Page 157 of Secret Heir For The Billionaire Twin

He gives me a patient look.

“It’s supposed to lift the cup.”

“Did it?”

“No.”

I take his backpack while he continues protecting the model with both hands. “What happened?”

“The string was wrong.”

“Just yours?”

Theo shakes his head as we start toward the car.

“Everybody’s. We pulled it, and the cup kept tipping over.”

“So what did you do?”

“I moved the string.”

There is no pride in the answer. To Theo, if something does not work, changing it is simply what comes next.

I glance down at him.

“What did your teacher say?”

“She said we were supposed to follow the directions.”

“That sounds pretty normal for a school project.”

Theo frowns.

“But the directions were wrong.”

“Theo.”

“They were, Mom.”

I unlock the car and look at him. He stares back with complete sincerity, his blue eyes narrowed slightly against the afternoon sun.

I know that expression. I have known it since he was old enough to sit on the living-room floor for half an hour trying to figure out why one wheel on his toy truck would not turn like the others.

“Did you tell your teacher the directions were wrong?” I ask.

Theo nods.

“How exactly did you tell her?”

His eyes slide away from mine.

“Theo.”

“I just said they didn’t work.”

“That sounds fine.”

He shifts the cardboard model in his hands.