Month after the Unity Council decision, I stood in the garden of our New York home watching my family prepare for what might be our last crisis together."The intelligence is solid," Solana said, reviewing reports from our international offices. she'd become our global security coordinator. "There's a coordinated effort to expose the psychic children's program. They want to paint us as a cult that exploits vulnerable kids.""Who's behind it?" Dominic asked."Coalition of religious extremists, academic skeptics, and politicians who think we have too much influence," Isabella reported from her position as our legal director. "They've spent two years building a case against us.""What kind of case?" I asked."They claim we're brainwashing traumatized children into believing they have supernatural powers. That we're using fake psychic abilities to manipulate governments and donors."Kai looked up from his laptop where he'd been monitoring social media. "The disinformation campaign goes l
Some months after the Kozlov confrontation, our family gathered for what had become our most important tradition – the Annual Unity Council.Representatives from every foundation office, every family branch, and every generation sat around tables in our New York headquarters. The room buzzed with conversations in six languages as cousins caught up and colleagues shared success stories."Before we begin the formal meeting," I said, standing at the podium, "I want everyone to understand what we've accomplished together."I clicked to the first slide of our presentation. "Twenty-five years ago, one woman jumped in front of bullets to save her daughter. Today, that sacrifice has grown into a network that spans forty-seven countries."Applause filled the room. In the front row, I could see Kai holding his one-year-old daughter Hope, while Sarah rubbed her belly – they were expecting again. Solana sat beside them with her fiancé David, a former foundation client who'd become one of our best
We descended to the lobby together – all of us. The sight of four armed men in tactical gear should have terrified me, but instead, I felt strangely calm."Alexei Kozlov," I said, walking slowly toward the leader. "You look just like your father.""Don't you dare speak his name," he snarled, raising his weapon."Why not? Viktor Kozlov was a brilliant man. Ruthless, criminal, but brilliant."Behind me, I could feel Kai using his abilities to read the truth in every word I spoke. Isabella was sensing the emotional currents in the room. Solana was watching for the exact moment when everything would tip toward violence or resolution."He was a businessman!" Alexei shouted. "You destroyed him with lies and government corruption!""No lies," I said calmly. "Your father trafficked weapons that killed thousands of innocent people. But he also loved you and your brother more than life itself.""What would you know about it?""Because I'm a mother too. And I know what it feels like to have some
I was sitting in my office reading success reports when Solana burst through the door, her face pale with fear."Mom, we have a problem. A big one.""What kind of problem?" I asked, immediately alert. Solana's visions had become incredibly precise. When she was scared, I paid attention."I saw an attack. On the foundation headquarters. Next Tuesday at 3:47 PM.""What kind of attack?""Armed men. Professional. Military-grade equipment." Her hands were shaking. "Mom, they're not just trying to hurt us. They want to destroy everything we've built.""Who are they?""That's the thing. They looked familiar, but I couldn't place where I'd seen them before."Isabella, now twenty and fresh from Harvard Law School, appeared in the doorway. "I felt your panic from downstairs. What's happening?""Solana's seeing an attack on the foundation.""When?""Next Tuesday."Isabella closed her eyes, using her emotional sensing abilities to reach out. "There's something else. I'm picking up hatred. Deep, g
Some months after Kai's graduation, I stood at a podium in the United Nations building, addressing delegates from forty-seven countries."The Lily Rossi Foundation has proven that international cooperation can prevent human trafficking before it begins," I said, looking out at the sea of faces. "But we can't do it alone."In the audience, I could see Dominic sitting with several world leaders who had become allies in our fight against exploitation. At fourty-nine, he commanded respect in boardrooms and government offices around the world."What we're proposing," I continued, "is a global early warning system. Children with psychic abilities, properly trained and supported, can identify trafficking operations, domestic violence escalations, and other dangers before they reach crisis levels."The Brazilian delegate raised her hand. "How do we distinguish between legitimate psychic abilities and children who might be... mistaken in their perceptions?""That's where our screening and trai
Some years after Isabella's birth, I stood in the auditorium of the Lily Rossi Institute watching my son Kai graduate as valedictorian."Family," he began his speech, his voice strong and confident, "doesn't always begin with blood. Sometimes it begins with choice." Kai had grown into everything I'd hoped he would become. Smart, compassionate, and deeply committed to helping others. his psychic ability to detect lies had evolved into something more nuanced – they could sense people's true motivations, their hidden fears, their deepest needs."The foundation that brought us all together taught me that love multiplies when you share it," he continued. "That healing is possible even from the worst trauma. And that sometimes the people who hurt you the most can become the people who teach you the most about forgiveness."Beside me, Dominic squeezed my hand, he was graying at the temples but more handsome than ever. The years of building something meaningful together had given him a confi