Nicolaus was already pulling out his phone. "I'm messaging my parents to see if I can work from home…. swimming I would still do early… there aren’t many people there yet and I am sure I won’t have any problems with my couch or others.”
The phone in my pocket buzzed again, more insistently this time. I pulled it out, frowning at the screen. "It's not a comment this time. Someone's trying to call her through the app."
I glanced down at the screen and froze. "It's her mother," I said, my voice dropping to a whisper. "She's commented on the post."
Julian's head snapped up, his eyes sharp. "What did she say?"
I angled the phone so they could all see the comment:"Lilianna, this charade has gone on long enough. Call me immediately. We need to discuss your return home anddamage control for this unfortunate situation. Your father is distraught, and your brother is upset."
"Distraught my ass," Miles muttered, his gentle demeanor giving way to rare anger. "He's probably barely noticed she's gone…and her brother. She doesn’t mention him."
I continued reading the comment thread, my jaw tightening as I saw what her mother had written. "There's more," I said grimly. "She's trying to tag us individually in follow-up comments. Asking us to 'return her daughter immediately' and claiming we're 'taking advantage of a confused young woman.'"
Julian's arms tightened protectively around Lilianna's sleeping form. "Screenshot everything. We'll need documentation of harassment if this escalates."
I was already doing so, my fingers moving quickly across the screen. "She's also trying to direct message her through the app. Multiple attempts."
"Block her," Nicolaus said immediately. "On every platform."
"Already on it," I replied, though my stomach churned as I read the preview of one message: "You're embarrassing our family name. This behavior is unacceptable for someone of your breeding..."
Miles made a sound of disgust. "Breeding? She's talking about her own daughter like she's livestock."
"That's exactly how she sees her," Julian said, his voice low and dangerous. "Property to be managed and displayed appropriately."
I finished blocking the account and set the phone aside, my hands trembling slightly with suppressed anger. "The comments are still coming in from other people though. The support is overwhelming—people are defending her, telling her mother to back off."
"Good," Nicolaus said firmly. "Public opinion matters in situations like this."
Lilianna stirred in Julian's arms, her brow furrowing as she shifted. "Julian?" she murmured, her voice thick with sleep.
"I'm here," he said softly, his tone immediately gentling. "We're all here. Go back to sleep."
But her eyes fluttered open, immediately alert despite having slept for barely an hour. She sat up slightly, glancing between our faces with growing awareness. "What happened? Why do you all look like that?"
I hesitated, exchanging glances with the others. We'd agreed to protect her as much as possible, but lying would only make things worse in the long run.
"Your mother found your post," I said gently, watching her face pale at my words. "She's left some comments."
"And messages," Miles added, his hand finding hers. "We've blocked her account for now."
Lilianna sat up fully, her shoulders straightening with a resolve that made my chest ache with pride. "Show me," she said, her voice steadier than I'd expected.
I passed her the phone, the screenshots already open. She read in silence, her expression growing more composed with each word. When she finished, she handed the phone back to me.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, her voice steady despite the hurt I could see in her eyes. "I knew this would happen eventually, but I hoped we'd have more time."
"You have nothing to apologize for," Julian said firmly, his hand cupping her face with gentle reverence. "Her behavior reflects badly on her, not you."
Lilianna leaned into his touch, drawing strength from the contact. "What she said about breeding... that's how she's always seen me. Not as her daughter, but as a commodity to be managed." She paused, her jaw tightening with determination. "I won't let her reduce me to that again."
"She can't," Nicolaus said, his voice carrying quiet conviction. "You're not her property, Lilianna. You never were."
Miles shifted closer, his eyes never leaving her. "The comments from your followers are overwhelmingly supportive. People are defending you, telling her to back off."
Lilianna's eyes widened slightly. "Really?"
I nodded, pulling up some of the responses to show her. "See for yourself."
