August Dawnoro had been informed that his son brought his step-daughter home because she felt unwell.
It hadn't seemed like a big deal at first. Sienna's participation in the conference wasn't for any major role. Just attendance, observation, the kind of exposure that looked good on records but didn't carry real weight. A great opportunity for a young girl, an experience to broaden her horizons.
Nothing to worry about.
He finished his work for the day, reports, correspondence, the endless machinery of running a house that answered to no one but itself, and learned that Sienna had woken. He made his way to her room, as was his habit when any of his children were unwell, and found a scene that stopped him cold.
Sienna was crying.
