Chapter 3 - The Sanctuary on Racine Street
The apartment on Racine Street was small, warm, and smelled faintly of lavender and old paper.
When Aara unlocked the front door, the soft glow of the living room lamp revealed Celin Deir sitting upright in her rehabilitation armchair, her knitting needles resting quietly in her lap. Celin looked up immediately, her sharp eyes scanning her daughter from head to toe—taking in the damp hair, the borrowed men's suit jacket, and the dark stain visible on the collar of her white shirt.
"What happened?" Celin asked, her voice carrying the slight slur that remained a lingering souvenir of her stroke, though her mind was as keen as ever.
Aara closed the door softly and locked it, locking out the noise of the city, the flashing police lights that had eventually arrived at the restaurant, and the crushing weight of the past six months. She walked over, knelt beside her mother’s chair, and rested her head against Celin’s knees.
"I quit my job, Mom," Aara said quietly.
Celin’s hand reached out, her fingers gently tangling in Aara’s damp hair. "Good. You stayed too long in that place anyway. The apron didn't suit your shoulders, my love."
Cassian stepped quietly into the apartment, closing the door behind him. He carried Aara’s canvas bag—the one containing her architectural sketchbooks, her emergency contacts, and her spare sweater—in one hand, and a bag of takeout pastries from the bakery down the street in the other.
"She didn't just quit, Mrs. Deir," Cassian said with a faint, wry smile as he set the pastries on the kitchen counter. "She made a rather permanent exit."
Celin looked up at Cassian, her expression softening into a knowing warmth. "And you? Did you remember to cancel the three-hundred-million-dollar check before you left?"
"First thing I did in the car," Cassian confirmed, pulling up a wooden stool and sitting opposite them. "Rowe Capital is officially terminating all acquisition talks with Keswick Hospitality Group effective immediately. Their creditors have already been notified that our backing has been withdrawn."
Aara lifted her head, looking between the two of them. "What happens to the restaurant employees? The line cooks, the dishwashers, the other servers? They didn't do anything wrong."
"We’ve already anticipated that," Cassian said, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a tablet. He tapped the screen a few times before sliding it across the coffee table. "Rowe Capital owns the commercial lease on the Sterling Room property through a secondary holding company. We’re exercising the default clause tomorrow morning. The restaurant will be shuttered for restructuring, but every hourly staff member is being retained on full salary while we transition the space."
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Aara stared at the screen, her breath catching. "You were planning to buy the lease independently of the acquisition?"
"I was planning to buy it as soon as I found a suitable tenant who actually understood hospitality," Cassian said softly, his eyes fixed on hers. "Preferably someone with an eye for structural design and a profound intolerance for arrogant heirs."
