Chapter 39 Chapter 39
Carol studied her daughter's face with a mother's intuition. "You look tired, sweetheart. Are they overwhelming you?"
"No, they've been very respectful of my space. Actually, my birth mother and I have been looking at designs together. She was, is, an artist too. A sculptor."
The boys erupted with questions, talking over each other in their excitement.
"Is their house huge?" Finn demanded.
"Do they really have a pool?" Jakob added eagerly.
"Are your new brothers nice?" Nikolaus asked, his young face serious.
Buck, the oldest at fifteen, simply watched his sister carefully, more attuned to the emotional complexities of the situation than his younger siblings.
Iris couldn't help smiling at their familiar exuberance. "Yes, the house is very large. Yes, there's an indoor pool. And yes, my... the Lawson brothers have been kind."
She deliberately avoided using the phrase "new brothers," knowing it might hurt her adoptive siblings. Buck noticed the careful phrasing, a flash of gratitude crossing his face.
"The Lawsons want to meet you all," Iris continued. "They're very grateful to you for raising me."
Carol and Leo exchanged glances, a silent communication born of years together.
"We'd like to meet them too," Leo said carefully. "When the time is right."
In the doorway of Richard's study, Theodore lingered, unintentionally overhearing Iris's conversation. The warmth in her voice when speaking to her adoptive family touched something in him, a reminder that while they had found their sister, she had found strangers. The Maxwells were her true family, bound by love rather than DNA.
As Iris continued chatting with her brothers, Theodore slipped away to find his father. He located Richard in the main hallway, conferring quietly with Victor about security protocols.
"Father," Theodore said, keeping his voice low, "we need to move quickly to protect the Maxwells. I've just overheard Iris speaking with them; they're good people who clearly love her deeply."
Richard nodded, his weathered face set with determination. "I've already instructed legal to draft the necessary documents. By morning, the Maxwells will be financially secure, regardless of what Helga Kennedy attempts."
Victor's expression darkened at the mention of Helga Kennedy's name. "I've increased the security detail around the perimeter. If she attempts to send anyone onto the property, we'll know immediately."
Theodore nodded, his mind already mapping out the legal protections they would need to establish. "We should also consider bringing the Maxwells here, perhaps for the weekend. It would allow us to meet Iris's family while simultaneously keeping them under our protection."
Richard considered the suggestion, his eyes drifting toward the study where his daughter was still speaking with her adoptive family. "It's a good idea, but we'll need to present it carefully. We don't want to frighten them or make them feel like pawns in a power struggle."
In the study, Iris was finishing her call, promising her brothers she'd bring them treats from the café when she visited next weekend. As she ended the video chat, a profound exhaustion settled over her. The day's revelations had drained her more thoroughly than she'd realised.
Tony appeared in the doorway, having given her privacy for her call. "How are they?" he asked gently.
"Worried but supportive," Iris replied, setting her phone down on Richard's desk. "The boys are mostly excited about the pool."
Tony smiled, crossing the room to sit in the chair opposite her. "Listen, there's something I need to tell you. My mother is... investigating your adoptive family."
Iris's expression hardened, her protective instincts flaring. "Why? What could she possibly want with them?"
"Leverage," Tony explained grimly. "It's how she operates. Find vulnerabilities, then exploit them to get what she wants."
"Which is what, exactly?"
"Control of the narrative when this story breaks. And ultimately, the Lawson shipping contract that's been my father's obsession for years." Tony leaned forward, his expression earnest. "I've told your father. Richard, everything. He's already taking steps to protect the Maxwells."
Outside the study, Dianne had emerged from her studio for the first time in hours, her face animated with a creative energy that had been absent for two decades. She approached Richard in the hallway, oblivious to the serious conversation he'd been having with their sons.
"Richard, you won't believe the connections between our work," she said, her voice bright with excitement. "The underlying structures, the approach to negative space—it's as if she inherited my artistic vision directly."
Richard turned to his wife, his weathered face softening at her renewed vitality. For a moment, the business concerns and security threats receded, overshadowed by the simple joy of seeing Dianne truly present again.
"That's wonderful, my love," he said, taking her hands in his. "I haven't seen you this inspired in years."
Dianne's expression sobered slightly as she registered her husband's tone. "What's happening? Is something wrong?"
Theodore and Victor exchanged glances, silently debating how much to tell their mother at this time.
Richard hesitated, not wanting to burden Dianne with new worries when she was just beginning to emerge from her decades-long grief. "Nothing that can't be handled," he assured her, squeezing her hands gently. "Just some precautionary security measures."
Dianne knew her husband well enough to recognise when he was shielding her. For twenty years, he had shouldered the family's burdens alone, protecting her from additional pain as she struggled with the loss of their daughter. But today was different; today, Roxanne had been found. Today, she felt strong enough to share his concerns.
"Richard," she said firmly, "I've spent twenty years being treated like fragile glass. Please don't start again now, not when we've finally found her."
Theodore stepped forward, his respect for his mother's renewed strength evident in his expression. "The Kennedys are investigating Iris's adoptive family," he explained gently. "We believe Helga Kennedy is looking for leverage to use against us, and potentially against Iris."
Dianne's eyes flashed with a protective fire that had been dormant for two decades. "The Maxwells?" Her voice hardened with determination. "Those people raised our daughter when we couldn't. They gave her love, stability, and a family. I won't allow them to be harmed because of our world."
In Richard's study, Tony was explaining the situation to Iris in more detail, watching as her analytical mind processed the potential threats to her adoptive family.
"My mother never acts without a purpose," Tony said. "If she's investigating the Maxwells, she's already formulating a plan to use them."
Iris's fingers tightened around her phone as her thoughts raced through potential vulnerabilities. Her adoptive family's modest finances, her father's pension, the mortgage on their home, the four growing boys who needed everything from braces to sports equipment, all of it could become ammunition in Helga Kennedy's hands.
"They've done nothing wrong," she said, her voice steady despite her inner turmoil. "They took in an abandoned baby and gave her a loving home. How could anyone use that against them?"