86 An Evening with the Matriarch
When dessert arrived, Eleanor turned her focus back to ra. “Are you sleeping properly? You look exhausted.”
“There’s my girl!” she eximed, embracing ra warmly. “Let me look at you.”
After breakfast and the school run, ra arrived at YodaVision’s headquarters. Julian was already in their shared office, surrounded by digital diagrams.
“My grandmother arrived unexpectedly,” Damien said without preamble. “She’s asking
for
you. I told her you’re working, but you know how she is.”
“She’s lost more weight,” Damien interrupted, his eyes scanning ra’s frame with a scrutiny that made her cheeks warm.
Eleanor nodded in agreement. “You’ve lost weight again. You really don’t know how to take care of yourself.”
ra startled at Damien’s voice. He stood in the doorway, already dressed in a charcoal suit that highlighted his broad shoulders.
ra squeezed his arm reassuringly. “It’s just dinner. I’ll be back tomorrow to finish
this.”
They spent hours refining the code, barely noticing as morning turned to afternoon. This was what ra loved–being valued for her mind, her contributions recognized and appreciated. Here, she wasn’t just Damien Thorne’s wife.
“Eleanor,” ra protested gently, “I feed myself just fine.”
“Well,” Eleanor said with a satisfied smile, “I’m d to see you supporting her endeavors, Damien.”
“You’re up early.”
“Of course, sweetheart,” ra replied, stroking her daughter’s hair. “But you need to sleep now. Schooles early.”
“I hear you’re doing remarkable things with artificial intelligence,” Eleanor said to ra as the first course was served. “Arthur always said you had the sharpest mind of anyone at Thorne Industries.”
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86 An Evening with the Matriarch
“Long night,” ra replied, pulling up her project files. “But productive. I think I’ve solved our adaptive learning algorithm issue.”
“Mom, can we have pancakes tomorrow?” Cora asked, her small face illuminated by the fairy lights strung across her bedroom ceiling.
“Fine.” Damien took his coffee and left without another word.
“I promised Cora pancakes,” she exined, avoiding his gaze.
“Will you still be here when I wake up?” There was uncertainty in Cora’s voice that tugged at ra’s heart.
Eleanor linked her arm through ra’s. “Now tell me everything you’ve been doing. Damien says you’re back at that techpany of yours.”
“Hello?”
Her phone rang just as they were celebrating a breakthrough. Seeing Damien’s name on the screen made her stomach tighten.
“I’m fine,” ra assured her. “Just busy with work and-”
“Thank you,” ra said, genuinely grateful despite her difort. The silence between them stretched until she cleared her throat. “I’ll take Cora to school, then head to
work.”
“Good. She’s already nned dinner for all of us.”
“Mrs. Gable announces dinner is ready,” the housekeeper announced from the doorway.
“Bnce,” she repeated softly, holding his eyes. “Yes, that’s something I’m still working
on.”
“Perhaps,” Eleanor continued, setting down her dessert spoon, “what my grandson should do is ensure you’re not working yourself to death. Bnce is important, dear.”
“That’s kind of him,” ra replied, touched by the mention of Damien’ste grandfather. “Our current project could revolutionize predictive analytics in
healthcare.”
“Grandma brought me a music box from Vienna,” Cora announced, drawing attention
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86 An Evening with the Matriarch
to <b>the </b>intricate silver piece on the coffee table.
Eleanor held ra at arm’s length, her sharp eyes assessing. Despite being in her seventies, Eleanor Thorne retained themanding presence that had made her formidable in business circles decades ago.
Damien nodded, approaching the coffee maker. “I’ve made the call about the property. Oliver Dubois will receive an offer this afternoon.”
ra met Damien’s gaze across the table. For once, his expression wasn’t closed off- there was something there, a question perhaps, or a realization. Whatever it was, it
made her heart beat faster.
“Yes, I promise. Now close your eyes.”
ra nced at him in surprise. Damien had never shown interest in her work before, let alone praised it publicly.
“She’s being modest,” Damien interjected unexpectedly. “The algorithms she’s developing could save thousands of lives.”
Dinner continued with Eleanor dominating the conversation, sharing stories from her travels and asking Cora about school. ra observed the dynamics, noticing how Damien seemed more attentive than usual–refilling her water ss, passing dishes her way before she asked.
“It’s beautiful,” ra remarked, grateful for the distraction.
Thement hung in the air. ra felt herself being assessed, not just by Eleanor but by Damien as well. In their eyes, was she failing at self–care? Or was this concern genuine?
“You’re working too hard,” she dered. “Damien, don’t you feed this girl?”
Morning arrived too quickly. ra woke before Cora’s rm and slipped out to prepare breakfast. The kitchen was empty–no sign of Damien or the staff. She worked quietly, making pancake batter from scratch.
When ra arrived at the vi, she found Eleanor, Damien, and Cora in the living room. Eleanor rose immediately, arms outstretched.
“Eleanor’s in town,<b>” </b>ra exined, gathering her things. “I need to go y the dutiful granddaughter–inw.”
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86 An Evening with the Matriarch
<b>They </b>moved to the dining room, where Eleanor directed the seating arrangements. “Damien<b>, </b>sit beside your wife. I want Cora next to me.”
As ra exined her current projects, she noticed Damien watching her with an unreadable expression. His attention felt different somehow–less dismissive, more… present.
ra decided to spend the night in Cora’s room rather than deal with the
Typically, Damien would find a reason to sit elsewhere, but tonight he took the chair beside ra withoutment. The proximity was unsettling–she could smell his cologne, feel the slight shift in the air when he moved.
Julian raised an eyebrow as she ended the call. “Duty calls?”
Julian’s eyes lit up. “Show me.”
“You look tired,” hemented as she set down her bag.
ra sighed. Eleanor Thorne was a force of nature–loving but demanding. “I’ll wrap up here ande home.”
“Don’t let them pull you back in,” Julian warned, his concern evident. “You’ve made so much progress.”
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