Chương 1 - the yellow lace dress
The fifty-story glass tower of Kane Enterprises gleamed against the crisp Manhattan skyline, its reflective windows catching the golden rays of the mid-morning sun. Inside the executive creative wing on the top floor, thirty-three-year-old Claire Bennett adjusted her fitted blush-pink skirt and smoothed her cream silk blouse with trembling hands. Her long brown hair fell in loose, elegant waves over her shoulders, her delicate pearl earrings catching the bright fluorescent light.
As senior creative director, Claire was scheduled to pitch the multi-million-dollar autumn campaign to the board in less than ten minutes. But her heart was pounding for an entirely different reason.
Sitting on a plush leather stool in the corner of Claire's private glass office was six-year-old Mia. The cheerful, outspoken little girl wore a bright yellow lace dress, white socks, clean yellow shoes, and a oversized yellow bow resting in her long light-brown hair. Clutched tightly under her arm was a worn stuffed elephant.
"Mia, sweetie," Claire whispered nervously, kneeling beside her daughter and setting down a box of crayons, a coloring book, a tablet with cartoon headphones, and a bag of apple slices. "Mommy has to step into the big conference room right across the hall. You stay right here, keep your headphones on, and don't open this glass door for anyone. Promise?"
Mia looked up with bright, fearless hazel eyes, giving her stuffed elephant a squeeze. "I promise, Mommy. Elephant and I are on secret agent duty."
Claire kissed her daughter's forehead, swallowed her rising anxiety, and hurried out the glass door toward the executive boardroom.
Five minutes later, Mia grew bored of the coloring book. She set her headphones on the desk, tucked her stuffed elephant under her arm, and pushed open the heavy glass door, stepping out into the wide marble executive corridor.
Walking down the hallway toward his corner office was Adrian Kane.
At thirty-six, the powerful Manhattan billionaire and chief executive officer commanded absolute, terrifying authority. Tall, broad-shouldered, and impeccably tailored in a custom black suit, white dress shirt, and black silk tie, Adrian possessed gray-blue eyes and a sharp, handsome jaw framed by a shadow of dark stubble. He rarely smiled, moving through the corporate world with cold, unshakeable discipline.
Several senior executives walking behind him pulled back into doorways, holding their breath in nervous silence as the billionaire approached.
Mia stepped directly into the center of the hallway, blocking Adrian's path. She planted her yellow shoes flat on the marble floor, tucked her hands behind her back, and studied the towering billionaire seriously from head to toe.
Adrian stopped dead in his tracks. He stared down at the tiny girl in the yellow lace dress.
Mia looked up at his handsome, unreadable face, her brow furrowing with thoughtful appraisal.
Mia: “You’re too handsome to be alone.”
A collective gasp rippled through the executives standing in the corridor.
Mia pointed her small finger directly at Adrian's black tie, announcing loudly to the entire hallway, "I think you should become my daddy."
Adrian stood frozen for a fraction of a second. Then, to the absolute shock of every employee within fifty feet, the cold, intimidating billionaire crouched down to the six-year-old's eye level, his broad shoulders shifting beneath his black suit jacket, and burst into a genuine, rich laugh that echoed down the executive wing.
Rushing around the corner from the boardroom, holding her digital tablet, Claire froze in terror. The color drained from her fair face as she saw her six-year-old daughter standing inches from the most feared man in corporate New York.
Adrian slowly stood back up, still amused, his gray-blue eyes sweeping toward Claire's horrified expression. He crouched down once more in front of the little girl, resting his elbows on his knees, his expression turning curious.
Adrian: “Why me?”
Mia's cheerful, mischievous face suddenly turned completely serious. She reached her small hand inside a hidden velcro pocket on her stuffed elephant's back and pulled out an old, folded photograph.
She held the photograph out toward Adrian's broad palm.
Adrian took the paper and unfolded it. The photograph showed a much younger Claire standing on a sunlit terrace nine years earlier, smiling radiantly while leaning against a younger Adrian Kane.
Mia looked up at him with complete innocence.
Mia: “Because Mommy keeps this hidden under her bed.”
May you like
Adrian's amused smile vanished in an instant. His gray-blue eyes locked onto the photograph, his entire body turning as rigid as stone.
Across the hallway, Claire went completely, deathly pale.
