Morning arrived at the mansion the way it always did—slow, golden, and completely unprepared for Tina. Sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, spilling across marble floors and expensive furniture that had long since accepted its fate as collateral damage in Tina's daily chaos. Outside, the gardens were pristine and calm. Inside, that calm lasted exactly three seconds.
Tina was already awake. She sat cross-legged on the massive couch, silver hair an absolute disaster, a blanket half draped over her shoulders like she'd lost a fight with it. Her icy-blue eyes tracked movement with laser focus as Andrew carefully shuffled out of the hallway, one hand braced on the wall, the other instinctively cradling his stomach. The moment she saw him, her face lit up.
"CUTIE DUMPLING!"
Andrew froze. He closed his eyes. Took a breath. Another breath. Then opened them slowly, like a man standing at the edge of a battlefield.
"…Tina."
He said carefully.
