登入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
“Okay.”It was supposed to be nothing more than an agreement to make a bracelet.Four minutes later, Sebastian’s living room had turned into a monarchy built from sofa cushions, cashmere blankets, toy boxes, two remote-control cars, one plastic crown, Bunny Law sticky notes, and enough cake crumbs to make the cleaning staff consider converting to another religion.“I’m the Queen,” Zoe said.She stood on the ottoman with one hand raised. Her green dress was somehow still clean, her crescent-shaped bag had been tossed onto the sofa, and Poppy’s plastic crown sat crooked in her hair like a couture accessory that had accidentally come from a toy store.Poppy objected immediately. “This is my house.”“It’s Uncle’s house.”“He’s my daddy.”“Then half the house is yours.”Poppy blinked, clearly trying to work through the property math. “No,” she decided. “All of it.”Sebastian, who was standing near the coffee table with a plate of cake in his left hand, didn’t seem bothered that ownership o
Zoe stepped past Zenna without waiting for an official invitation, then stopped in the doorway with both hands on her hips. Her soft green dress was still perfectly neat, her little crescent-shaped bag hung exactly where it should against her side, and her chin lifted slightly as though she were deciding whether the penthouse was good enough to deserve her presence.“The hallway is long,” she said. “If we’re not allowed to race, why is it long?”“For walking,” Sebastian said.Zoe looked at him with pity. “That’s boring, Uncle.”Kenzo elbowed Kael. “She’s starting.”“I haven’t started,” Zoe said.“You’ve talked a lot,” Kael replied.“I’ve only talked twice.”“That’s a lot,” Kenzo said.Zoe rolled her eyes with a dramatic motion she had clearly learned from someone at home. Probably Krystal.“I’m not loud,” she said. “You just can’t listen fast enough.”“That doesn’t make sense,” Ash said.Zoe ignored him and looked over Sebastian’s shoulder into the penthouse. “Where’s the living room?
The doorbell chimed.Not the cheerful, domestic kind. This was Sebastian’s penthouse, so it sounded expensive, restrained, and slightly judgmental. Like a hotel bell that knew I hadn’t paid for the minibar.Poppy immediately turned away from the oven.Sebastian was still standing beside me. His gaze shifted toward the hallway just as one of the security officers appeared from the front entrance.Matteo stopped a few steps away. “Signorina Zenna Romano is in the private elevator,” he told Sebastian. “With the children.”I raised an eyebrow. “Children?”“Five,” Matteo said. “They’ve all been cleared,” he continued. “Their bags and belongings too. They’re waiting for permission to come up.”“Whose children?” Poppy left the oven.“Your cousins,” Sebastian said.He said it so casually, as though the word hadn’t only entered Poppy’s life a few days ago along with a biological father, an Italian family, and a growing number of adults with opinions about her safety.Poppy blinked. “My cousins
“People who worked on the family system migration. The old legal team. Two trust administrators. Whoever held the master key. Maybe someone who saw a copy of the archive before the migration.”“And Adrian?” The name came out before I could filter it, because Adrian had been the one who checked Device Seven last time.Luca looked at me. “Adrian has enough systems experience to understand the architecture, and he doesn’t have Romano Foundation credentials.” He held my gaze. “We haven’t found any evidence pointing to him.”Sebastian said nothing.I looked at him. “You’re usually quicker to accuse people.”“I usually wait for evidence.”“Is that a new habit?”“Not when it involves Poppy.”“Why me?” Poppy stopped trying to steal the sprinkles when she heard her name.“No,” the three of us said at once.She narrowed her eyes. “Suspicious.”“Go help Salma,” I said.“I helped.”“You ate half the ingredients.”“That was quality.”“Go.”She huffed and went back to Salma, but not before sticking
“Household legal account,” I repeated. “Charming.”“The profile was created as part of the family’s legal structure,” Luca said.“So I’m an administrative ghost.”Poppy lifted her head. “Ghost?”“Not a real ghost,” Salma said.“Can Mommy walk through walls?”“Not yet,” I said. “But give Romano IT a few more years and maybe I’ll be able to file taxes from the afterlife.”I looked at Sebastian.He wasn’t reading anymore. He had already seen the screen, yes, but now his eyes were fixed on one spot on the counter, right beside my hand.Too quiet.Usually, he had an answer. Not always a good one, but there was always something. A short comment. A correction. Some flat statement that made me want to pour a drink over his shoes.Now there was nothing.“Why is my name still alive in the trust system?” I asked.Sebastian looked up. “Some of the old systems weren’t cleaned up.”“Some of the old systems weren’t cleaned up,” I repeated. “Five years, and your empire still can’t remove an ex-wife f







