If other members of the Hepburn Family came to New York, Grandma might send them off to a hotel on the grounds that the house was too cramped. But when Aether Hepburn came to New York, Grandma would have Henry prepare a guest room so this great-niece could stay.
This affection was not one-sided, either. Whenever Skye and Lorna were brought to Hepburn Family gatherings by Katharine Hepburn, this older cousin took good care of them and never let the children feel neglected.
Beyond those two ties, a few years ago, Henry had used high-frequency stock trading technology to establish a private equity fund for the Hepburn Family. Aether had been a bold enough underage girl to go all in, investing the pocket money she had painstakingly saved.
Children her age were still complaining that their daily allowance was not enough to spend. How could they possibly have savings to invest? Or else they were overly frugal, investing sums that could not even cover the minimum management fee. For such small amounts, Henry simply waived the management fee.
Now, several years later, Aether Hepburn had become the famed little rich girl among her generation of the Hepburn Family. Based on that relationship alone, she smiled cheerfully every time she saw Henry.
So when he saw her, Henry welcomed her inside with a smile. "Is college on break? Since you came all this way, aren't you staying for a few more days?" He only asked because he noticed Aether had not brought any luggage.
"School is on break, but there are still some club activities. I have to hurry back tonight."
After entering, the girl naturally went to greet Katharine Hepburn first. "Hi, Kate. I'm here again." But when she saw Kitty, the tabby cat lying at her great-aunt's feet, Aether