Deja A few days after dinner on the yacht, I found myself settling into slower days at Gabrielle’s house. Ashanti, the kids, and I weren’t ke eping to any kind of daytime routine, lazing around inside or exploring the city at a leisurely pace instead. Historically, I wasn’t particularly good at vacations. In my family, even free time had a way of being taken up by responsibility—either toward one of our many companies or the family itself—but Chicago wasn’t like that. There were no aunts, cousins, family friends, or business associates here who needed me for anything and everything all at once. If I wanted, I could wander into a café with a book and spend two hours alone. As far as I was concerned, that kind of freedom was nothing short of luxurious and I was soaking up every minute of it. This morning, however, Ashanti stood in the kitchen while Amari and Zain circled around her, bouncing on the balls of their feet and talking excitedly. “They have dinosaurs at the museum,” Zain was saying as Ashanti stuffed another package of nuts into her backpack. “They’ve even got a T- Rex.” “I’m not so sure about that,” Ashanti said, clearly trying to add expectation management to her multi-tasking schedule. She grabbed the plate Amari had barely touched for breakfast and sighed as she turned toward her. “You need to eat. We’re not stopping for a snack before we even get there.” Amari glared at the eggs and toast standing between her and her favorite treats being packed into her mom’s backpack, but she finally took the plate with resignation etched into her little features and climbed onto a stool at the island. Meanwhile, Zain had lifted his hands into T-Rex claws and was stomping around the kitchen, roaring. If only I could live with half the zest for life as a five-year-old boy. I turned back to Ashanti, my fingers wrapped around a cup of fragrant tea and my hip cocked against the counter. “The children’s museum, huh? You might not be sure if they’re going to have a T-Rex, but I’m not sure about this whole plan. It sounds like the kind of place where flu germs took over twenty years ago and are still holding the fort.” Ashanti laughed. “We’re meeting Adeline there. She assured me that her kids have never gotten sick from the museum.” I arched a disbelieving eyebrow at her, mentally scanning my memories of the dinner until I remembered Adeline. She’d been one of the many Westwoods in attendance, warm, easy to talk to, and effortlessly kind.
I remembered her daughters too, especially Lu, who’d spent a while questioning me about Egypt. It felt like she suspected the country’s entire existence was an elaborate hoax. The memory of her interrogation made me smile. “I like Lu. She’s about Zain’s age, right?” “Give or take a few months,” Ashanti said. “Amari and Jennifer hit it off too. The kids have all been begging to see each other again, so to the children’s museum we go. Are you almost ready to leave?” I nodded but silently questioned my own intentions for tagging along today. My original plan had been to wander around downtown by myself, maybe do a little shopping, find a quiet café, or sit somewhere with my camera and just snap candid shots, but then, I’d overheard Ashanti last night telling her mom that Colin might be joining them. As soon as that information had come to light, I’d altered my plans, asking if she needed an extra pair of eyes to watch the kids. I didn’t even really know why, just that the idea of seeing him outside of a controlled environment was undeniably amusing. Despite the amount of siblings he had, I was curious to see how he would fare in a building filled with sticky surfaces, screaming children, and educational exhibits that would probably be questioned by the little ones with the tenacity of grad students defending their doctoral theses. “Alright,” Ashanti said once Amari had shoveled an obviously acc eptable amount of eggs into her mouth. “Let’s get going. We don’t want to be late.” After ten more minutes of shouting, running around to track down shoes, and the general chaos I’d come to expect from leaving the house with two children in tow, we were finally buckled in and on our way. Unfortunately, when we arrived, it became apparent quite soon that Colin wasn’t there. Inside the building, children raced from exhibit to exhibit while parents struggled to ke ep up. An electronic dinosaur emitted enthusiastic roars that added an unnecessary layer of noise to an already loud environment. Frazzled-looking museum employees did their best to main control, but school was still out for the summer and it looked like it’d been a long break for those entrusted with ke eping the little ones entertained. Adeline arrived with her girls at almost the exact same time as we got to the enormous water exhibit where we were meeting them, and when Colin didn’t appear as well, I felt an odd stab of disappointment. The kids squealed and hugged. Ashanti and Adeline exchanged greetings while I said hi but hung back, still hoping he was perhaps just running late. “Where’s Zach?” Ashanti asked after a minute. Adeline released a soft sigh. “He got tied up with Colin in a meeting they couldn’t move, so it’s just the girls today.” So that settles it. He’s really not coming. As I tried to convince myself it was no big deal, I noticed that Adeline’s smile suddenly seemed a little strained. I frowned, instinctively taking a st ep forward. “Are you okay?”
She blinked a couple times, like she was surprised whatever had been going through her head had been so obvious, but then she smiled. “Oh, I’m fine. I’m just a bit worried, is all. Colin and Jane have been gearing up for the court case and it’s been consuming everyone’s attention lately. They’re all giving it their best, but you never know what’s going to happen once you get in front of a judge.” Ashanti grimaced, exhaling heavily as she shook her head. “At least it will be over soon. One way or another.” Adeline nodded and I waited for her to continue or for Ashanti to bring me into the picture, but neither of them said another word about it. Jennifer came loping over, grinning and excitedly tugging on Adeline’s sleeve, Amari hot on her heels. They started gushing about a fountain designed to teach children about water pressure. Both of their mothers turned to listen, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to focus on that. Instead, the comment lingered in my mind. Colin was facing some sort of court case, which was potentially another piece of the Jane had gone through hell puzzle. I was starting to get the sense that something big had gone down with the Thayer family and that this court case could perhaps be the grand finale. Tension wound its way into my muscles for the first time in days. Concern for a family I barely even knew tugged at the edges of my consciousness as I followed them through the museum. It turned out to be a far more entertaining experience than I had expected. The exhibits themselves were impressive, but watching the kids was absolutely fascinating. They approached every activity with complete confidence, operating miniature construction equipment like they’d been in the industry for years before diving into digging for dinosaur bones like they were experienced archaeologists. I milled about with them for the next hour or so, genuinely enjoying myself but also still a little hung up on whatever was going on with the Thayers. Perhaps it was just curiosity, but I found myself unable to simply acc ept it was none of my business and let it go. When the children discovered an elaborate science exhibit featuring water, pulleys, gears, and so many interactive components that it would ke ep them occupied indefinitely, Adeline volunteered to take charge. “I’ll watch them,” she said, smiling, and waved us toward a row of benches on the other side of the cavernous hallway. “You guys take a breather. I’ll tag you in if I need a break, but the distraction is good for me right now.” Sympathy flooded Ashanti’s eyes as she nodded. “You know where to find us when the overstimulation kicks in.” Adeline chuckled. “I sure do.” Lu grabbed Amari’s hand and Zain hurried after them with Jennifer in tow. They ran with bright smiles on their faces and even more squealing. Adeline took off after them, herding them into the exhibit as skillfully as a prize-winning she epdog.
Once we were alone, Ashanti sighed and stared after Adeline for a few long seconds before she turned to me, obviously forcing a smile when she motioned toward the benches. “Well, shall we?” “We shall. I shouldn’t have worn heels.” Her gaze dropped to my feet and a softer, more genuine smile ghosted across her lips. “At least they’re not that high today. You’re learning.” I rolled my eyes, fighting a laugh as I remembered the skyscraper heels I’d worn once when we’d taken her kids to an arcade back home. “Fair enough. Maybe next time, I’ll even opt for flats.” “You?” She exaggerated a gasp, chuckling. We made our way to the benches and sat down. For a few seconds after we were seated, we just watched the crowd and appreciated being off our feet, but eventually, I glanced over at her again. “Do you know what’s going on with Colin and Jane? Adeline seems really worried, which is making me weirdly worried too.” She nodded slowly, looked back toward the exhibit, and inhaled a de ep breath. “Gosh, it’s been so long that I forget sometimes there are people who still don’t know. It almost feels like everyone in the world is intimately familiar with their history. The press here had a field day with it.” I felt my heart rate kick up a little higher. “That doesn’t sound good. The story must not have made it as far as Cairo, or maybe I missed it, but it’s always a nightmare when the media gets in volved.” “It really has been an extremely difficult time, but uh...” she said, her voice softer before she trailed off like it pained even her to say any of this out loud. “I’m not even sure where to begin, but the long and short of it is that Court Thayer, their father, was the CEO of Thayer Steelworks before Jane. A few years ago, he was arrested and convicted of fraud, tax evasion, and a bunch of other nasty financial crimes.” My eyes widened. “Their father was in prison?” “He still is.” She let out a sigh and shook her head. “Everything they owned was seized during the investigation. Properties. Trust funds. Bank accounts. Movable assets. You name it. If it was connected to Court, the government took it into their control.” “Wow, that’s terrible,” I said quietly. “I can’t even imagine what they went through.” “Yeah, but the financial fallout isn’t even the worst of it. The public scrutiny was insane after the news broke that he was arrested. People hated them. Their r eputation went from pristine to wrecked literally overnight. The family became outcasts, pariahs in circles they once dominated, and for a long time, no one would touch the company. They lost almost all their big contracts. Clients they’d had relationships with for years suddenly denied ever having worked with them.” My heart was hammering by now, my chest aching. I thought of Colin and Jane, so vibrant and kind, going through all this, but Ashanti just k ept going. “Jane was the only sibling who’d received her trust fund at the time, so when everything else was taken, she k ept the family afloat with her own money, but they’re fighting to have the others’ trusts restored now that they’re old enough to be entitled to them, and that’s just one of the legal battles they’ve been consumed by since.”
“That already sounds like a big one.” “It is, but their father also had a mistress, some homewrecker named Mallory, who worked for him as his secretary. Jane and Colin have always maintained that she’s the guilty party. Frankly, they don’t believe Court would’ve been stupid enough to have done half the stuff he’s been accused of and they’re not wrong. A lot of it was pretty sloppy and that’s just not like Court at all.” I frowned. “Is that what this court case is about? They’re trying to get him exonerated?” “That’s part of it. They finally managed to find some evidence against Mallory, so she’s been arrested too and her trial is starting soon. She fled from the States shortly after the bombs started dropping on Court, but she came back when she was trying to gain control of Thayer’s board through her new, older, very wealthy husband. Thanks to Alex, she failed, but the authorities were also able to apprehend her.” “God,” I murmured, staring out across the museum floor and trying to process it all. “That’s awful. Just really, truly awful.” “Y ep, especially because Colin and Jane have been trying to rebuild the company and their family’s r eputation, but people don’t just forget a scandal like this, and with Mallory’s trial coming up, the past is being dredged up in the public eye all over again.” “That’s just crappy.” I shook my head. Family meant everything to me and the idea of being betrayed by a stranger was painful enough. Being betrayed by someone you loved and trusted as much as a father was impossible to imagine. As much as my dad and his old-school ideas could make our lives more complicated than they needed to be at times, I just couldn’t picture him hurting us that way. It would change the shape of our entire lives if he were to shatter our trust like Court had done to the Thayers. I thought about Colin and the restraint he showed in conversations, redirecting the attention away from himself when anything personal came up. It occurred to be then that he’d been right when he’d said he wasn’t mysterious. He was simply hurt, de eply. The course of his life had been irrevocably altered by the actions of his father and he was still trying to claw back the respect of the business community too. “You know, Khaled really wants this merger,” Ashanti said after a few seconds. “I think it’s because of Colin. Khaled wants to work with him. He trusts him more than any of the other possible partners he’s met and it definitely helps that he thinks Colin is a great businessman.” “That’s a strong endorsement coming from Khaled.” “It is, but that’s why he’s pushing this forward so hard. He’s just really hoping your dad will go for it. The fact is that it’s the perfect move for White Water Lily, but Basel might not agree.” “Colin seems like a great man in general,” I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them, but regardless of what Ashanti might read into the observation, it was true. “I’m sure my father will see it too.” Everything I’d seen of Colin so far suggested that Khaled was right, but I also had a feeling there was more to Colin than what I’d seen so far. Layers of himself he k ept under lock and key, perhaps for fear of yet another betrayal.
Then again, people rarely revealed themselves all at once. Especially when they’d been hurt so badly. I suddenly found myself turning toward Ashanti, deciding to just dive in before I could second-guess my instincts. “Do you have Colin’s number?” She froze, staring at me with such obvious surprise flickering in her eyes that I almost started backpedaling, but instead, I held firm until she finally frowned. “Why?”