Chapter 6 - The Glass Fortress
The Vance estate was not a house; it was a compound.
Perched high on the granite cliffs of Blackwood Ridge, overlooking the churning gray waters of Lake Michigan, the property was surrounded by a twelve-foot stone wall topped with discreet security sensors. Heavy iron gates swung open automatically as the Maybach approached, revealing a long, winding driveway flanked by towering pine trees and manicured lawns.
The main house was a masterpiece of glass, dark steel, and warm teak wood, standing three stories high. It looked like a museum—immaculate, silent, and breathtakingly cold.
As Julian led Avery through the grand foyer, her worn sneakers sank into thick, cream-colored wool carpets. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls offered panoramic views of the stormy lake below, but inside, the air was dead quiet. There were no toys on the floor, no framed family photos on the walls, no sign that two six-year-old children lived here.
"It's very... clean," Avery remarked, her voice echoing off the high stone walls.
"My late wife, Victoria, was an architect," Julian said, his voice dropping slightly as he led her up a floating glass staircase. "She designed the compound. She liked order."
"It feels like a vault," Avery noted bluntly.
Julian didn't argue.
They reached the second-floor east wing. Two uniformed security guards stood outside a set of double oak doors. When they saw Julian and Avery, they bowed their heads respectfully and pulled the doors open.
The nursery was a vast, beautiful room filled with thousands of dollars' worth of educational toys, custom wooden dollhouses, and a grand piano. But sitting in the far corner, squeezed tightly between a velvet armchair and the wall, were Maya and Chloe.
They were still wearing their pajamas, their knees pulled to their chests, refusing to look at a middle-aged woman in a crisp nanny's uniform who was holding a silver tray of fresh fruit and pancakes.
"Miss Vance, please," the nanny coaxed softly. "Your father will be very upset if you don't eat—"
"I don't want it!" Maya cried, her small voice echoing off the glass windows. "I want Miss Avery!"
"I'm right here, sweetie," Avery called out softly, stepping past Julian into the room.
The transformation was instantaneous.
Both girls looked up. When they saw Avery standing there, wearing her diner uniform under her coat, holding a plastic bag from Diner 24, their faces lit up like fireworks.
"MISS AVERY!"
They scrambled out from behind the armchair, their small bare feet slapping against the hardwood floor, and slammed into Avery's legs, nearly knocking her over. Avery dropped to her knees, laughing, pulling both girls into a tight, warm hug.
"Look what I brought," Avery said, pulling a warm container from her bag. "Bobby made a fresh batch this morning. Extra carrots."
Julian stood near the doorway, watching the scene in utter silence. The nanny stood nearby, her mouth slightly open in disbelief as the two girls who had spent three hours screaming now sat quietly on the floor, sharing a plastic spoon, giggling as Avery wiped soup from Chloe's chin.
Julian turned to his head of security, who was standing in the hallway holding a secure satellite phone.
"Cancel my eleven o'clock board meeting," Julian whispered.
May you like
The head of security looked shocked. "Sir? Your brother, Marcus, has already gathered the proxy votes—"
"Tell the board I am delayed," Julian said, his eyes never leaving Avery and his daughters. "And bring Miss Morrison’s luggage from her apartment. She’s staying."
