Chapter 13: An Unfamiliar Seat
Dinner at the estate was traditionally a solitary affair. Mateo usually ate in the kitchen with the staff, or in his room in front of a screen, while Arthur dined late in the formal dining room, flanked by financial reports. That evening, however, things shifted. As Rosa set a plate of roasted chicken on the kitchen island for Mateo, heavy footsteps approached.
Arthur stood awkwardly in the doorway of the kitchen, loosening his silk tie. He looked out of place, a titan of industry trespassing in the domestic heart of the home. "Is there... is there enough for two?" he asked, his voice lacking its usual commanding timbre.
Rosa paused, exchanging a brief, unreadable glance with Mateo. "Of course, sir," she replied smoothly, pulling up a second stool to the island. Arthur sat down next to his son. The silence between them was palpable, thick with years of unsaid words and unaddressed grief, but it was a shared silence. For the first time in three years, they were in the same room, at the same table.
