MasukSebastian poured fresh batter into the frying pan, and it immediately spread into an uneven shape.I leaned my hip against the counter. “You used too much.”“I followed the recipe.”“The recipe didn’t tell you to pour your entire future into one pan.”“It says one ladle.”“Your ladle is huge.”He looked at the soup ladle in his hand.I raised an eyebrow. “That’s a catering weapon.”“Your kitchen tools aren’t labeled.”“This is your kitchen.”His gaze lifted to mine.Sebastian held my eyes for a few seconds, then looked back at the pancake. “Get the right ladle,” he said.I opened the second drawer on instinct.The smaller ladle was on the right, exactly where it had been in our old kitchen.My hand stopped inside the drawer.Of course he kept everything in the same place.Or maybe every expensive kitchen in the world was arranged by the same Swiss man who hated creativity.I took out the smaller ladle and set it on the counter. “This one.”Sebastian slid the bowl toward me. “Show me.”
I woke up because a small elbow slammed into my ribs.Poppy didn’t wake. She simply rolled over in her sleep, took up two-thirds of the bed, all of the blanket, and part of my dignity, then planted one chubby leg across my stomach as though I were an extra pillow purchased specifically for her.I opened my eyes.The star lights were still moving slowly across the ceiling. Blue, purple, white. Bunny was wedged beneath Poppy’s chin, one ear covering her nose. Her long hair was spread across the pillow and half her face, her bangs stuck to her forehead because she slept like she was negotiating with a small demon inside her dreams.I lifted her leg off me.She immediately put it back.“No,” I whispered.Poppy snorted.I moved it again, this time sliding a small pillow into place as a substitute victim. Her leg wrapped around it without protest.My mouth was dry. The warm water I’d had earlier hadn’t lasted long, probably because my body had used all of it to process guilt, dead digital s
“Masked through a commercial relay.” Luca scrolled down two lines. “The encryption isn’t identical, but the wrapper structure resembles an old protocol once used in the combined Belsky and Romano systems. Older, before the full migration.”I looked at him. “How similar?”“Similar enough that it isn’t a design coincidence.” Luca paused. “Not enough for attribution.”A beautiful way of saying we knew something, but not who we were supposed to shoot.“And the vendor relay?” Sebastian asked.Luca opened another window.There was a phone number. Monaco area code. A company name beside it.FLEUR DE ROCHEOUTBOUND VENDOR LINEI recognized the name before my brain finished reading it.White flowers.Ranunculus, lisianthus, eucalyptus.The small card tucked inside my clutch.No pressure. Just come home safe.I set my mug on the counter.“That isn’t a private number. It’s one of the vendor lines the shop uses to confirm orders and deliveries. The line was active at the same time as the access.”
The door closed behind Adrian with a soft sound.Nothing dramatic. No slamming, no angry footsteps, no final sentence sharp enough to replay in nightmares. Just the quiet click of the electronic lock, and then the penthouse was holding the three of us again.Or four, if we counted Bunny, who legally might outrank me now.I stood near the kitchen for a few seconds, staring at the door until my reflection appeared faintly across its surface. My hair was starting to come loose, my thin sweater was wrinkled around the waist, and my face looked like someone had just handed me an emotional bill without an itemized breakdown.Well.I had always loved surprises with no return policy.“She’s asleep.” Sebastian’s voice came from the living room.I turned.Poppy was asleep in his arms.Not half-asleep enough to wake up at the word cake. Fully asleep. Her small mouth hung slightly open, her cheek pressed against Sebastian’s chest, one chubby arm wrapped around his neck, while Bunny was wedged bet
Poppy stopped halfway through the story. “I’m thirsty again.”“I’ll get it,” Adrian said.He stood and walked into the kitchen without asking where the glasses were. His right hand opened the cabinet beside the coffee machine, the one that actually held the everyday glasses.He took out a short clear glass. “Water?” Adrian asked.“Juice,” Poppy said.“No,” Sebastian and I said at the same time.Poppy frowned. “A little.”“You’ve already eaten enough sugar,” I said.“Juice is fruit.”“Juice is fruit that gave up its moral responsibility.”Adrian opened the refrigerator and found the bottle of orange juice. “Half a glass?”I was about to say no, but Poppy had already nodded with weak enthusiasm.“A little,” I said.Adrian poured less than half, then carried the glass and bottle back to the sofa.Poppy tried to open the bottle herself because apparently drinking from a glass was too simple for a former Queen.The cap didn’t move.She huffed, tried again, then held the bottle out toward S
By late afternoon, the kingdom had finally collapsed.Zenna simply checked the time, announced that all the children had to leave before their parents sent helicopters, then started gathering bags, cardigans, remote-control cars, one shoe that had somehow ended up under the dining table, and Zoe, who refused to take off the crown because, according to her, “A Queen can’t go home without her head.”The five children left with enough noise to make the penthouse feel strange when the private elevator doors finally closed.The silence fell all at once.Not complete silence, of course. There was still one small child who had survived the sugar invasion and was now paying for her sins.Poppy had already taken a bath. Her long hair was still damp and combed back, though her bangs had fallen over her forehead again in less than three minutes. She wore pale yellow pajamas covered in strawberries, mismatched socks because apparently life was too short for consistency, and her chubby body was se







