It had been a relatively quiet week and a half since the meeting with the lawyers, and Natalie was finally catching her breath. She had secured Michael’s place at the yard, giving him time to finish out the term in his uncle’s apartment and maintain some stability. The young man had been through more upheaval in the last month than most kids ever faced. Leaving him in the environment he knew would give him a chance to regroup and focus on his studies.

She’d submitted her final report on the case and filed everything neatly. After that, she allowed herself a much-needed break, grabbing lunch at a quiet spot near the Family Services office. The relief was fleeting, though. Barely fifteen minutes after she returned, she was summoned for a case review with Eleanor Blackthorn, one of the agency’s senior officials. Natalie’s heart sank.

Blackthorn was infamous for her severe demeanor and unapologetic prejudices. A staunch advocate of “systematic order,” she had little patience for what she saw as complications. Her particular disdain for children of foreign military families was well-known—she saw them as burdens left behind by “irresponsible” parents. Natalie had crossed paths with her only a handful of times but knew enough to anticipate a grueling ordeal.

As Natalie entered the cramped office, Eleanor barely looked up from the file she was skimming, flipping pages with sharp, deliberate movements. The air felt thick with tension.

“Ah, Ms. Graves,” Eleanor greeted her, her voice clipped and impersonal, her eyes still glued to the file. “You’ve been handling the Aubrey case, correct?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Natalie said, keeping her tone neutral.

Eleanor’s piercing gaze finally shifted upward, her expression cold and assessing. “Now, I understand you’ve left the boy—Michael, is it?—in an apartment shipyard by himself.”

Natalie took a steadying breath. “The yard is associated with the school Michael is attending, ma’am, and is considered part of the dormitories for the program.”

Eleanor continued as if Natalie hadn’t spoken. “With his great-uncle deceased, I see no reason he should remain in that overpriced program. That boy needs to be moved to a regular foster home and a standard high school, effective immediately. Why should we waste agency resources on a child indulging in some elite engineering program?”

Natalie’s stomach tightened. This wasn’t going to go well. “Ma’am, with all due respect, Michael’s education and interests are strongly tied to the work he’s been doing at the yard. He’s excelling in his current program and has already gained college credit, as well as technical certifications. The shipyard’s school offers a rigorous program that—”

Eleanor’s hand sliced through the air, cutting her off. “Irrelevant. The agency cannot cater to the whims of one child simply because he had the privilege of a wealthy relative. Children in our system attend regular high schools, Ms. Graves. We don’t make exceptions.”

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Natalie clenched her fists, struggling to keep her composure. “Michael has inheritance funds available that would easily cover the costs of his current education program without any public resources being used.”

Eleanor’s lips thinned. “He’s a minor, Ms. Graves. Minors cannot directly inherit funds or assets. His inheritance is therefore under the agency’s oversight until he reaches legal age. We can’t have a boy that young mishandling funds, now, can we? And besides,” she added with a pointed look, “those assets could be applied to offset the agency’s care expenses.”

“But he already has a legal trust, managed professionally,” Natalie countered, her voice firm. “It’s specifically designed to support his education and living arrangements.”

Eleanor’s condescending smile made Natalie’s skin crawl. “I’m not interested in what was ‘intended.’ The boy needs a stable family environment. He’ll be moved to a foster family at the end of the term, and he’ll start at a standard high school. End of discussion.”

Natalie’s frustration bubbled beneath the surface. “Ma’am, his great-uncle was his last living guardian. Michael has spent his entire life at the yard, and he’s been thriving. Moving him now would—”

“Disruptions build resilience,” Eleanor snapped, closing the file with a sharp thud. “Besides, I see here that his father was military. Foreign military.” Her tone turned icy. “These foreigners come here, conduct their business, and when they’re done, they leave their mess behind for us to clean up. It’s disgraceful.”

Natalie’s heart sank. She knew Eleanor’s biases all too well. “Michael’s father surrendered his parental rights years ago, ma’am. He’s had no contact with Michael since.”

Eleanor’s eyes gleamed with a new idea. “Then we’ll find him. File a case against him for abandonment. Demand back child support. Let’s see how these people like being held accountable for their actions.”

“Ma’am, Michael doesn’t know his father,” Natalie said carefully. “Pursuing this could cause unnecessary emotional harm.”

Eleanor’s expression darkened. “That man shirked his duty. He will pay for it. And if he won’t take responsibility, then perhaps Michael should be sent to his father’s home country. Let them deal with him.”

Natalie’s voice rose despite her effort to stay calm. “Send him away? He’s a Harmonia citizen. He’s lived here his entire life. Uprooting him now would be—”

“Enough!” Eleanor’s voice cut through the room. “The decision has been made. File the necessary paperwork. The boy will be placed in a foster home and transitioned to a standard school by the end of the term. The agency will manage his inheritance until he comes of age. That will be all, Ms. Graves.”

Natalie forced herself to nod, her chest tight with suppressed anger. “Understood, ma’am.”

As she left the office, her mind raced. Eleanor’s orders threatened everything Michael had worked for. Natalie knew she’d have to find a way to protect him—even if it meant pushing back against the very system she was bound to serve.

Eleanor, meanwhile, watched Natalie leave with an expression of quiet satisfaction. To her, this was just another case resolved, another unruly piece of the puzzle slotted into its proper place. The boy was a complication, but complications were meant to be eliminated.

Natalie returned to her desk, sinking into her chair with a heavy sigh. Her heart pounded with frustration, but she couldn’t let it show. Not here, not now. She had to think strategically. Michael’s future depended on it.

There had to be a way around this. A loophole, a precedent—something that could keep him where he belonged. Natalie reached for the file she’d brought with her, flipping through the pages with a renewed determination. If Eleanor Blackthorn wanted a fight, Natalie was ready to give her one.