Chapter 94

**Artemis**


Everything is moving fast. Alan and I have finalized the last legal steps to restart our new company, but we have no plans of bringing in any outside works yet. We are going back to working out of my house for now. Our most important clients have agreed to work with us and have cancelled all contracts under the old company. The more we are able to cripple the company while my father is out of commission the harder it will be for him to make a dime.

It's a dick move but after what he did, I’m not going to let him hold onto something I worked so hard for a turn it into something of his own. He has too much power over our family and now it’s over. Rhea and Athena have already stepped down from their positions in my father’s companies and cut all links to the business side of our family. They are even talking about taking their husbands’ last names now. That was a condition of my father’s and grandfather, no Rhodes child is ever to give up their name.

None of us want to be subjected to the rules of our family anymore. Our grandmother started the breakdown of the Rhodes empire. I didn’t understand the reason she was basically forcing us all to marry and have families, but now I do. She saw the way this family was breaking apart by generations of corruption. It’s why she hoped we would find our own families.

Having Lilly here made me realize what my grandmother’s plan had been all along. The sneaky woman wanted us to be more than our names.

“What do you think?” I ask Lilly as she looks around the room, I had set up for her.

I knew when Blue saw Lilly’s photo on the website that she would want to adopt her. So, I called a team in to prepare a room just for her. From what I see, they did a good job.

“I can’t believe it’s mine.” Lilly says with a huge smile on her face.

“It’s all yours!” Blue says. “If there is anything else you want to add just let us know. Okay? We want this to be your space, so whatever would make you feel comfortable we will make that happen.”

“Thank you.” Lilly says.

“I also made an appointment with a doctor for you to get a full physical. We want to make sure you’re healthy after being in that home for so long. Your wheelchair also looks like it could be replaced. The doctor will get all the information needed so that a new one can be ordered.” I explain to her.

She looks down at her lap and Blue looks at me with a worried expression. “What’s wrong Lilly?” she asks, kneeling next to Lilly.

“This is a lot. Too much.” Lilly says softly.

“Lilly, that’s not true. You deserve to be well taken care of. I know this feels a little strange having so much after so long of not having much, but that’s okay. It will take time to get used to, but you deserve to have a happy and comfortable life.”

Yeah, my wife is going to be a great mother. Although she could use some taking of her own advice. I still catch her quietly freaking out over prices when she thinks I’m not looking. I feel the same way that she feels for Lilly, she didn’t have enough for a long time and now she can have anything she wants.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out to see my lawyer’s number. “I have to take this.” I say to the girls and walk down the hall to my office.

“Hello?” I answer once I’ve closed the door behind me.

“Artemis! I’ve gone over the papers you were given and spoken to a few people to be sure that everything is done right, and everything is good to go.” he says proudly.

A little overconfident for my liking but he gets shit done, so I put up with it.

“Good. What about the other thing we talked about?”

“Ah yes. There was some resistance, apparently the current owner was reluctant to sell because of sentiment but after we raised our offer, she was quick to agree.”

“I bet she was.” I say with a scoff.

“Yes, but she signed everything, and everyone will be in place starting Monday. We also got everything finished with the state about moving the kids temporarily. It’s a very generous project! As your lawyer I would normally advise against such spending given your company’s standing but-“

“None of this is part of that. This is a personal project not a part of the Rhodes name. It won’t be given our family name either.”

“What will you call it?” He asks.

“Aella’s Home for Children.” I tell him.

“Aella? Where did you get that name?” He asks.

“From someone special to me. I have to go but keep me updated.”

“Of course.”

I end the call and open my laptop to look over the blueprint plans one more time when I hear a knock at the door.

“Come in.” I call out.

The door opens slowly and Blue pops her head in. “Hey! Busy?”

“Nope.” I close my laptop and watch her walk in.

She’s wearing a dress today, probably so she could impress everyone at the children’s home but it’s still her style. It’s a dark red color with white flowers all over it and she wore a jean jacket over it.
“How’s Lilly settling in?” I ask her.

She stops next to me, and I turn my chair to face her. “Good. I offered to help her put her stuff away, but she wanted to do it herself.”

“I’ll have to show you two how to use the intercom system later, so you won’t stress about leaving her alone.”

“Intercom system? Really?” She shakes her head at me. “That seems a little much.”

“It’s not. This way everyone in the house can reach each other.” I don’t see how she can’t understand the need for a system that keeps us all connected.

“Won’t our phones do the same thing?” She asks.

“No. Kids don’t have phones, so how are they going to contact us when we are on the other side of the house?”

“Okay you have a point. I’m not sure an eight-year-old needs a phone, but it might be a good idea to get her something so she can contact us if we aren’t with her.”

I reach for her hand and tug her so she can sit on my lap. She makes herself comfortable and I have to shift her slightly, so I am comfortable too before I open one of my desk drawers. I pull out a small box and set it on her lap.

“What is this?”

“It’s a smart watch for kids. It allows them to make phone calls and video chat. We pay for it like a normal phone, but it doesn’t have all kinds of apps. There is video calling, phone calling, voice to text, and she can put music on it but nothing else.” I explain.

She turns the box over and examines it a little more before laughing. “This is crazy! A watch that acts like a phone. It sounds like something from a futuristic movie. I like it though. I don’t like the idea of Lilly being unreachable when she’s at school, if she wants to go to regular school.”

“Why wouldn’t she?” I ask before she could blow past that like I won’t catch it.

“Well, she’s a child with a disability. That can be hard. I’m not sure how she’ll feel about being in a school where kids will make fun of her.” Her face falls.

“We can ask her, but it would best to let her try and then see later on if she wants to be in a traditional school or not.”

“I know I’m being a little crazy about this, but even though we just adopted her I already feel super protective of her. She deserves to be happy, and I don’t want some asshole kid making her feel bad. I can’t guarantee I won’t go down to the school and kick some kid butt if anyone hurts her.” Her face changes into what I’m guessing is supposed to be anger, but it looks more like she’s pouting.

I laugh and wrap my arms around her. “I think it’s normal for us to want to protect her. She isn’t like other kids and that’s going to be hard for her, but like you told her, she’s a brave kid. It’ll be fine.”

She lays her head on my shoulder and sighs. “I hope so.”

There’s an alert on my phone from the front door camera and when I check it I see a guy carrying pizzas. Dane is standing next to him with his arms crossed and the kid looks ready to shit himself.

“Oh my gosh.” Blue says and jumps off my lap to run to the pizza guy’s aid.

I watch the camera and see her throw the door open. She tells Dane off for scaring the guy and sends him away before apologizing to the pizza guy and giving him a huge tip. Then she turns to the camera and narrows her eyes.

“You are in trouble Artemis Rhodes!”