The Thorne Heiress Unveiling Shadow novel Chapter 9

The first family breakfast at Thorne Crest was a revelation, a complete inversion of the eighteen years of silent, tense meals she had endured.

At the Suttons', breakfast was a performance of indifference. Richard Sutton would barricade himself behind the Wall Street Journal, Caroline would dissect a grapefruit with surgical precision while issuing passive-aggressive critiques of Evelyn's posture or attire, and Aria would sigh dramatically while scrolling through social media. The food was always expensive, meticulously plated, and utterly joyless.

Here, the breakfast room was flooded with the golden light of a Hamptons morning. The grand French doors were thrown open to a stone terrace, and the air was alive with the scent of the sea, mixing with the aroma of fresh coffee and the buttery fragrance of croissants flown in from Paris that morning. It was a room that felt lived-in, a space of warmth and genuine connection.

Arthur wasn't hiding behind a newspaper; he was reading a well-worn copy of a classic spy novel, occasionally chuckling to himself. Lillian, her face relaxed and happy, was arranging a bouquet of vibrant roses from her personal garden, humming a soft tune.

The energy in the room centered on Chase, who was talking with the infectious excitement of a true innovator, his hands gesturing to map out his vision in the air.

"The launch window for the StarLink network is in three weeks," he explained, pausing to take a hearty bite of his omelet. "The final satellite cluster is in position. Once it's active, we'll provide secure, high-speed data transfer to any point on the globe. It's going to revolutionize our logistics division, make it completely untouchable."

"That sounds wonderful, dear," Lillian said, her smile filled with motherly pride. "But are you sleeping enough? You have dark circles under your eyes."

"I'm fine, Mom," Chase laughed, though he did look tired. His expression then turned more serious. "But we do have a problem. Ryker Corp."

As Chase outlined the threat, Evelyn was already mapping the digital battlefield. She visualized Thorne Corporation's network architecture, identifying the probable points of attack. She recalled Cerberus's digital signature from a previous encounter over a Swiss banking firewall two years ago—a distinct preference for polymorphic malware.

The problem, which seemed like an insurmountable corporate crisis to her brother, presented itself to her as a simple, elegant equation waiting to be solved. She saw the answer as clearly as if it were written in the sunlight dancing on her glass.

Chase, catching her quiet gaze, misinterpreted her silence as concern. He gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't you worry about all this boring business stuff, Ev. It's our job to handle it. You just focus on settling in and relaxing. You've earned it."

Evelyn simply nodded, a small, quiet smile touching her lips. The smile didn't quite reach her eyes, which held a glint of something else entirely—the cool, confident focus of a predator that had just spotted its prey. Oh, I will, she thought. I'll handle it.