Chapter 224
No.1
It was 11:00 PM.
Elisa sat behind the steering wheel of her armored Maybach in the dark, freezing underground parking garage of the hospital. She had just finished settling Phineas for the night. Her entire body ached with a deep,bone-weary exhaustion.
She leaned her head back against the leather headrest and closed her eyes, trying to find a moment of peace.
Ping.
The sharp, high-pitched notification sound from the car's central console shattered the silence.
No.2
Elisa opened her eyes. She tapped the glowing screen. It was an encrypted email forwarded from her secure server.
The sender was The Willow Creek Center for Child Development. It was the most exclusive, hyper-elite early education center in New York, and it was where
she had secretly enrolled Kayden.①
The subject lne was highlighted in bright red: FINAL REMINDER: Annual Parent's Day & Joint Psychological Evaluation (Mandatory Guardian Attendance Required).
Elisa quickly scanned the text. The email stated that they had yet to receive a formal RSVP for Kayden,and that tomorrow morning's evaluation was critical for determining Kayden's placement in the advanced gifted track for the next academic year. If a legal guardian did not attend, the child would be excluded from the program.
No.3
A massive wave of guilt crashed over Elisa's chest.
For the past two weeks, she had been consumed by the war against the Chambers empire. She had been fighting for her life, dodging traps, and securing her divorce. She hadn't spent a full, uninterrupted day with Kayden in almost half a month.
She immediately grabbed her phone and dialed Jewel's encrypted line.
Jewel answered on the second ring. Her voice was thick with exhaustion, accompanied by the loud
background noise of a film set. She was in Long Island, supervising a massive overnight editing session for her production company.
No.4
"Jewel," Elisa said quickly. "Willow Creek just sent a mandatory notice for tomorrow morning. Can you go? You're listed as her primary guardian on paper."
Jewel groaned loudly into the receiver. "Elisa, I can't.I have a multi-million dollar pitch meeting with the studio executives at 9:00 AM. If I miss it, my company goes under. I physically cannot be in Manhattan."
Elisa fell silent. If Jewel didn't go, Kayden would be the only child in that elite school sitting alone while the other kids had their parents.
Her heart physically ached at the thought.She would not let her daughter feel abandoned.
"Focus on your meeting," Elisa said, her voice turning hard and decisive. "I will go."
No.5
"Are you insane?" Jewel hissed, her panic instantly waking her up. "Willow Creek is filled with Upper East Side billionaires. If August, or anyone from his circle,sees you there with Kayden, the secret is completely
blown!"
Elisa looked at her own reflection in the rearview mirror. Her eyes were cold and determined.
"Tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM, the final divorce decree will be electronically signed by the judge,"Elisa stated. "Once that paper is filed, August loses all legal right to investigate my private life.I just have to survive the morning."
She hung up the phone, threw the car into drive,and sped out of the garage into the dark Manhattan night.
No.6
She drove straight to the secure Tribeca apartment.She walked into the study, opened the heavy steel safe,and pulled out the thick file containing Kayden's medical and educational records. She spent the next three hours memorizing every detail, ensuring her cover identity was flawless.
At 7:00 AM the next morning, Elisa stood in front of the full-length mirror in the walk-in closet.
She could not look like Faye,the ruthless tech CEO.She could not look like Elisa Chambers, the billionaire's wife.
She chose a loose, unbranded oatmeal-colored cashmere coat and wide-leg trousers. She pulled her dark hair back into a severe, tight bun at the nape of her neck. She put on a pair of thick, black-rimmed glasses with non-prescription lenses. The glasses completely altered the sharp angles of her face,making her look like a tired, intellectual, upper-middle-class academic.
She grabbed her keys and drove to the Upper East Side.
No.7
At 8:30 AM, she pulled up to the massive, wrought-iron gates of The Willow Creek Center. The street was lined with black SUVs, Rolls-Royces, and Bentleys. Private security guards with earpieces patrolled the perimeter.
Elisa walked up to the registration tent. She handed over her forged New York State ID.
"Faye Gilmore," Elisa said smoothly. Gilmore was Jewel's last name. It was the perfect legal firewall.
The security guard scanned·the ID, checked it against the iPad registry, and nodded. He handed her a heavy gold lanyard with a VIP visitor pass.
Elisa slipped the lanyard over her neck. She took a deep breath of the crisp morning air, pushed the heavy iron gates open, and walked onto the sprawling, perfectly manicured lawn, her eyes desperately searching the crowd of wealthy parents for a glimpse of her daughter.