The sea outside the villa windows was a sheet of polished silver. Wei Lockheart sat at his desk with his sleeves rolled up, the afternoon light slanting across papers he wasn't really reading. Jane's laughter floated from the terrace where she was tending to potted orchids. For years he and Jane had dreamed of slowing down, and now, with Claude running the empire, they finally had. But the call from Richard had left a sour taste in his mouth.
He picked up his phone, scrolled until "Claude" appeared on the screen, and pressed call.
It rang only once.
"Father," Claude's voice came, low but steady. "You rarely call me during the day. Is everything alright?"
Wei leaned back in his chair. "That depends on how you define 'alright.' Do you have a moment, Claude?"
"I'm in my office," Claude replied. "But for you, always."
Wei almost smiled. That was still his boy, despite the steel in his voice. "Good. Because we need to talk about Mio."
