Chapter 148: Chapter 148

The following morning the three of them sat in the living room for what Victoria had called a short home meeting. No tablets at first, no urgent calls. Just the three of them and the open space of the large windows letting in clear daylight. Kai was on the sofa with a coffee in hand, still in training clothes from an early session. Victoria sat in the armchair with her usual composed posture. Mia had chosen the opposite end of the sofa, legs tucked slightly under her, hands wrapped around her own mug even though she had barely touched the drink.

Victoria started first. “The Veronica situation at the gate has been logged and the security protocol updated. She will not get past the outer checkpoint again without direct approval from Kai or me. That’s closed for now.”

Kai gave a short nod. “Good.”

Mia set her mug down on the low table. She had been quiet for the first few minutes, gathering the words. When she spoke, her voice was steady.

“I need a few days away from here.”

Both of them looked at her. She continued before either could interrupt. “I’m going to my parents’ place, three days, maybe a little more if it feels right. I already spoke to my mom last night. They’re expecting me.”

Victoria’s expression remained neutral, professional, but attentive. “When were you planning to leave?”

“Tomorrow morning, early.”

Kai studied her face. “Is this about yesterday? The gate? My father? All of it?”

“It’s about all of it,” Mia said honestly. “The store, the video threat, the lunch. Veronica showing up here and the constant feeling that every room I walk into has another layer of tension waiting. I need a break from this house and this version of my life for a few days. I need to sit in a kitchen that doesn’t belong to a public narrative and just be their daughter for a while.”

Victoria nodded slowly. “That’s understandable. You’ve been under uninterrupted pressure for weeks. A short reset is not unreasonable.”

Kai leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “You’re sure three days is enough?”

“I don’t know yet,” Mia admitted. “But it’s what I’m starting with. I don’t want to disappear, I just need distance. Real distance and not a quiet room upstairs while everything keeps circling outside the door.”

Victoria reached for her tablet then, already shifting into logistics. “We’ll adjust the public calendar. No joint appearances for those days. I’ll put out a simple note if needed family time, nothing dramatic. Security can arrange a low-profile transfer so you aren’t followed to their address. Your parents’ location stays off any shared lists.”

Mia looked at her, a little surprised by how quickly the practical side had been accepted. “You’re okay with this?”

“I’m okay with anything that keeps you functional and reduces the chance of another reactive incident,” Victoria said plainly. “Burnout makes people sloppy and sloppy creates headlines. Three days with your family is a cleaner solution than waiting until something else snaps.”

Kai’s voice was quieter. “I’m okay with it too.”

Mia turned to him fully. “Are you?”

“Yes.” He held her gaze. “You’ve been carrying a lot. You don’t have to keep proving you can absorb all of it without a pause, go see your parents. Sleep in a bed that doesn’t come with security briefings.”

She searched his face for any sign of resistance and found none. Only a steady acceptance that made her shoulders drop a fraction.

“I thought you might argue,” she said.

“I thought about it for half a second,” Kai answered. “Then I remembered what you looked like after the lunch and after the gate. You need this and I’m not going to make it harder.”

Victoria added, “We’ll keep the communication line open. If anything urgent comes up on our side, I’ll contact you directly. Otherwise, the days are yours. No check-ins every few hours and no performance expectations.”

Mia let out a breath she hadn’t fully realized she was holding. “Thank you. Both of you.”

Kai sat back. “What do your parents know?”

“Enough,” Mia said. “They know things have been intense. They don’t know every detail about Veronica or the blackmail attempt, and I don’t plan to unload all of it on them. I just need the normal parts. Dinner at their table and my mom asking if I’m eating enough. My dad talking about his old projects. Ordinary things.”

Victoria made a small note on her tablet. “I’ll have a car ready for the morning. Driver only, no extra security detail unless you request it. You can decide once you’re there if you want anyone posted nearby. My recommendation is light presence, not visible.”

“Light is fine,” Mia said.

Kai watched her for another moment. “You’ll call if you need anything.”

“I will.”

“And you’ll come back.” It wasn’t phrased as a question, but Mia heard the quiet need for confirmation underneath.

“I’ll come back,” she said. “Three days, then I’m here again.”

Victoria closed the tablet cover. “Then we’re aligned. I’ll handle the calendar and the gate instructions for tomorrow. You two can sort the personal side.”

She stood, already shifting toward the next task. “I’ll be in the office if anything else comes up today. Otherwise, enjoy the quiet while you have it.”

After Victoria left the room, the living room felt larger and softer. Kai stayed where he was, looking at Mia across the short distance of the sofa.

“You really thought I’d fight you on this?” he asked.

“A little,” she admitted. “You’re used to controlling the variables around you. Me leaving for three days is a variable you can’t fully manage.”

“I’m learning,” he said simply. “And I meant what I said. You need the space, take it.”

Mia moved closer along the sofa until her knee rested against his. “It’s not about running from you.”

“I know.”

“It’s about not losing the parts of myself that exist outside this house and this contract and your father’s opinions.”

Kai reached over and took her hand, his thumb moving once across her knuckles.

“Then go find those parts again for a few days. I’ll still be here when you get back.”

She squeezed his hand. The decision felt lighter now that it had been spoken and accepted without resistance. Tomorrow she would leave for her parents’ home. For three days there would be no VIP lunches, no gate confrontations, And careful public smiles. Just the familiar walls of the place she had grown up in, and the temporary quiet she had been needing more than she wanted to admit. Kai kept her hand in his as the morning light continued to fill the room.