Chapter 21: The Teenage Years
Three years had passed since the afternoon the porcelain teacup shattered against the marble Venus. Mateo was now thirteen, shedding the roundness of childhood for the lanky, awkward angles of early adolescence. The house, once a silent mausoleum of wealth, was now a vibrant, living ecosystem. Music echoed from Mateo’s bedroom, the golden retriever—now fully grown—pattered down the halls, and the kitchen was a constant hub of warmth and conversation.
However, adolescence brings its own unique storms. Mateo’s emotions were no longer explosive, but they were complex. He was beginning to understand the immense shadow cast by his father's legacy. At school, he wasn't just Mateo; he was Arthur Pendelton's heir. The pressure was an invisible, suffocating weight that threatened to crack the delicate peace he and his father had built.
