Professor Lucien
I gather what I can, then fetch a broom, sweeping the broken mirror and jagged pieces into a pan before carrying them outside to throw away.
“How is she?” Mom’s voice cuts in as I step off the last stair. She’s on the couch, a stack of papers spread before her, pen in hand like nothing just happened upstairs.
“She’ll be fine,” I sigh.
She nods absently. I start past her toward the door—then freeze. The bold headline at the top of the file she’s reading stabs at me: CEO Lucien Drake. Case of Nonconsensual Abuse.
The bin slips from my hand, clattering against the floor. “Mom.” My voice cuts sharper than I expect.