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"By blood, no, but she would never have been just business to you, just as she never was for me."
"That’s not what you've indicated all this time."
"I'm good at hiding my emotions. Serenity, or Miss Blanchet, as I call her to her face, has always been the sweetest, saddest child you could imagine. Closed off, not given to smiling, and I felt sorry for having to send her to that school in Germany. But there was nothing I could do. Her parents' will was very clear."
"She doesn't remember them."
"The human mind is a labyrinth, Ares." He pauses. "I think I can call you that, right, son?"
I nod.
"As I was telling you, the human mind is a labyrinth. It is likely that she has blocked out any memories of the past. And that's one of the reasons I called you here. First, I want to thank you for agreeing to take care of everything when I'm gone."
I don't say anything. How the hell do you react to something like that? How fucking heartbreaking is it that he needs a stranger to take care of things after his death?
"I have a box in my office containing documents and photographs from various stages of the first five years of Serenity's life. I don't know why, but her parents made sure the girl had memories of them, almost as if they knew they wouldn't live long. So, along with the will, they gave me this box. When they both lost their lives in the plane crash, I already had every possible means of organizing the little girl's life, but I fell ill, andit was a blessing that JeAnne was able to continue caring for her in the two months it took me to recover."
"But why haven't you given these belongings to Serenity already?"
"I'm an old coward. I became fond of the girl, and even after she grew up, I didn't want to break her heart. The letters her parents left her were a goodbye." He shakes his head. "It's very sad to see a family suddenly torn apart."
"I'll stop by your office to pick up the box. Tell me what you need, Van Lith. You have my word that I will fulfill all your requests."
"I was right to choose your family, Ares. I can die in peace. Serenity will be in good hands."
Now
NEW ORLEANS
Seventy-two hours later, I leave the cemetery where I just buried, with only the priest and two gravediggers present, Warren Van Lith.
He asked me not to tell Serenity, and I will respect his wishes for now, but eventually I will. I'm not going to act like she's a fragile flower in a bell jar. Anyone who can withstand the absurd amount of training she does for ballet has a lot of strength within them.
I turn on my phone, which I had turned off for the funeral, and it vibrates with the arrival of two messages. The first is from Eleanor, Madison's stepmother:
Eleanor:Bring your girl to Sunday lunch. It’s past time for her to meet our family.
I shake my head, unable to hold back a smile. My brother's mother-in-law is the most gregarious person I've ever met. Ever since Zeus started dating Madison, she's made a point of getting us all together for weekly lunches, and this only intensified when Brooklyn married Athanasios. Even the surgeon's parents are invited.
And now, she wants to add Serenity to the equation.
I hold the phone, and my selfish side wants to keep her separate, keep her all to myself, but I think about the last three days and how depressing it was to see the old man alone.
No, she deserves to be with us. I already crossed the line, anyway, when I kissed her. I would have done more if we hadn't been interrupted by Debra. Our relationship went beyond the concept of forbidden some time ago. Especially when I put her over my knee and spanked her ass.
I reply to Eleanor and move on to the next message.
It's from Serenity:
Serenity:I know what you did.
I tap the call button.
"Ares?" she answers, breathlessly, after the phone rings half a dozen times.
"I'm going to buy two dozen more of them. I don't want you to use any others."
"What?"