Chapter 109: Hello Kent

The flight from Spain was completely smooth. Up in the private jet, the cabin was dead silent compared to the messy airport terminals Selen had been dreading.

The kids fell asleep almost instantly in the large leather seats, wrapped in blankets while she kept her eyes on them.

Patrick had gone before the door of the jet closed, saying that he would meet her there. And she did not even know that he was going back with them.

A flight attendant quietly set a cup of tea by Selen’s elbow and stepped away. Selen spent the flight staring out the window, watching the landscape change from the sunny coast to the gray water of the English Channel.

Her mind was running in circles, caught between the safe goodbye she had shared with Newton and the fact that Clancy’s money had literally carried her across the ocean.

When the jet landed, it completely bypassed Heathrow’s main terminals, moving instead onto a private runway right in Kent.

The whole transition happened without a single hitch. And as the heavy jet door lowered, standing right at the bottom of the airstrip stairs was Patrick, looking as sharp and unbothered by the travel schedule as he always did. He had taken a separate flight ahead of them just to make sure he was on the ground first.

"Welcome to Kent, Ms. Selen," Patrick said, stepping forward to grab her bags with a polite nod. A luxury van was parked a few feet away with the heat running. "We can put the kids straight into the car. Your customs clearance has already been processed, so there is no need to wait in any lines." he said.

Selen gave a tired nod. "You really think of everything, do you not, Patrick?" she asked him. " It is all Mr. Clancy. He expects perfection for your arrival," Patrick said simply, holding the car door open.

The drive was fast. And when they pulled up to the new house, Selen realized Patrick had not been exaggerating earlier. The estate was large, and inside the house, every single one of her moving boxes had already been unpacked. Her clothes were hung up, the kids’ toys were neat in their new room, and the pantry was completely stocked.

It was a completely stress free arrival, but the sheer perfection of it made her uncomfortable.

***First day of work**

That morning, Selen had no time to sit around. Her first day at her new job in central London started with a rush and she was glad that Sarah took her offer to follow them to England.

She would not have been able to bring herself to leave the children otherwise, especially with Diana’s fragile state, but knowing Sarah was there made the transition seamless.

Instead of dealing with the train stations or the crowded commute, a private car and driver were already waiting in the driveway to take her directly to the city. The drive gave her time to look over the briefing file on Calus Sterling one last time, hardening her resolve before she entered the fortress of the British art world.

Once she got into the office building, she was immediately escorted to the primary boardroom on the executive floor. The room was populated by the National Gallery’s core committee, but Calus Sterling himself was

absent, and sending his representatives instead.

At the head of the table sat a senior board member named Shaun Mas, a man representing Calus Sterling. "Ah, the Spanish ambassador has arrived", he said, leaning back in his leather chair without standing up to greet her.

He looked her up and down with a condescending smile. "We were expecting the ministry to send someone a bit more seasoned to handle a logistical crisis of this scale.

A beautiful woman from Madrid is certainly a pleasant addition to the room, but I do hope you brought more than just charm to negotiate these multi-million pound indemnity contracts. This is not a gallery opening for local socialites" he said.

The room went dead silent. The casual misogyny in his tone hung heavy in the air, a deliberate attempt to undermine her authority before she could even take a seat. It struck a deep nerve, sending a flash of heat through her veins, but Selen did not blink.

She smoothly set her leather file onto the table, her posture perfectly rigid. "Mr. Mas, I hold a dual degree in international cultural law and seventeenth century Spanish provenance from the Sorbonne", Selen said, her voice dropping into a calm, ice cold register that cut through the room like a blade.

"I did not leave my portfolio in Madrid to be patronized by a representative who clearly struggled to read the basic background brief on my appointment.

If my presence intimidates your legal department, I suggest you find men who are more secure in their qualifications.

Otherwise, we can skip the commentary on my appearance and focus on the fact that your board is currently violating three international transport compliance codes, which I am fully prepared to litigate by five o’clock today" she said with confidence.

His smile vanished instantly, his face flushing a bright, embarrassed red as the other committee members suddenly shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

He cleared his throat, unable to meet her gaze as she pulled out her laptop. Selen gave him a slow, deliberate look, letting the silence stretch just long enough to cement her victory.

The rest of the six hours meeting was a grueling, tense battle over numbers and transit security. By the time the session adjourned, Selen felt the exhaustion settling into her bones.

She packed her things in silence, realizing that Calus Sterling’s absence was just the first move in a much larger, more difficult game.

She began to think that maybe it was not going to be as easy as she thought to save this exhibition while protecting her peace.

The private car was waiting right outside the office to drive her back to Kent. Though the quiet dark of the Kent roads brought a faint, familiar ache of her past back into her chest.