Chapter 1 - The Rules of the West Wing
The heavy oak doors of the Vanguard estate clicked shut behind Maya Lin with a sound like a vault sealing. She stood in a foyer dominated by a sweeping marble staircase and a crystal chandelier that caught the afternoon California sun, throwing fractured rainbows across the pristine walls.
"Miss Lin. You're precisely on time."
Maya turned. Eleanor Vanguard was a woman sculpted from ice and old money. She wore a tailored white suit that somehow remained spotless, her blonde hair pulled into a severe, elegant twist. Beside her stood Arthur Vanguard, the tech billionaire whose face had graced the cover of Wired and Forbes. He had the charismatic, relaxed smile of a man who owned the world, but his eyes were entirely dead.
"Thank you for having me," Maya said, her voice steady despite the rapid beating of her heart. The $50,000 signing bonus had already hit her account that morning. Her father’s legal fees were paid. Her sister’s rehab clinic was secured. She had sold her soul, and now she was meeting the buyers.
"Let’s skip the pleasantries," Arthur said smoothly, gesturing down a long, dimly lit hallway. "You are here to tutor our daughter, Seraphina. She is sixteen. She is brilliant. And she is… fragile."
"Fragile?" Maya asked, following them down the corridor. The plush carpets absorbed all sound.
"She suffers from a rare neurological condition," Eleanor interjected smoothly. "She does not speak. She does not leave the West Wing. Her immune system cannot handle the outside world, nor can her psyche handle the pressures of our… public life. Your job is to prepare her for an eventual GED. Nothing more."
They stopped before a heavy steel door that looked wildly out of place in the elegant chateau. Arthur punched a six-digit code into a keypad.
"The rules are absolute, Maya," Arthur said, turning to her. "No cell phones in the West Wing. No internet access. You will live in the adjoining suite. You will lock her door from the outside at precisely 9:00 PM every night. If you deviate from this schedule, you will be terminated. Do you understand?"
May you like
Maya swallowed hard. The amount of money they were paying her wasn't for a tutor. It was for a warden. "I understand," she said.
The door hissed open. Inside, sitting by a barred window looking out at the crashing Pacific ocean, was a pale, dark-haired girl. Seraphina didn't look sick. She looked terrified.
