It was his personal device, the sleek black one he used to manage the entire estate’s security and operations.

Patricia watched his hand, her eyes tracking the movement with a sudden flicker of nervousness.

“What are you doing, darling?” she asked, trying to keep her tone light.

“I am checking something,” my father said.

He did not look at her as he unlocked the screen.

The bright blue light of the phone illuminated his face, casting sharp shadows across his cheekbones.

I watched his thumb move across the glass, tapping several times.

“We don’t need to make a scene of this,” Patricia said, her voice gaining a slight, hurried edge. “We can just have Ramiro escort her off the property quietly tonight.”

“Ramiro is already occupied,” my father said.

He did not elaborate on what the head of security was doing.

He kept his eyes on his screen, his face completely expressionless.

I noticed the way his thumb hovered over a particular icon on his screen—the one for the integrated home automation system.