Chapter 3
I didn’t talk to my father that night.
I couldn’t. Not with Helen’s threat hanging over me.
Marcus took me to a penthouse in the center of the city. High floor, bulletproof windows, security on every door.
“Your father had this ready for you,” he said, showing me around. “Just in case.”
I ran my hand over the marble counter. Everything was perfect. Expensive. The kind of life I’d run from.
Now it felt like the only safe place in the world.
I sat down on the couch. The baby kicked, hard, like she was reminding me she was there.
I pressed my hand to my stomach.
“Langford Group,” I said. “Daniel worked there. Mid-level sales. How can Helen possibly claim she owns it?”
Marcus sat across from me. He pulled a tablet from his bag and slid it across the table.
“Langford was founded by Richard Langford thirty years ago. He died last year. No will. No clear heir.”
He tapped the screen.
“Helen is his illegitimate daughter. No one knew. She’s been hiding it for years. Waiting for the right moment to strike.”
I stared at the photo on the screen. Richard Langford. Younger, smiling, his arm around a woman who looked exactly like Helen.
“She’s been working with Daniel for three years,” Marcus continued. “Getting close to Langford executives. Collecting old letters, DNA tests, anything she can use to prove she’s his heir.”
He leaned forward.
“Your father has been buying up Langford stock for six months. He planned to make you the CEO. It was supposed to be a welcome home gift. But Helen just moved up her timeline.”
My head spun.
My father. Buying a billion-dollar company. For me.
“Why?” I whispered. “I left him. I told him I hated him.”
Marcus’s face softened.
“He never stopped loving you. He let you go because he thought you’d be happier. But he never stopped watching. When he saw what Daniel was doing, he started preparing. He knew one day you’d need him.”
The phone in my hand buzzed.
A text from an unknown number.
A photo.
My father. Standing in the lobby of the building. Holding a tattered stuffed rabbit. The one I’d had since I was five. The one I’d left behind when I ran away.
I’m here, the text said. Whenever you’re ready.
I stood up. My legs were steady now.
I walked to the elevator. Down to the lobby.
He was standing by the front door. Tall, gray at the temples, his suit as sharp as I remembered.
He saw me. His face crumpled.
I ran to him.
He wrapped his arms around me, so tight I could barely breathe. Like he was scared I’d disappear again.
“I’m sorry,” I sobbed into his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
“Shh,” he said, his hand stroking my hair. “I’m here now. Nothing is going to hurt you ever again.”
We sat in the penthouse that night. Marcus left us alone.
My father told me everything.
How he’d tracked me the day I left. How he’d paid for my first apartment, anonymously, because I’d been so broke I could barely eat. How he’d watched my company grow, proud enough to burst, but too scared to reach out.
How he’d found out about Daniel’s affair a year ago. How he’d waited, hoping I’d see the truth on my own.
“I should have stepped in sooner,” he said, his voice rough. “I should have taken you away from him before he hurt you.”
I shook my head.
“No. I needed to learn. I needed to stop being the stupid little girl who thought love was enough.”
I looked at him. Really looked at him.
“Tell me about Langford,” I said.
He leaned back.
“It’s a good company. Broken by bad management. Helen’s uncle sits on the board. He’s been embezzling for years. If Helen takes over, she’ll drain it dry in six months. Thousands of people will lose their jobs.”
He paused.
“I have enough shares to take over. But I need you to lead it. You have a good head for business. You care about people. You’re the only one who can fix it.”
I thought of my small company. The one I’d built from nothing. The one Daniel and Helen had almost destroyed.
I thought of my daughter. The life I wanted to give her. One where she never had to be afraid.
“I’ll do it,” I said.
My father smiled.
Then his phone rang.
He answered. Listened. His face went dark.
He hung up.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Helen held a press conference an hour ago,” he said. “She told the world you’re a violent, unstable heiress. That you kidnapped her and Daniel. That you’re trying to steal Langford from her.”
He slid his phone across the table.
A news article. My face on the front page. The headline: RUNAWAY HEIRESS TERRORIZES INNOCENT FAMILY.
“The board of Langford just released a statement,” he said. “They’re siding with Helen. They’re threatening to sue us for defamation if we don’t drop all claims to the company.”
I stood up. Walked to the window. Looked out over the city.
Helen thought she could win with lies.
She thought I was still the scared little girl who’d run from her problems.
I turned back to my father.
“Let them sue,” I said. “We have the truth. And we have something she doesn’t.”
“What’s that?” he asked.
I smiled. A cold, sharp smile. The one I’d inherited from him.
“Patience.”
The next morning, Marcus came to the penthouse early.
He held a stack of papers in his hand. His face was grim.
“Helen just filed another motion,” he said. “She’s requesting a paternity test. For your baby.”
I froze.
“Why?”
Marcus’s jaw tightened.
“She’s claiming the baby isn’t Daniel’s. She says you had an affair. That you’re trying to pass another man’s child off as his to get more money.”
May you like
He looked at me.
“And she’s asked the court to force you to give birth in a hospital of her choosing. With her doctors present.”
