At York residence, King Tiki had been a permanent fixture ever since Owen visited Riverswood Villa and instantly took a liking to the upgraded robot. Seeing his fondness, Shermaine had gifted it to him.

King Tiki had settled in nicely, humming to itself as it swept the floors with rhythmic precision. After cleaning, it meticulously sorted the trash and trotted outside to toss it into the bins. “I’m a hardworking little robot,” it would say.

Stephen watched the oddly humanoid machine with a mix of fascination and bewilderment. In one swift motion, he grabbed King Tiki mid-task, inspecting its mechanisms with intense curiosity. He hadn’t expected anyone to engineer a robot this advanced.

King Tiki whirred in protest, its routine rudely interrupted.

Owen said, “That’s Shermaine’s creation.”

Stephen’s expression remained blank. “Mm.” He had seen Shermaine in videos before.

Owen studied his son, uneasy. He thought, ‘Was it the decades in the research institute that stripped Stephen of human warmth? His face was unreadable, his tone perpetually icy. Well, at least he’s home. I shouldn’t expect more.’

The next morning, Shermaine and Joshua left for York residence early. On the way, Shermaine bought a bouquet of violets. Joshua had mentioned his late mother, Dionne Relish, adored them.

Owen had woken up in a foul mood. Overnight, King Tiki, perfectly functional yesterday, had mysteriously malfunctioned. He was counting on Shermaine to check the issue, though he secretly suspected Stephen had tampered with it after he had gone to bed.

Stephen sat unfazed on the sofa, flipping through a newspaper.

Just then, the butler said, “Mr. York, Joshua and Shermaine have arrived.”

Owen hurried to greet them, his face etched with worry. “Sheary, check what’s wrong with King Tiki!”

Shermaine frowned, “It’s malfunctioning?”

“Mm,” Owen sighed. “It was working perfectly last night.”

“I’ll take a look later.”

“Good. Have you two eaten breakfast?”

“Yeah.”

As they walked into the house, Joshua and Shermaine both noticed Stephen sitting on the sofa.

Lowering his newspaper, Stephen said flatly, “You’re back.”

Joshua’s gaze flickered, but he only said, “Dad.”

Shermaine followed suit with a polite greeting.

Stephen gave a curt nod before returning to his newspaper.

The interaction between father and son was so stiff it might as well have been between strangers.

Owen seethed silently but held his tongue, instructing Joshua to prepare for their visit to Dionne’s grave while Shermaine checked King Tiki.

She dismantled the robot, examining each component. The parts were intact, but the chip had a blackened patch. She held it up, thoughtful.

“The chip’s fried?” Owen asked.

“Mm. It’ll take some time to fix,” Shermaine said. “I’ll handle it later.”

Owen nodded.

Half an hour later, they set off for the cemetery, Stephen joining them in the car. Not a word passed his lips during the ride.

Yet his gaze lingered on Joshua, studying him with an intensity that unsettled Shermaine. It wasn’t the gaze of a father observing his son. It was something else entirely.