Chapter 8 - The Mansion
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The drive to Nathan's estate was conducted in absolute silence. Laura sat in the passenger seat of the armored luxury SUV, furiously typing on her tablet to rearrange Nathan's life, while Nathan sat in the back with June.
June remained glued to the leather door panel, staring out the tinted windows as the city melted away into sprawling, heavily wooded suburbs. She hadn't said a word since they left the community center. She gripped the edge of her oversized blue coat with white knuckles.
When the SUV pulled through the massive wrought-iron gates of the Cole estate, June’s eyes went wide.
The house was a sprawling, ultra-modern fortress of glass, steel, and dark stone. It sat on twenty acres of manicured land, looking less like a home and more like a corporate headquarters. It was a monument to Nathan’s obsession with efficiency and control.
The SUV stopped in the circular driveway. Nathan stepped out and opened June’s door, offering his hand.
She took it cautiously, stepping onto the pristine pavement. She looked up at the towering glass windows, her small body trembling.
"It's really big," June whispered.
"It is," Nathan agreed, suddenly realizing how cold and imposing his home must look to a nine-year-old child. "But it's mostly empty. We have a lot of room to put whatever you want in it."
He led her through the massive double front doors. The foyer was vast, featuring a floating staircase and minimalist, expensive art. The floors were polished white marble that reflected the afternoon light like a mirror.
June immediately stopped walking.
She looked down at her dirty, mismatched sneakers. Slowly, deliberately, she reached down and began untying her shoes.
"What are you doing, June?" Nathan asked gently.
"I don't want to get your floors dirty," she explained softly, slipping her shoes off and placing them neatly against the wall. She stood in her socks, which had visible holes near the toes. "My fifth foster dad got really mad when I tracked dirt on his rugs. He made me sleep in the garage."
A surge of white-hot, murderous rage spiked in Nathan’s chest. He made a mental note to have his private investigators track down exactly who her fifth foster father was.
May you like
He forced a gentle smile, crouching down to her level. "June, you can wear your shoes anywhere you want in this house. If the floors get dirty, we clean them. Nothing in this house is more important than you feeling comfortable. Understand?"
June nodded slowly, though she didn't put her shoes back on. She was terrified of breaking the rules she hadn't learned yet. It was going to take a long time to tear down the walls the system had built around her.
