Cedar\u2019s POV<\/p>\n
As I stepped out of my room, ready to head to the kitchen and start making lunch, I stopped in my tracks. The delicious aroma of food filled the air, and on the table, I saw an array of beautifully arranged dishes\u2014still steaming, as if they\u2019d just arrived. Beside the table stood Oliver, his eyes shining with excitement.<\/p>\n
I stared at him in disbelief. \u201cOliver\u2026 did you do all this?\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded eagerly, bouncing on his toes. \u201cWell, I ordered it. You work so hard, and you need good food to keep your energy up!\u201d<\/p>\n
I approached slowly. \u201cYou know how to order food?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI used my smartwatch to call a little restaurant near my house,\u201d he explained, his voice careful but steady. \u201cWe order from them a lot, and the owner knows my family. I asked him to put it on our tab for now\u2014he and my dad are good friends!\u201d<\/p>\n
Curious, I picked up my fork and took my first bite. My eyebrows shot up in surprise. \u201cThis is\u2026 incredible. It tastes like five-star restaurant quality.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah\u2026 the chef used to work for a famous restaurant.\u201d Oliver beamed with pride, his cheeks flushing pink.<\/p>\n
I studied the food with growing suspicion. But Oliver\u2019s expectant face made me swallow my questions along with another bite of the impossibly creamy mashed potatoes.<\/p>\n
Oliver climbed onto his chair, swinging his legs happily. \u201cDo you like it, Mommy?\u201d<\/p>\n
There was that word again\u2014\u201dMommy.\u201d It created a strange feeling in my chest, like warmth spreading from the inside out. I should have corrected him, but I couldn\u2019t bring myself to upset him right then.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course. Thank you, Oliver.\u201d<\/p>\n
After lunch, we spent the afternoon in the small courtyard behind my building. Oliver invented a game involving elaborate rules about not stepping on cracks, complete with twirls and jumps that had me laughing more freely than I had in years. His boundless energy and imagination were infectious, transforming a plain concrete space into a magical playground.<\/p>\n
By evening, we were both exhausted in the best possible way. As I tucked him into the bed, his small hand caught mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cBest day ever. Love you, Mommy,\u201d he whispered, his eyes already closing.<\/p>\n
That night, I lay awake wondering about this strange, wonderful child who had appeared at my doorstep, and the inexplicable connection I felt toward him.<\/p>\n
The next morning passed in a whirlwind of promises and instructions as I prepared for work.\u00a0After working remotely yesterday, I needed to go into the office today.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember, don\u2019t open the door for anyone,\u201d I reminded Oliver, placing a sandwich in the refrigerator. \u201cI\u2019ll try to come back early.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know, Mommy,\u201d he said with surprising patience. \u201cI\u2019ll be super good.\u201d<\/p>\n
His confident smile somehow both reassured and worried me as I reluctantly headed out the door.<\/p>\n
I had just settled at my desk, my mind still on Oliver alone in my apartment, when the intercom buzzed. Selena\u2019s voice came through, sharp and impatient.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom wants you in the conference room. Now.\u201d Her tone made my stomach tighten.<\/p>\n
When I entered the conference room, Selena was already leaning against the doorframe, her expression smug. Behind her, Elara sat at the head of the conference table, her posture rigid and unwelcoming.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know what you did?\u201d Elara stared at me sharply. \u201cI just received word from Wilson Group. They\u2019re terminating discussions about our potential collaboration.\u201d<\/p>\n
The air in the room seemed to thin. The Wilson contract would have been worth $8 million\u2014our biggest opportunity this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d I asked, though I already knew.<\/p>\n
Selena\u2019s laugh was sharp as broken crystal. \u201cAs if you don\u2019t know. Brad Wilson personally called to cancel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe made inappropriate demands during our meeting,\u201d I said, my voice steadier than I felt. \u201cHe suggested the contract was contingent on a private dinner with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elara\u2019s sigh carried decades of practiced disappointment. \u201cCedar, there are ways to handle these situations without burning bridges. The design industry requires\u2026 flexibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not using \u2018that kind\u2019 of flexibility to win contracts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t act so righteous,\u201d Selena snapped, her blue eyes flashing with familiar spite. \u201cThat contract was worth eight million dollars! Everyone knows Brad\u2019s had his eye on you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen everyone should know I\u2019m not interested,\u201d I replied, meeting her gaze without flinching.<\/p>\n
Elara tapped her nails against the table. \u201cPerhaps you\u2019ve forgotten who gave you the position of Design Department Manager.\u201d The unspoken reminder hung in the air\u2014I owed them everything. My education, my career, my very identity as Cedar Wright.<\/p>\n
I could sense Selena smirking. She\u2019d been taking credit for my designs since college, whenever Jonathan and Elara let her. Just last month, my Lakeside Manor atrium redesign appeared in\u00a0Architectural Digest\u2014under Selena\u2019s name. When I complained, Elara just waved me off. \u201cFamily businesses require sacrifice, Cedar. Selena is a Wright by blood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough about that. There\u2019s something more important tonight,\u201d Elara continued, breaking into my thoughts. \u201cThe Chicago Design Association\u2019s annual interior design showcase at the Drake Hotel. We\u2019ll all attend.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart sank. Those showcases were nothing but elaborate networking events disguised as industry gatherings\u2014the exact type of artificial social gathering I despised. Besides, I\u2019d promised Oliver I\u2019d come back early.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t,\u201d I said. \u201cI have\u2026 commitments.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t a request, Cedar.\u201d Elara\u2019s voice hardened. \u201cSterling Group executives will be attending. Your design concepts could be our ticket onto that ship.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sterling Group?! I\u2019d never worked with them directly, but everyone in Chicago\u2019s design world knew the powerhouse company. Their sleek modernist aesthetic had transformed skylines across America.<\/p>\n
Perhaps finding a new, bigger target like Sterling Group was why Elara and Selena could afford to stay so composed, even after I\u2019d botched a major project.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll need your Canopy Collection sketches ready to display,\u201d Elara added, rising to signal the meeting\u2019s end.<\/p>\n
As they left, I sat motionless, feeling the familiar weight of obligation pressing down.<\/p>\n
After work, I stopped by my favorite boutique to quickly find a suitable gown, then headed to the venue.<\/p>\n
The hotel ballroom glittered with Chicago\u2019s design elite that evening. Crystal chandeliers cast light across display pedestals where innovative home designs awaited industry recognition.<\/p>\n
Across the room, Elara moved through the crowd with practiced grace, Selena at her side. They stopped at each influential group, Elara\u2019s hand possessively on Selena\u2019s shoulder as she introduced her daughter to potential clients and partners. I remained invisible, as usual.<\/p>\n
\u201cLadies and gentlemen,\u201d the MC\u2019s voice cut through the murmur of conversation, \u201cplease welcome our special guest this evening\u2014Mr. Ridley Sterling, CEO of Sterling Design Group.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room fell silent, all eyes turning toward the entrance. My breath caught as I saw him for the first time.<\/p>\n
Ridley Sterling stood in the doorway, his presence commanding the space without effort. Tall and imposing in a tailored suit, his features were striking. Beside him stood a boy of about six, dressed in a miniature version of his father\u2019s formal attire, his expression equally serious.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Sterling has a child! Who\u2019s his wife?\u201d one woman murmured behind her champagne glass.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaven\u2019t you seen the news? Well, can\u2019t blame you\u2014he\u2019s been off the radar. Just got back from heading up their European division,\u201d another replied with a knowing look. \u201cHis wife died while giving birth. This is his heir, Aiden Sterling. And he wasn\u2019t planning to marry again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something tugged at my heart as I overheard their conversation. That was touching\u2014a man who remained devoted to his lost love.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s so charming!\u201d Selena whispered excitedly to Elara nearby, not noticing my presence. \u201cChicago\u2019s most eligible bachelor\u2014I\u2019m going to marry him.\u201d<\/p>\n
I rolled my eyes at her delusion. Seriously? Had she not heard a word of what they just said about him never marrying again?<\/p>\n
As the crowd engulfed Ridley, the little boy drifted toward a modern sculpture display. I watched him study a twisted metal piece with the critical eye of someone three times his age.<\/p>\n
This little adult in miniature formal wear gave me a completely different impression than the playful Oliver waiting back at my apartment, even though they were about the same age and had similar blue eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cCedar,\u201d Elara\u2019s sharp voice interrupted my thoughts. \u201cCome. We\u2019re going to introduce ourselves to Mr. Sterling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland\u2019s breathtaking cold.<\/p>\n
The Sky Remembered the Touch of Our Unfinished Goodbyes by Lysa Orion Rehn 4 Chapter 4 Cedar\u2019s POV As I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-zero-stars-for-daddy-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30403"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30403\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}