Chapter 427
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Chapter 427:
The interior of Justin’s armored Cadillac SUV was a sanctuary of heat and thick, soundproofed leather.
Carmen sat in the back seat, the heavy cashmere overcoat still draped over her shoulders. The violent shivering in her bones had finally stopped, replaced by a dull, exhausting ache.
Aaden had completely ignored his father’s instruction to sit up front. Instead, he had scrambled into the back and pressed his small body against Carmen’s side.
Justin sat in the front passenger seat and instructed his driver, Lee, to head toward a highly exclusive Michelin-starred rustic restaurant hidden deep in the Hudson Valley.
Carmen turned her head, looking down at the boy leaning against her arm. Her hollow eyes softened.
𝗤𝗎аl𝗂𝗍𝘺 𝘵𝗿an𝘀𝗅𝗮𝗍iо𝗇𝘀 𝘰n
Aaden unzipped his small backpack and pulled out an iPad Pro covered in superhero stickers, proudly shoving the glowing screen into Carmen’s lap.
“Auntie Carmen, look!” Aaden beamed, his eyes shining with excitement. “This is my robotics project for the school science fair. I built the chassis, but the arm keeps getting stuck p>
Carmen blinked, forcing her exhausted brain to focus on the screen.
It was a 3D CAD model of a mechanical arm, accompanied by a split-screen of basic Python code. As the CFO of a major hotel empire, Carmen’s mind was naturally wired for complex data and logic structures.
She scanned the code. Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“You have a loop error here, sweetie,” Carmen said softly, tapping the glass screen with one finger. “The servo motor is receiving conflicting variable commands. If you change this integer to a float, the rotation will smooth out p>
Aaden’s eyes widened. He quickly tapped the screen, adjusting the code exactly as she had shown him, then hit the simulation run button.
On the screen, the 3D mechanical arm swept through a flawless, fluid arc.
“Whoa!” Aaden gasped. He dropped the iPad onto the seat, threw his arms around Carmen’s neck, and planted a loud, wet kiss directly on her cheek. “You’re a genius, Auntie Carmen p>
Carmen froze. The sudden, innocent affection hit her like a defibrillator to the chest. A small, genuine, and incredibly fragile smile broke through the mask of tragedy on her face.
In the front seat, Justin watched the entire exchange through the rearview mirror.
When he saw the smile bloom on Carmen’s face, his jaw tightened. His fingers gripped the leather armrest. He had deliberately told Aaden to bring the iPad. He knew Carmen’s sharp mind would engage with the problem immediately. He was systematically constructing a psychological bridge between her and his son.
Thirty minutes later, the heavy SUV pulled up to a beautifully restored century-old barn.
Justin’s staff had already called ahead. The restaurant manager escorted them immediately to a private glass-enclosed dining room at the back of the property. A massive stone fireplace crackled in the corner, throwing warm orange light across the rustic wooden table.
The waiter brought out plates of steaming maple pancakes, thick-cut bacon, and black truffle scrambled eggs.