Chapter 2

Harmony walked down the long, sunlit corridor toward the kitchen.

She didn't even turn her head to look at the massive whiteboard mounted on the wall. For five years, that board had been her morning ritual, meticulously filled with the family's blood pressure readings, allergy alerts, and customized caloric goals. Today, the board was blank.

She entered the formal dining room and bypassed her usual seat next to her father. Instead, she pulled out a chair at the far end of the long mahogany table, right next to the window. She sat down, opened a financial magazine, and let her eyes scan the Nasdaq index.

From the kitchen, the frantic clattering of metal spatulas against copper pans echoed into the room. A thick, heavy cloud of burning bacon grease began to seep through the air vents.

Conner Roberson strode into the dining room. He wore a custom-tailored Brioni suit. He stopped dead in his tracks, his nose wrinkling in deep disgust at the smell of cheap cooking oil.

Eleni walked in right behind him. She immediately pressed a velvet-gloved hand over her nose and mouth.

"Good god," Eleni gasped, her voice muffled. "That stench is going to ruin my cashmere wrap."

Alon and Fallon were the last to arrive. Fallon had both of her hands wrapped tightly around Alon's arm, pressing her body against him in a display of exaggerated innocence. She shot a quick, calculating glance at Harmony, waiting for a reaction.

Harmony didn't blink. Her index finger smoothly turned a page of her magazine. Fallon's existence meant less to her than the dust on the windowpane.

Marta, the family's head cook, pushed a silver serving cart through the swinging doors. Her hands were visibly shaking. She placed bone-china plates on the table. They were piled high with greasy, over-easy eggs and strips of blackened, charred bacon.

Conner stared at the puddle of grease pooling on his plate. He slammed his heavy silver fork down onto the table.

"What the hell is this, Marta?" Conner barked, his voice vibrating with authority. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Eleni stared at the food with open horror. "I have the Met Gala committee dinner next month! This will completely destroy my fasting schedule."

Alon tapped his fingers impatiently against the polished wood. "Take this garbage away. Go make my antioxidant green juice. Now."

Marta stood frozen. She twisted her white apron in her hands, her face flushing a deep, panicked red.

"I... I don't know how to make it, sir," Marta stammered, her voice cracking. "I don't know the ratios."

The entire family stopped.

Alon raised his voice, the sound sharp and punishing. "We pay you six figures a year. How do you not know how to make a simple green juice?"

Tears welled up in Marta's eyes. The pressure broke her.

"Because I never made it!" Marta cried out. "Miss Harmony is the one who wakes up at five in the morning! She writes the menus, she measures your supplements, she blends the juices! I just plate the food!"

A suffocating silence dropped over the dining room.

Conner, Eleni, and Alon slowly turned their heads. Their eyes locked onto Harmony, who was sitting quietly at the end of the table.

Harmony acted as if she hadn't heard a single word. She picked up her cup of black coffee, took a slow sip, and kept her eyes locked on a chart detailing tech stock fluctuations.

Conner was the first to recover. He let out a short, dismissive grunt.

"She has too much free time," Conner said, waving his hand as if swatting away a fly. "It's just a hobby to keep her busy."

Eleni nodded in immediate agreement. "Exactly. And if you're going to take on a responsibility, Harmony, you don't just abandon it. It's incredibly selfish to disrupt the household like this."

Fallon bit her lower lip. She widened her eyes, putting on her best wounded-fawn expression.

"If Harmony is too tired," Fallon said softly, her voice trembling just the right amount, "I can look up some recipes online. I want to help."

Alon's rigid posture softened instantly at Fallon's words. He turned a harsh glare back to Harmony.

"Stop throwing a tantrum," Alon ordered. "Get in the kitchen and make the juice."

Harmony closed the financial magazine.

The sharp smack of the glossy pages slapping together echoed like a gunshot in the quiet room.

She pushed her chair back and stood up. She looked down the length of the table, her eyes sweeping over the burnt bacon and the entitled faces of her family. The corner of her mouth twitched upward into a cold, mocking curve.

"Effective immediately," Harmony said, her voice steady and loud enough to bounce off the crystal chandelier, "I resign as the Roberson family's unpaid nutritionist."

Conner slammed his open palm onto the table. The silverware rattled.

"You are acting like a spoiled brat!" Conner roared. "Sit down and show some respect!"

Harmony didn't flinch. She reached into her Hermès Birkin bag, pulled out a crisp, heavy-stock folder, and tossed it onto the center of the table. It slid across the polished wood and stopped right in front of Conner.

"If you want to maintain your current dietary standards," Harmony said, her tone strictly business, "that is a list of the top private nutritionists in Manhattan. Their retainers start at one hundred and fifty thousand dollars a month."

Conner stared at the number printed on the top sheet. The blood drained from his face. Alon and Eleni leaned in, their eyes widening at the massive figure. No one spoke.

Harmony didn't wait for a response. She turned around. Her black stilettos clicked sharply against the marble floor as she walked straight toward the foyer.

Desperate to break the tension and play the hero, Fallon rushed over to the high-end espresso machine on the sideboard. She blindly jabbed at the buttons.

A sudden hiss of boiling steam shot out from the wand, blasting directly onto Fallon's hand.

"Ow!" Fallon shrieked, dropping a ceramic cup. It shattered on the floor.

Alon jumped out of his chair, his face pale with panic. "Fallon! Are you okay? Let me see!"

Harmony didn't even break her stride. She didn't turn her head. She pushed open the heavy front door of the penthouse and walked out, leaving the chaos behind her.