Chapter 124
The next morning, my apartment hallway was crowded. Three men and two women stood there with briefcases.
"Ms. Bennett, I'm the coding instructor Mr. Sterling hired for Amy."
The woman behind him stepped forward. "I teach mathematics."
"Art."
"Piano."
I looked at the last woman, a beautiful blonde who smiled politely. "I am here to teach Amy Mandarin."
I stood there, stunned. Adam and I had discussed getting Amy some help, but I didn't expect him to mobilize a university faculty overnight.
"Hello," I managed. "I appreciate you coming, but we can't start today. We are planning a trip for a few days, so I'd like to wait until next month."
The group looked uncomfortable. "Mr. Sterling instructed us to begin the assessment today."
Before I could argue, Amy appeared in her pajamas. Her eyes lit up. "Is that math?"
"It is," the math tutor said.
"Yes! I want to do math first!" Amy grabbed the tutor's hand and dragged her to the dining table.
I stood in the doorway, defeated. I tried to protest, but Amy was already happily identifying shapes. She was thirsty for knowledge, and I was just the obstacle. Resigned, I went to my laptop and canceled the flight tickets I had just booked.
For the rest of the day, I lay on the sofa watching TV while the living room hummed with lessons.
Adam arrived in the afternoon. He sat beside me and hooked his finger around mine. "I have to go on a business trip tomorrow."
I didn't look away from the screen. "Oh."
He waited. "That's it? You aren't going to ask where, how long, or who I'm going with?"
I ignored him.
Adam sighed, sounding annoyed. "I'm going to France. You should come with me."
I shook my head. "No thanks."
"France is fun," he pressed. "Paris, the food, the sights..."
I remained unmoved.
"I'll cover everything," he continued, his voice low and persuasive. "Tickets, accommodation. You aren't working right now. Come with me. It's a free vacation."
I hesitated. A trip to France did sound better than sitting in Somerville. "If I go, I want to take Amy. Cancel these tutors and bring her."
Adam didn't answer immediately. He stood up. "I'll go ask her."
He walked over to Amy. They whispered for a moment. When he returned, he looked regretful. "She doesn't want to go. She says she wants to stay here and study."
I sat up. "I don't believe you. I'm going to ask her."
Adam grabbed my hand to stop me. "No need. You know Amy. She is a scholar, a genius. She has no interest in playing right now. We should support her focus."
I looked at him suspiciously, but I eventually nodded. It was decided. Amy would stay with Mrs. Sterling at the Beacon Hill estate.
November in France was chilly. As we stepped off the plane, the wind bit at my face.
Adam pulled a red cashmere scarf from his bag and wrapped it around my neck. Then he took my hand. I looked at our interlaced fingers and didn't pull away.
A business van waited for us. This was my first time abroad since Cleveland. As I watched the foreign streets pass by, I couldn't help but smile. Adam sat beside me, flipping through a file, but occasionally he looked up to watch me with soft eyes.
His assistant, Mr. Young, turned from the front seat. "Mr. Sterling, we can rest at the hotel for thirty minutes. The meeting with Mr. Michel is in the lobby café."
My phone rang. It was Linda.
I slapped my forehead. In the comfort of the last few days, I had completely forgotten about her. Life had been so peaceful without her toxicity that she had simply slipped my mind.
"Hello?"
"Ms. Bennett," Linda said. "Your mother is ready for discharge. You or your brother need to come pick her up."
"I'm out of the country," I said. "I can't get there. Just wait, I'll call my brother."
I hung up and dialed Ryan.
"Mom needs to be picked up," I said immediately.
"I can't," Ryan replied, sounding impatient. "I'm busy."
"Ryan, I am in France. You have to do it."
"Find a friend to help," he said coldly.
"Ryan—"
He hung up. I stared at the phone in disbelief.
"Don't worry," Adam said suddenly. "I'll call James to handle your mom's discharge. Arrange transport to take her back to Cleveland or wherever she needs to go."
I looked at Adam. "That... you didn't have to do that. It's a lot of trouble."
"Your problems aren't trouble to me," Adam said. "Be good. Just have fun. My people will handle it."
My cheeks heated up. "Thank you."
Adam smirked. "If you really want to thank me, a kiss would do."
In the front seat, the driver and assistant stiffened, their eyes darting to the rearview mirror before quickly looking away. I caught their gaze and mortified, I snapped my head toward the window. The blush on my face burned all the way down to my neck.
We arrived at the hotel. It was luxurious, but when we entered the room, I stopped.
It was a single room. There was only one large King bed.
Adam looked around, feigning surprise. "Ah. It seems the hotel is fully booked. We'll have to make do."
I glared at him. "Why didn't you have your assistant book a suite with two rooms?"
Adam nodded solemnly. "This assistant is unreliable. I'll scold him later."
That evening, Adam went to take a shower. I lay on the bed and video-called Amy.
"Hi Mommy!" Amy's face appeared on the screen.
"Hi baby."
"Mommy, are you bored?" she asked earnestly.
I blinked. "Not really. Why?"
"If you get bored, just call me," she said, sounding like a little adult.
I laughed softly. "I'm not bored at all, sweetie. The buildings here are beautiful, and the food is delicious. Actually, your dad and I went shopping today, and I bought you a toy."
Amy’s voice suddenly turned small. "You... you went shopping with Daddy?"
"Yes. I told you to come with us, but you refused."
"Daddy is a liar!" Amy shouted suddenly. "He said if I went to France, I would just sit in a hotel room all day! He said it was a boring work trip and I couldn't go anywhere!"
My jaw dropped. That manipulative man.
"He told you that?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"Yes! He tricked me!" Amy huffed, crossing her arms. "Fine. I don't have the energy to fight him. Daddy always wants to keep you all to himself."
"Don't worry," I soothed. "I'll get him back for this later."
"Mommy," Amy said softly. "Just save a little spot in your heart for me, okay?"
"Don't say that," I said, my heart melting. "I love you the most. You take up the whole thing."
Amy giggled. "I love you more, Mommy."
"Give Mommy a kiss. Mwah!"
Suddenly, a large hand snatched the phone away.