Disclaimer: Guess.
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David Vega wasn't as obtuse as his children seemed to think he was. Even now, he could see so much they couldn't. He was, after all, a trained police officer, detective, and investigator. There were plenty of things he noticed that most people would just let slip past. Still, he also understood the almost drastic choices he and his wife had made in raising their daughters. "Tori, make sure your friends clean up this time, kay?" He told her, knowing they'd be playing cards later, while Tori was alone at home, parents off doing things his children had no idea about. Like how David was dealing with another in depth investigation, so Holly would take the time to offer what support a civilian could. The two of them would be going over data, evidence and testimony, to see the patterns, maybe find out who'd been stalking the teens in that part of Northridge.
'I'm just kinda lucky Holly has the time to help out.' He told himself, marveling at how his wife's rebellion had turned into a long term relationship, with two beautiful daughters. 'I mean, no way I could live here on my salary. Not as expensive as this house, this neighborhood is. Funny, I doubt anyone in that school has an idea of how well off my girls are, despite the evidence. But Holly, she does work to keep her trust fund flowing, manages so much of her side of he families money, and still has so much time for me. I mean, sure, she loves to flirt, but that's just her nature, playing mind games. Her mom, that woman's a pro at screwing with someones head, and her dad, the man got so lucky to be born to one of the old guard wealthy, someone who had lots of money and no responsibilities.'
David walked over to his office, intent on going over some files, only to hesitate, deciding to let his current chain of thought run through. 'Holly's dad reminds me of why we got publish or perish. The Harvard "Dollar per year man", who would be given a teaching position, and only paid a dollar per year by the school, with the family covering the rest. Not qualified, cause they lacked the will or the intellect to be trusted with the family's fortune. The useless members of a well off family who had a trust fund to cover everything, but relied on someone like Holly to manage the fortune, make new money, while they look for something to do that hints at respectability. Only requiring publications, research, forced those people out, let real professionals teach at what was supposed to be a prestigious school.'
He hesitated, not really that thrilled to be going over what he'd already gone over half a dozen times. 'Trina's almost old enough for us to ask her to help out. Holly seems to think she needs it, cause my oldest doesn't seem understand the value of money. Except, that job she got, humiliating as it is, that's gonna teach her plenty. Still, it does explain why Holly expects them to do so much on their own. She wants them to be self sufficient, and sometimes, it feels like neglect. Only, I never leave my daughters so vulnerable. I have several camera's hidden in the house, so I can check in on them, plus I have an understanding with a couple of Tori's friends, as well as that Jade girl.'
He pulled open his current file. 'I had to do a double take when I saw her late night job. What kind of minor helps clean up crime scenes. Only, once I got to know her better, I realized how dark she is. Still, I understand her, know that she doesn't really wanna hurt anyone, just maintain. Dealing with her will help Tori, and one day.. No, lets not get ahead of my kids. Let them figure that stuff out. Besides, Jade's still with Beck… She would make a good investigator, though. Coming along nicely in noticing things, and she's quick on her feet.' He smiled. 'She'd a writer, the good kind. Just, wait and see if she figures her part out…'
He sighed. 'Andre, he was easier to deal with. Man is trying to do the right thing. Over and over, he just wants to be the kind of man he see's his father as, even of the old man wasn't even close. Still, Dre's a good man, helped me set up the cameras and everything. Never once told the others about how well I can monitor the living room, hell, the whole downstairs. Point is, I know I can trust him, so I don't freak out at how often he shows up, practically lives here. Hell, he did, for a while. Glad we had the guest room available. But the boy, as much of a womanizer as he is, he's become more like a brother to Tori, and as a result, I can trust him here, with my two vulnerable girls…'
His hand was on the phone. "Jade, I have a request. I could use another set of eyes on a case I'm working on. Now, I get how young you are, but your mom did sign a waver, and we'd only be showing you the public stuff anyways. Any chance you could come over early?"
He got the response he wanted, knowing Jade would jump at the chance to better understand how crimes were committed. 'Jade's devious, a dangerous girl, even if I know enough to trust he. No way I'd just let her in without some method of keeping an eye on her.' He smiled at this memory. 'Catarina may be the most observant of the lot of them, when she wants to be. She's the one who I use to keep an eye on Jade, a dangerous proposition given their relationship. Still, she helped me better understand Jade, and her nature, relationships, everything. But Cat helps me make sure Jade's safe, and Jade keeps both Cat and Tori safe. Andre and Jade are my strong arms, along with Trina.'
He sighed. 'Trina is already growing to be the kind of person Holly wants her to be. The balance, support and independence, that's not as easy as I'd like, cause I'm not nearly as sure as my wife is about how we're raising our kids. Then again, I let my wife flirt, cause it's her escape. Keep her manipulative nature under control, without her violating any of the promises we made one another. But with my spies, and lets be honest, a whole lot of manipulation of my own, I've made sure my girls are safe enough to take the risks they'll have to in order to succeed in life. Now, I just need Jade's perspective, cause suddenly I realized my dark future daughter in law might just hold the key to solving this case...'
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Not sure where this came from, but it's recent enough I should know. Anyways, it's another perspective on what might appear to be absent parenting.