—--
The following morning, Mr Callahan sat at the dining table, calmly having his breakfast. Steven stood beside him, flipping through the agenda for the day's upcoming meetings. Unfortunately, there was no proper time to grief, as his boss still had matters to take care of. Apparently for everyone, life goes on, no matter how hard it is to keep pushing.
"We can head out after breakfast," Callahan muttered, cutting into his pancake. "What about Rhea? Did she watch the footage last night?"
Steven's jaw tightened before he gave a slow nod in response. "Yes, boss. She did. I kept an eye on her the entire time. From what I observed, she's not the type to poke her nose where it doesn't benefit her. But to be safe, she will still be properly monitored."
Though Steven had intentionally given Rhea some space, it was merely a test of trust, to see if she could handle things without the constant need for supervision as her report stated. The whole time, he had been watching her through a hidden camera in another room, wondering if she would deviate herself from the actual mission and snoop around.
But if he were to be honest, another reason was that he couldn't bear to relive the footage of the late young Miss's torment. The cruelty she silently endured still haunted him. In fact, it was past bullying at this point. He couldn't fault his boss for going to such extremes to punish the ones responsible, not after the damage they had done to his only daughter.
Rhea had passed the test–technically. But what disturbed Steven was how she reacted. He hadn't told his boss that she'd watched the footage while casually eating popcorn, as if it were some late-night thriller rather than a grim reminder of the late Miss's suffering. That kind of reaction wasn't just unsettling, but deeply wrong. At the same time, he was already aware of her inability to feel things like empathy, but he hadn't realized how bad it was until last night.
"Any progress on who sent the footage?" Callahan asked, snapping Steven out of his pensive state. His tone was sharp as he barely looked up from his plate, whilst Steven bowed his head slightly in respect.
"Not yet, Boss. The video was sent through an untraceable website. The site went offline right after we received the file. Whoever it was knew we'd come looking— but rest assured, we'll find them."
After hearing what Steven had to say, Callahan leaned back in his chair, his expression cold but thoughtful. The footage he mentioned had arrived just an hour after the news of his daughter's death reached him. He had been confused and devastated when he learned that his daughter committed suicide. But after watching the video, it became far too much for him to handle. His guess was that the one who sent him the video had to be amongst the bullies– someone too afraid to step forward and is hiding behind anonymity.
He wanted to know the person's true motive behind sending him those footage. Did they do it to help his daughter get justice, or something else?
Rhea's presence made both men look up as she joined them in the dining room. Her hair was tied in a messy bun, and she wore a plain black shirt with joggers. Her eyes briefly flicked the steaming food on the table to the two men before her.
"Good Morning, household. Mind if I sit?" she asked, gesturing to the empty chair by her side. Callahan stood, adjusting his tie as he nodded.
"Once you're finished here, I'll have someone escort you to the mall, since you'll be needing more outfits. You're leaving for the Academy tomorrow.
"Tomorrow?" Rhea's pupils dilated. She leaned back in her chair, bracing herself with one hand. "If you don't mind me asking, what is this academy about anyway?"
"I'll fill you in on that when I return," Callahan replied coolly. "In the meantime, buy whatever you need, and pay with this card. If everything goes according to plan, then you'll receive more benefits from me."
Steven could not believe his eyes when Callahan handed his sleek black card to Rhea. He looked like he wanted to protest, but before he could say a word, Rhea had already accepted the card. She turned it over in her fingers, uncertain of its actual significance, but from Steven's reaction, she guessed she had hit a jackpot.
She looked up at her stepfather, just as he called out to a maid who'd been wiping the kitchen counter. The young woman wore a plain gown, and her hair was pulled into a neat ponytail.
"Escort Rhea to the mall and help her out with the things she'll need," Callahan instructed. "I'll be heading out now."
The maid simply nodded. When Callahan and Steven exited the mansion, the maid was about to return to the kitchen when Rhea beckoned her over. The maid, though confused, quietly approached her, and Rhea smiled, amused by her obedience.
"Don't be frightened, I just want to ask you one or two questions and you can leave. But first, what was Lila Ashbourne like? And what was her reason for attending that academy?"