MasukSchool decided that an attempted kidnapping, an emergency relocation, and temporarily living in a secret mansion were not valid reasons to miss a day of education.I found out when the preschool portal chimed on the tablet.INDEPENDENT LEARNING DAYUnderneath was a cheerful message from their teacher, complete with a sun emoji that felt slightly aggressive.(Because school is closed today, we’ve prepared a few light activities to help the children maintain their routine. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Have fun!)The light activities consisted of nine pages of math, two art projects, one coding module, a reading log, and an eleven-minute video about forest ecosystems.I sat on the family-room carpet with the tablet in my lap, surrounded by pencil cases, thick drawing paper, crayons, markers, number cards, magnetic tiles, and a small fox-shaped coding robot Elena had just taken out of the education closet.Of course this house had an education closet.Zach’s mansion had a bunker, an ind
“I said, if we live in a castle, I need a breakfast throne.”“This isn’t a castle,” Issa’s voice shot back, sharp, still rough with sleep but somehow fully powered for judgment. “It’s an almost castle. And a breakfast throne is for the queen.”“You’re not a queen.”“I have a queen personality.”“You have messy hair.”“I have volume.”I didn’t open my eyes.I needed three seconds to understand several things.One, it was morning and I was still alive.Two, my body was warm in a way that was far too comfortable.Three, someone’s breath was hitting the back of my neck.Four, the bed beneath me was not mine.Damn it.I slowly opened my eyes and immediately saw charcoal linen, the edge of a dinosaur pillow, Issa’s unicorn lying flat on its back like a tiny victim of a very long night, and the heavy curtains covering the glass wall still fully closed. Behind them were probably pine trees, morning fog, and all the expensive aesthetics that made rich people feel like they had discovered natur
Max ran to the bed, patted the mattress twice, then climbed up with all the grace of a small potato. He stood in the middle and opened his arms.“This is big enough for a whole country!”Issa, still in Zach’s arms, studied the bed seriously. “A small country.”“A country is still a country.”“I want the side close to Uncle Shiny.”“You’re always close to him.”“Because he’s warm.”“I’m warm too.”“You’re sweaty.”“I’m an athlete.”“You’re four.”“I’m still an athlete!”I walked past them and opened the walk-in closet.The lights came on automatically.Rows of shirts, suits, coats, and casual clothes were organized by color. Everything was dark, neutral, or some combination a man would choose when he wanted to look expensive without admitting he’d spent ten minutes thinking about his outfit.I glanced into the bathroom and found only one toothbrush and one towel hanging neatly. After making sure there was nothing else I should not be noticing, I returned to the bedroom and looked aroun
The first problem appeared at 8:42 p.m.I knew the time because ever since we walked into this house, I’d been checking the security tablet every seven minutes like a completely sane woman who had definitely not just watched a psychopath wear her twin brother’s face.The problem wore dinosaur pajamas and stood in the middle of the family-wing hallway with a pillow tucked under one arm.“I’m not sleeping alone,” Max announced.“Me too.” Behind him, Issa appeared from the lavender room in matching satin pajamas, a tiny bonnet in one hand and her unicorn tucked under her arm.I looked from one to the other.The two bedrooms that had been psychopathically prepared since Medellín stood open behind them. The dinosaur lamp glowed softly in Max’s room. Issa’s canopy fell prettily from the bed frame. There were night-lights, cameras I’d already disabled from the tablet, panic panels, and a connecting door to the small sitting room.Everything was safe.Everything was comfortable.Everything had
I closed the tablet. “This doesn’t mean I agree.”“I know.”“This doesn’t mean I trust you.”“I know.”“And if you secretly have a basement room filled with photographs, red string, and strands of my hair in plastic bags, I’m burning down your forest.”This time, his smile appeared a little more fully. Thin. Dark. Extremely unhelpful to national stability. “Your hair is difficult to get.”I stared at him.He added, “You’re always replacing your brush.”I pointed at him. “That is the creepiest thing you’ve ever said, and you once told me Switzerland was too cold for kidnapping.”“I thought you liked observant men.”“I like men who can die quickly when necessary.”“Promising.”Before I could decide whether the heavy security tablet could be used as a blunt weapon, Bianna appeared in the sitting-room doorway with her phone in one hand and the expression of a woman who had just found her purpose in life.“Boss.”“What?”“I have a suite.”“I know.”“Not a room. A suite.”“Congratulations.
I was still holding Max’s pack of crackers when Zach’s words reached my brain in an extremely rude way.Since Medellín.Not since this morning. Not since Daniel Kessler hit the wet pavement with Theo’s face torn halfway off. Not since his phone coughed up one leftover file after the auto-wipe and called me the primary guardian like I was applying for a job in hell.Since Medellín.I put the crackers back in the drawer with a level of care no children’s snack deserved. If I set them down too hard, I might start throwing things. And Max’s dinosaur lamp was too cute to become collateral damage in the war against an Italian man with a God complex.I turned around slowly.Zach was still standing near the door, tall, half-wet, far too handsome for a situation this morally disgusting. The ends of his black hair had started to dry, falling slightly over his forehead. His white T-shirt clung to his chest in a way that should have been illegal within fifty feet of a kid’s bedroom.“Since Medell
“Come on. We’re going home.”I finally said it again, even though my own voice sounded far away in my ears. Like it belonged to some other woman who just happened to be wearing my face.Max immediately tightened his arms around Zach’s neck.No.Wait.What?Now he was clinging to the man like it was
And then... the blue eyes I’d once punched found mine across the crowd.Oh, good.Just fantastic.If the universe had a sense of humor, it was definitely drunk.I didn’t know who moved first. Maybe not him. Maybe not me. Maybe the room just suddenly felt too tight, too bright, too full of people wh
Five days in the Gómez house felt like being tossed into an industrial washing machine: spinning, loud, warm, and there was always someone shoving food at you even after you’d just said you were full.On day one, Mamá had already rearranged my entire schedule like I was back in eleventh grade and n
The second-floor workspace looks like a bored Pinterest board: neat white desk, bookshelves, two monitors. I’m in a fitted black blazer on top… alpaca-print pajama pants on the bottom.Out in the hallway, just beyond the half-closed door, the sound of running shakes the corridor.“SUPER MAX WILL SA







