Andrei POV
October 1976
The formal test results had settled in our home like a new piece of furniture—something to be examined, walked around, and learned to live with. The true impact, however, was in how we each chose to interact with it. The follow-up conversation Dr. Reid had suggested happened not in a clinic, but in Dad's study, now the informal council chamber of the Stevens siblings.
We began with Damien. He sat forward in his chair, elbows on his knees, his energy focused.
"So," Dad began gently. "Dr. Reid says you have a remarkable gift for understanding people. How does that feel?"
Damien grinned. "It makes sense! It's why I know when to pass the ball and when to take the shot. It's not just seeing where people are, it's knowing where they want to be. It's the same with… with the business, I think." He looked at our father. "When you talk to the port manager, you're not just talking about cargo. You're talking about his pride in his dock, right? So you suggest things that make his dock run smoother and make us more money."
Dad was stunned into silence for a moment. Mum's eyes sparkled with professional delight. It was a perfect, instinctive articulation of emotional intelligence in commerce.
"And what do you want to do with this?" Margaret asked.
"Both," Damien said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "I want to play cricket for a county. Maybe even for England. But not forever. Then, I want to help run what Granddad and you built, Dad. But bigger." He looked at me, then at Daphne, who was quietly braiding the tassels of a cushion. "I know I'm not the genius like Andrei. And I'm not… deep, like Daffy can be. But I can talk to anyone. I can get them excited. I can make a team work. So, I'll be the one who goes out there. Andrei can do the clever plans in the back. And Daffy… well, she'll figure out what everyone's really worried about. We'll be a proper team."
His vision was breathtaking in its clarity and confidence. He wasn't choosing one path; he saw his talent as the bridge between all of them. He instinctively understood that his role was to be the family's ambassador, its frontman, its motivator. The "Social Nexus" wasn't just a label; it was his chosen vocation.
The room's attention then turned to Daphne, curled in a large armchair. Margaret knelt beside her. "Darling, the tests show you're very clever, and you're also very kind and understand feelings. That's a special combination."
Daphne looked up from her cushion. "Like in my storybooks? The wise animals are both smart and nice."
"Exactly like that," Mum said, her voice soft. "Is there anything you feel especially clever or kind about?"
Daphne thought seriously. "I like the stories Andrei makes. I like the horses at Wentworth. I like making things with my hands. And I don't like it when Leo at school is sad." Her worldview was a constellation of gentle, interconnected interests—narrative, nature, creation, empathy. At four, there was no single ambition, only a bright field of potential.
"Our job," Dad said, speaking to all of us but looking at Daphne, "isn't to pick one star in that sky for you. It's to make sure the whole sky stays bright, and that you have the telescope to look at any part of it you want, when you're ready."
The decision was unanimous. For Daphne, there would be no pressure, no early streaming. She would be given the broadest, richest education possible—arts, sciences, music, time with animals—to let that balanced mind explore and find its own point of convergence. We would nurture the soil, not force the flower.
That night, the System integrated the new data with a profound conclusion.
[ FAMILY COUNCIL: CONCLUSIONS LOGGED. ]
[ Subject D. Stevens: Career Path Confirmed - Dual-Track (Sports/Business). Role: External Affairs & Morale. Emotional intelligence to be leveraged as primary strategic asset. Support required: High-performance coaching, business mentorship. ]
[ Subject Da. Stevens: Development Path Confirmed - Exploratory Nurture. Role: To be determined. Balanced intelligence to be protected and exposed to diverse stimuli. Support required: Broad education, creative resources, emotional safeguarding. ]
[ SIBLING SYNERGY ANALYSIS: OPTIMAL. ]
[ Projected Operational Model: Architect (Andrei) designs system. Nexus (Damien) implements with human element. Diplomat (Daphne) ensures internal/external harmony and provides unique integrative insight. ]
[ Directive: Begin resource allocation for Damien's dual-track development. Initiate enriched environmental protocol for Daphne. ]
I looked at the analysis. Damien didn't just want to play sports and run a business. He wanted to use the first to master the skills for the second: discipline, teamwork, handling pressure, brand building. He was already thinking in systems, just a different kind than mine.
And Daphne… her path was the most fascinating. She wasn't a specialist; she was a synthesist. In time, she might become the one who could translate my cold strategies into human terms, or sense the cultural shift that would make or break a film. She was our most sensitive instrument.
The council was adjourned. We had our roles. Damien, the champion. Daphne, the heart. And me, the architect. We weren't just siblings; we were a start-up, a guild, a small and mighty council. And for the first time, I saw the full shape of the machine we could become. It was more powerful than any system a ROB could bestow.
A/N
The family's "operational model" is defined. Damien is set on a demanding dual-path. How will Andrei immediately begin to "support" Damien's ambitions in a tangible way, perhaps using his research or capital? And what will be the first "enriched" opportunity provided to Daphne?)