levi watched Elliana leave, confusion knitting his brows.

“You’ve barely eaten,” he said, calling after her.

“Why not finish your meal first? I’m sure Bexley can show you the devices later.”

“It’s okay. I’m full,” Elliana replied without turning, already halfway up the stairs.

Rita offered Levi a courteous bow and quietly followed after Elliana.

Levi watched them go, his frown deepening. He had known Elliana for years. The idea that she would be stumped by a few simple smart devices was absurd. She was River, the prodigy who had rewritten AI protocols and built systems more advanced than anything in the Thompson household. Whatever tech the Thompson family had here would have been child’s play to her. That excuse was paper-thin. She wanted to be alone with Bexley. That much was obvious. But why?

Levi’s mind raced. Bexley had served the Thompsons for a decade, living in near-total isolation from the outside world. There was no logical way Elliana could have ever crossed paths with Bexley before today. This sudden interest made no sense. Then, he replayed Elliana’s expression when Bexley first walked in. The frozen stare and the flash of raw shock before Elliana recovered. Had something about Bexley triggered that reaction?

Levi pulled out his phone and fired off a quick message to Elliana.

“Want to know about Bexley’s background?”

Elliana’s phone buzzed just as she stepped onto the landing. One glance at the screen and her pulse spiked. Levi had seen straight through her facade. There was no point denying it. She sent her response: “Yes, I need details.”

The reply came almost instantly.

“Her history isn’t very straightforward. Ten years ago, Edgar and Elsie pulled her out of the sea, barely alive. She’d been drifting for who knows how long. Woke up with no memory at all. Total amnesia. They liked her, thought she was beautiful and intelligent, so they brought her back and gave her a new name, Bexley.”

Elliana reached the top of the stairs just as she read the last sentence. She stopped cold. The phone suddenly felt heavy in her grip. Slowly, she turned, looking back at the woman following silently behind her.

When Elliana stopped, Rita halted as well and offered a small, respectful smile.

A sharp ache ran through Elliana’s chest as she looked at her mother—so cautious, so deferential, so unlike the woman she once knew.

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