Fitch nced up, his gaze lingering on her for a few seconds before he stood up. "Take the day off, Zoey. Nn''s old enough; he doesn''t need constant supervision."


    "But I should be working. How about I take him to the amusement park? Kids love those."


    Fitch stiffened. "No need."


    "Has he ever been?"


    "No."


    "Then why..."


    "Zoey."


    He called her name again, his voice suddenly hoarse. "Just stay in the vi for now. If you''re bored, you can walk Nn and Ozzy around the estate. It''s vast, with many sights you haven''t seen yet." Zoey didn''t respond. His tone had shifted to something much heavier, as if carrying a secret.


    She couldn''t figure it out. On her first day, the assistant hinted she should stay in. It seemed like Fitch deliberately wanted her confined here.


    She was puzzled.


    Fitch had taken the day off, and for the next two months, all his meetings were switched to virtual. Even document reviews were done in the living room.


    This meant Zoey and Nn were always under his watchful eye.


    She had assumed someone of his stature would be perpetually busy. Yet, for the following week, she saw him at the vi every single day.


    A weekter, Fitch received a call fromn.


    "I''m at your office. The top brass said you haven''t been in for a week. Are you ill?"


    Sitting in Fitch''s office chair and holding a document for theirtest joint project,n had passed by and decided to deliver it personally. He also wanted to discuss a few points with Fitch directly.


    "I''m not sick."


    "Then what are you up to?"


    "On a business trip."


    But that seemed unlikely, considering how reserved Fitch had been these past four years.


    Holding his phone tighter, Fitch replied, "No."


    "Really? Have you finally found someone special?"


    For years, Zoey''s name was taboo among them.


    "No, I''ve got to go."


    Why would a workaholic disappear for a week, cooped up in a vi?


    Back at Greenfield Gardens, Zoey overheard Maja scolding Craig Raymond through the door.


    "You took Rocky out without thinking about the consequences? What if you had scared someone? If I hadn''t gone to the police station to bail you out, were you nning on staying there forever?"


    Craig stubbornly refused to admit his mistake, his eyes reddening.


    Rosemary Sanders pouted, "Mommy, it wasn''t on purpose. Don''t be mad at him."


    Maja massaged her temples, unable to hold back and pinched Craig''s cheek. "Don''t do it again, or you''ll get a spanking."


    Craig bit his lip, ring at Rosemary Sanders with a mix of sadness and anger.


    Rosemary Sanders smirked and bared her teeth in a conciliatory grin.


    When Maja went to greetn at the door, Craig wiped away his tears in frustration.


    "Rosemary Sanders, I don''t want you as my sister anymore. It was all because you..."


    She quickly covered his mouth, dragging him upstairs as Maja andn turned their attention towards them. "Craig, stop crying, or you''ll never be as brave as Nn."Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    At the mention of Nn, Craig''s face turned beet red, his fists clenching.


    Nothing upset him more than being


    told he jacked bravery, especially


    adored by all the adults.


    "That''s not true!"


    "It is. Mommy said she wished Nn was her real son."


    Downstairs,n wrapped an arm around Maja''s waist, about to discuss Fitch when a loud cry echoed from the staircase, followed by Craig''s sobbing descent, Clinging to Maja''s legs.


    "I am brave, I swear."