41 Thome’s Unspoken Warning
41 Thorne’s Unspoken Warning
Julian’s phone rang just as he and Elara were reviewing the quarter’s projections. His brow furrowed when he checked the caller ID.
“I need to take this,” he said, stepping away from her desk.
Elara nodded, turning her attention back to the spreadsheets. The numbers were promising. YodaVision had exceeded all growth targets for the first quarter, largely due to the neural network modifications she’d implemented.
Julian’s voice drifted over from across the room, his tone sharp with concern. “When did this happen? Are you certain?”
Elara glanced up, noticing the tension in his shoulders. Something was wrong.
When Julian returned, his face was grim. “We need to talk. Privately”
They moved to his office, and Julian closed the door behind them. He paced for a moment before speaking.
“That was our contact at the Defense Department. Someone tried to block our security
clearance renewal.”
Elara felt her stomach drop. “Who?”
“Thorne Industries,” Julian said flatly. “More specifically, their legal team submitted documentation questioning our company’s stability and your involvement in particular.”
“Damien,” she whispered, the realization hitting her like a physical blow.
Julian nodded. “It seems your estranged husband didn’t appreciate our little maneuver with Vivienne’s project.”
Three days earlier, Vivienne had presented her latest research to the National Science. Foundation. Elara and Julian had attended, and during the Q&A session, Julian had pointed out critical flaws in Vivienne’s methodology–flaws that Elara had identified but chose not to voice herself.
“Did it work?” Elara asked, her voice steady despite her racing heart. “Did they block
us?”
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41 Thome’s Unspoken Warning
“No,” Julian replied, a small smile forming. “Our government contacts are stronger than Thorne’s, at least in the defense sector. But it was close.”
Elara sank into a chair, processing the implications. “This is only the beginning, isn’t
it?”
“Probably,” Julian admitted, perching on the edge of his desk. “Damien Thorne just showed his hand. He’s willing to target our business to protect Vivienne’s reputation.”
“Or to punish me,” Elara murmured.
Julian studied her face. “Are you worried?”
“Not about YodaVision,” she said thoughtfully. “You’re right–our government contracts are solid. But I am concerned about my family.”
“Your grandmother?”
Elara nodded. “My grandmother’s health isn’t great. This kind of stress could be dangerous for her.”
“Would he really go after your family?” Julian asked, his expression darkening.
“I don’t think so,” Elara replied after a moment. “Eleanor Thorne would never allow it. She adores my grandmother.”
Julian raised an eyebrow. “You’re still counting on Thorne family protection while divorcing one of them?”
“Not protection,” Elara clarified. “Just basic decency. Eleanor has always been kind to me and my family.”
“I hope you’re right,” Julian said, not looking
Convinced. “In the meantime, we
should be prepared for other tactics. Thorne didn’t get where he is by giving up easily.”
Elara’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out, surprised to see the Thorne
household number on the screen.
“Hello?”
“Mom?” Cora’s small voice came through the speaker.
Elara’s heart clenched. “Hi, sweetheart. Is everything okay?”
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41 Thome’s Unspoken Warning!
“When are you coming home?” Cora asked, her voice wobbling slightly. “It’s been forever.”
Elara closed her eyes briefly. It had been nearly two weeks since she’d seen her daughter. “I’ve been very busy with work, Coco.”
“But I miss you,” Cora said. “And Hannah’s cooking is awful. She made fish yesterday and it was gross.”
Despite everything, Elara smiled. “Is that why you’re calling? For better food?”
“No,” Cora protested, then hesitated. “Well, maybe. But I miss you too.”
Julian gestured that he was stepping out to give her privacy. Elara nodded gratefully.
“I miss you too, sweetheart. So much.”
“Then why don’t you come home?” Cora asked, the simple question landing like a blow.
Elara swallowed hard. How could she explain divorce to a seven–year–old? “It’s complicated, Coco.”
“Dad’s not even here,” Cora continued. “He’s on a business trip until tomorrow. So you could come see me without fighting
Elara’s breath caught. Damien was away. The house would be empty except for Coral
and the staff.
“Please, Mom?” Cora pleaded. “Just for dinner? Hannah said she’d make spaghetti, but it’s never as good as yours.”
The walls Elara had carefully built around her heart began to crumble. This was her daughter, her little girl, asking for something so simple–her mother’s presence, her mother’s cooking.
“I’ll think about it, okay?” she finally said. “I have some meetings this afternoon, but maybe I could stop by later.”
“Really?” Cora’s voice brightened immediately. “You promise?”
“I’ll try my best,” Elara said carefully, not wanting to make a promise she couldn’t keep.
After hanging up, Elara sat motionless, staring at the phone in her hand. The divorce papers were filed. The separation was underway. Yet her daughter was still in that
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41 Thorno’s Unspoken Warning:
house–their house–waiting for her.
Julian knocked softly before re–entering. “Everything all right?”
“That was Cora,” Elara said. “She wants me to come home for dinner.”
Julian’s expression softened. “And will you go?”
“I don’t know,” Elara admitted. “Damien is away, so it would just be Cora and me.”
“You do realize this could be a trap?” Julian asked gently. “Damien tried to sabotage our company this morning. What if this is another move in whatever game he’s playing?”
Elara shook her head. “Cora wouldn’t be part of any scheme. She’s seven.”
“No, but Damien might have planned his business trip‘ specifically to make you feel safe coming back.”
The thought hadn’t occurred to her, and it sent an unsettling chill down her spine. Would Damien go that far? Use their daughter as bait in some elaborate trap?
“I’m legally entitled to see my daughter,” Elara said firmly. “And I promised in the divorce papers that I would care for her until she turns eighteen.”
Julian sighed. “Just be careful, Elara. Damien Thorne is a powerful man who doesn’t like losing. And right now, he’s losing you.”
“He never wanted me in the first place, Elara countered, a familiar pain blooming in her chest.
“Maybe not,” Julian conceded. “But that doesn’t mean he wants someone else to have you either.”
His words lingered in the air between them, heavy with implication. Elara remembered the cold fury in Damien’s eyes that night at Altura when he’d seen her with Julian. She’d pretended not to notice him, but she’d felt the weight of his stare like a physical thing.
Now, with this attempted sabotage, Damien had sent a clear message: cross Vivienne, and there would be consequences.
But what did that mean for Elara’s relationship with her daughter? Was she supposed to avoid Cora just because Damien might be setting some kind of trap?
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41 Thorne’s Unspoken Warning
No. She refused to let fear of her estranged husband dictate her actions any longer.
“I think I will go,” Elara said decisively. “Cora needs me. And I need her”
Julian nodded, though concern still clouded his features. “Just promise me you’ll be vigilant. If anything feels off, leave immediately.”
“I will,” Elara assured him, though her mind was already racing ahead to dinner preparations, to Cora’s favorite spaghetti sauce recipe, to the simple joy of cooking in her own kitchen again.
For a moment–just a moment–she allowed herself to imagine what it would be like if things were different. If coming home to that house didn’t mean facing ghosts of rejection and indifference. If Damien had ever looked at her with even a fraction of the warmth he showed Vivienne.
But such thoughts were dangerous, leading only to the same heartache she’d endured for seven years.
No, this visit would be about Cora. Only Cora. Her daughter needed her, and that was reason enough to brave whatever silent warning Damien had tried to send.
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