Chapter 3 Secret Motives

Chapter 3: Secret Motives

"Hey, got any spare change?" someone said in a rough voice as I waited outside the coffee shop. I was just hanging around, waiting for Lennox's driver to show up.

I looked down and saw a messy-looking guy sitting on the ground. His clothes were dirty and his hair was a mess. Then I realized-it was Shadowbird under all that dirt and the fake beard. She was good-really good at disguises.

"Sorry, I don't carry cash," I said loudly so people around could hear. Then I lowered my voice. "What are you doing here? This isn't part of the plan."

Shadowbird moved a little closer, still acting like a homeless person. "Just making sure you're prepared. Hart's house is like Fort Knox-CCTV everywhere, armed security, and likely secret cameras just for you."

I acted like I was checking my phone and spoke without moving my lips too much. "Yeah, I guessed that. Guys like him don't trust easily."

"This isn't just paranoia. Our intel says he's been extra cautious lately," she said, looking around. "He might be onto something. Be ready for anything."

"I'm always ready," I said, spotting a fancy black car turning the corner. "I've done harder missions than this. I'll get in, do the job, and leave before anyone notices."

Shadowbird gave me a sharp look. "Don't get overconfident. He didn't become a billionaire by being dumb. If he figures out who you really are-"

"He won't," I said fast, cutting her off. "I can handle one sad rich guy and his child."

A shiny black car pulled up to the curb. The sun bounced off it. A driver in a neat uniform got out and looked right at me.

"Just be careful," Shadowbird said in a low voice before acting like a homeless person again. "God bless you, miss!" she said loudly as I walked away.

The driver smiled at me. "Ms. Reed? I'm Daniel, Mr. Hart's driver. You look just like Mrs. Hart-it's kinda crazy."

His words gave me chills. "Uh, thanks?" I didn't know what to say. Being told I looked like a dead woman felt weird.

Daniel noticed. "Sorry if that was too much," he said, opening the car door for me. "It's just... people who knew her will notice. Just a heads-up."

Inside, the car smelled like expensive leather and some fancy air spray. As we drove through the city and out to the rich neighborhoods, I went over everything I'd studied about Catherine Reed. I'd been up all night, learning every little detail Shadowbird gave me so I could play my part right.

"First time going to Mr. Hart's house?" Daniel asked, looking at me in the rearview mirror.

"Yeah," I said, keeping my voice calm. "We only met once, yesterday at his office."

He nodded. "The house is special. Mr. Hart made it himself after... well, after Mrs. Hart died. He really likes his privacy."

That was code for "crazy secure," which is exactly what Shadowbird told me. I had to be extra careful.

We turned onto a private road with tall trees all around. You couldn't see anything from the street. At the gate, guards checked both our IDs. Then we drove up a long driveway that curved through the trees.

"Wow," I said without thinking when the house showed up.

It didn't look like a typical rich person's house. It was modern, but it blended into the trees. Lots of glass and stone, but kind of hidden. Smart. Private, but really pretty.

"Mr. Hart likes to keep things hidden," Daniel said as he parked the car. "The house is way bigger than it looks."

As soon as I got out, I noticed at least three security cameras following me. Two guards stood near the door. They tried to look chill, but I could feel them watching me. I acted like I didn't see any of it.

"Cathy!" a little voice screamed just before a small body slammed into my legs. Mia looked up at me, super happy. "You came! You really came!"

I smiled and knelt down. "Of course. I promised, didn't I?"

"Mia, give Ms. Reed some space," Lennox said from the doorway. He was watching us closely. He wasn't in a suit today-just jeans and a gray sweater, but he still looked serious and kind of scary. The kind of guy who's always thinking.

"It's okay," I said, gently squeezing Mia's hand. "It's nice to feel so welcome."

Mia pulled me toward the house. "Come see my room! I cleaned it just for you!"

"Maybe later, sweetie," Lennox said as he moved aside to let us in. "Ms. Reed is here for business first."

Mia made a face but didn't say anything. When I walked into the house, I tried not to look too amazed, but it was hard. The inside was even nicer than the outside-big and bright, with huge windows showing the forest out back. Everything looked fancy, but not in a flashy way. It was just really neat and well put together.

"Your house is amazing," I said honestly.

"Thanks," Lennox replied, his eyes still studying me carefully. "Mia, why don't you show Ms. Reed around while I check dinner?"

"Yes!" Mia grabbed my hand again, jumping up and down. "Come on!"

As Mia pulled me through the house, I secretly looked around for security measures. I saw cameras in the corners, motion sensors near the windows, and little buttons that looked like emergency alarms. This place was seriously locked down.

"And this is Daddy's office, but we're not allowed in there," Mia said as we walked past a closed door. "And this is the living room where we watch movies sometimes."

The living room had a whole wall full of family photos. My heart skipped a beat when I saw them. There she was-Arielle Hart-smiling in a bunch of pictures. We looked so much alike. Same wavy dark hair, same eyes, same smile. It was kind of creepy, like looking at a version of me in another life.

"That's my mommy," Mia said softly, following my eyes. "Daddy says you're not her, but you look just like her."

I took a deep breath. "Yeah, I know it's a little confusing, sweetie. But you're right-I do look a lot like her."

Mia nodded seriously. "She was pretty. Like you."

As we walked around more, I finally saw what I was looking for-tiny cameras hidden in weird places. One looked like a light, and another was built into a bookshelf. Not normal cameras... these were meant to spy on me. Just like Shadowbird said.

I kept my face calm and acted like I didn't see anything.

"Dinner's ready," Lennox called from the dining room. "Mia, go wash your hands."

"Come with me," Mia said, pulling me to the bathroom. She showed me her little step stool and her strawberry-scented soap.

Dinner was served by a quiet woman named Mrs. Santiago, their housekeeper. The food was amazing-some kind of fancy steak with roasted veggies. Way better than any restaurant I'd ever been to.

"So, Ms. Reed," Lennox said once we were eating, "tell me more about the security system proposal. Chen mentioned it's quite innovative."

I jumped into my practiced story, super glad I stayed up all night learning everything. "The main advantage is the adaptive learning algorithm that identifies patterns in breach attempts rather than just responding to known threats."

Lennox asked clear, detailed questions that would have confused anyone who didn't know the tech. I answered them all, feeling a little excited that I could keep up with his smart brain.

"Daddy, you promised no work talk!" Mia said, frowning and poking her veggies. "You're being boring again."

"Mia, please," Lennox said, sounding annoyed. "The grown-ups are talking. Remember what we said about not interrupting?"

"But you promised!" Mia's voice got louder. "You said tonight was special because Cathy's coming!"

I could feel the tension between them. It was awkward, and I didn't know what to say.

"Ms. Reed and I need to talk about something important," Lennox said firmly. "Just eat your dinner, okay?"

"You always say that! It's always work, work, work!" Mia shouted and threw her fork down. "I hate you! You don't care about me at all!"

Lennox's face went cold. "Mia Hart. That's enough. Go to your room. Now."

Mia's eyes filled with tears. She pushed her chair back and ran upstairs. A few seconds later, we heard her door slam.

It got very quiet. Lennox closed his eyes and looked really tired.

"I'm sorry about that," he said finally. "She's been... tough lately."

I put down my fork. "It's okay. Kids that age have big feelings. They just don't know what to do with them."

He looked at me, kind of surprised, like he didn't expect me to get it.

"Want me to talk to her?" I asked. "Sometimes kids talk easier with someone who's not their parent."

He paused, then nodded. "If you're okay with that. I just make it worse these days."

I found her room easily-it was the one with unicorn stickers on the door. I knocked softly. "Mia? It's me, Cathy. Can I come in?"

"Go away!" she said from inside. I heard sniffles.

"I just want to check on you," I said. "I'm not mad. And your dad's not mad either."

After a moment of silence, then I heard tiny steps. The door opened a little. Mia's face was red and tear-streaked.

"He is mad. He's always mad at me."

"Can I come in?" I asked again.

She opened the door wider and walked back to her bed. It was full of stuffed animals. Her room was cute but messy-everything was princess-themed.

"Your dad's not mad," I said as I sat next to her on the bed. "He's just busy with work."

"His work is more important than me," Mia mumbled, hugging a stuffed elephant. "He never plays or reads stories. Just work, work, work."

I gently wiped a tear from her cheek. "You know why he works so much, right? It's for you. So you can have nice things and go to a good school."

"I don't care about those things," Mia said, her lip shaking. "I just want him to be like before. When Mommy was here, he used to laugh more. Now he's always serious."

My chest tightened. This didn't feel like just a job anymore-I really felt bad for her.

"Sometimes grown-ups have a hard time when they're sad," I explained. "Your dad misses your mom, just like you do. And sometimes when people are sad, they hide in their work."

Mia looked up at me with big, serious eyes. "Can you fix him? Can you make him happy again?"

"I don't think I can fix him, sweetie," I said. "But maybe we can both try to understand him better."

She leaned against me, and I felt something new-like I wanted to protect her.

"Will you read me a story? Daddy doesn't do the voices right."

"Of course," I said, seeing a little bookshelf in the corner. "Which one do you like most?"

She jumped up and grabbed an old book about a princess who saves herself from a dragon. I read it out loud and made funny voices (even a loud, growly dragon). Mia snuggled closer as I read. By the end, her eyes were getting sleepy.

"One more?" she asked in a tiny voice.

"Okay, one more," I said, picking up another book.

I was halfway through reading when I noticed Mia had fallen asleep on my arm. I gently moved her to the pillow and pulled the blanket over her.

I stood up and heard a soft knock on the door. It opened slowly, and Lennox was standing there. Even with the low light, I could see his eyes were a bit blurry, and I could smell whiskey on him.

"Is she asleep?" he whispered as he stepped inside.

I nodded and walked toward the door. "Yeah, she was really tired. She fell asleep fast."

In the hallway, Lennox closed the door quietly. "Thanks for that. She... she doesn't usually like new people that fast."

"She's a great kid," I said. "And really smart too."

"Yeah, she is," he said, rubbing the back of his head. He didn't look as calm as usual. "I'm sorry our dinner was ruined. I shouldn't have tried to talk business."

"It's fine," I said. "We can discuss it another time."

I looked at my watch, thinking it was the perfect time to leave. "It's late. I should get a ride home."

He didn't say anything right away, so I took a step toward the stairs. "Thanks for dinner. Maybe we can-"

I didn't finish. Out of nowhere, Lennox wrapped his arms around me from behind. His chest touched my back, and he leaned in close, breathing into my hair.

"Ari," he whispered, his voice full of emotion. "You smell just like her."

I froze. I didn't know what to do. This wasn't just weird-it felt risky. He was drunk, confused, and clearly thinking about his wife.

"Mr. Hart," I said softly, not moving. "I'm not your wife. I'm Catherine, remember?"

He held me tighter. "I know," he whispered close to my neck, making me shiver. "But for just one second, when I saw you with Mia... I wanted to pretend."

My heart was beating fast. Then I felt his lips gently touch the skin just under my ear.

"I miss her so much it hurts," he said softly. His voice sounded sad and kind of broken. I could tell he'd been drinking. "And you... you're so much like her. It's messing with my head."

I knew I should move away. This wasn't part of the plan-not yet. But he looked so different now. Not cold and serious like before. Just... broken. And that made me stop.

He put his hands on my waist and gently turned me around to face him. The hallway was dark, but I could still see his eyes. They looked almost black, full of hurt and something else that made me forget how to breathe.

"Mr. Hart," I said again, real quiet. "You're drunk. You don't really want this."

"Don't tell me what I want," he said, his face really close now. "You don't know."

And then, before I could react, his lips were on mine.