Chapter 19\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oliver\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sunlight crept across my face, pulling me from a restless sleep. I hadn\u2019t slept well, not after last night\u2019s shouting match between Mommy and those mean Wright women. The horrible things they said kept echoing in my head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sat up with a jolt as reality crashed back. \u201cThe eight million dollars!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My fingers fumbled for the tablet, checking my special banking app\u2013the one Aiden had set up with all those annoying parental controls. No new\u00a0<\/p>\n
transactions. Nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t believe it,\u2018 I whispered, my stomach twisting with worry. After what happened last night, Mommy needed this money more than ever.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I remembered the fear in Mommy\u2019s eyes when that older woman had stormed out, promising consequences. The way her hands had trembled when she thought I wasn\u2019t looking. I\u2019d pretended to fall asleep quickly, but through the slightly\u2013opened door, I\u2019d watched her pace the living room for hours, making quiet phone calls, frantically typing emails.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My tablet buzzed with Hunter\u2019s incoming video call. I answered, clutching Mr. Chomps, my T\u2013Rex, for comfort.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGood morning, little boss,\u201d Hunter said, his expression more serious than usual. \u201cHow are things this morning? Any\u2026 fallout from last night?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
So he knew. Of course he knew. Hunter always knew everything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aiden still hasn\u2019t sent the money, I whispered, glancing toward my bedroom door. \u201cMommy\u2019s in big trouble, Hunter. Those mean ladies would come back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hunter nodded gravely. \u201cAbout the money\u2026 Henderson called while you were sleeping.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sat up straighter. \u201cWhat did he say?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said\u2013and these are his exact words\u2013\u2018Mr. Sterling believes eight million dollars isn\u2019t a sum to be casually transferred to a six\u2013year\u2013old.\u2018 Aiden said if you truly need the funds, he\u2019ll meet you at Jeni\u2019s Ice Cream on Michigan Avenue this afternoon. He\u2019ll bring a cashier\u2019s check.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I squeezed Mr. Chomps tighter. \u2018It\u2019s a trap! He just wants to capture me and drag me back to the mansion!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps, Hunter admitted. \u201cBut after what happened with Ms. Wright\u2019s family last night, do you have any other options if you want to help her?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The memory of Mommy\u2019s pale face flashed through my mind. I slid off the bed and stood as tall as I could.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Till do it, I\u2019ll face Aiden myself,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hunter\u2019s eyebrows shot up. \u201cAre you certain, young Master?\u2018\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019m Oliver,\u2018 I declared, fighting the fear bubbling in my chest. \u2018And Mommy needs me to be brave right now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedar\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
I placed the last waffle on Oliver\u2019s plate, my movements mechanical after a sleepless night. The kitchen light seemed too bright, aggravating my pounding headache\u2013the price of spending hours strategizing after Elara\u2019s dramatic exit and explicit threat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
3:50 pm M\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 19\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jonathan will hear about this first thing tomorrow,\u201d she\u2019d sneered. \u2018Losing the Wilson contract? He\u2019ll finally see you for the fraud you are.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019d spent the entire night alternating between panic attacks and desperate planning. Losing the Wilson Group contract was devastating enough, but Elara would twist everything, making it seem like my fault rather than Brad Wilson\u2019s inappropriate behavior.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Oliver! Breakfast is ready, I called, forcing cheerfulness into my voice. No matter how dire things were, I wouldn\u2019t let Oliver see my fear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He appeared in the doorway, hair tousled and eyes concerned. Despite my efforts, he was too perceptive to fool completely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou made waffles?\u2018 he asked, eyeing the elaborate breakfast with suspicion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought we deserved a treat,\u201d I said, smoothing down his unruly hair as he climbed onto the barstool. The warmth of his small body under my hand\u00a0<\/p>\n
centered me momentarily. \u201cSometimes when things get tough, a good breakfast helps us face the day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
*Like before a battle in my video games,\u201d Oliver nodded seriously, taking a bite. \u201cYou need to fill your health bar before fighting the boss.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled despite myself. \u201cExactly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are really good,\u201d he said, watching me carefully. \u201cAre you okay, Mommy?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hand paused mid\u2013air. \u201cWhy do you ask?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have dark circles,\u201d he observed matter\u2013of\u2013factly. And you jumped when your phone buzzed earlier.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sighed, setting down my coffee cup. \u201cI\u2019m just worried about work stuff. Nothing for you to worry about.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it because of what those two mean ladies said?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of course, he\u2019d heard. I\u2019d hoped he\u2019d forgotten those things.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPartly,\u201d I admitted. \u201cLosing the Wilson contract is\u2026 complicated. But I have a plan.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of plan?\u201d Oliver asked around a mouthful of waffle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m meeting some potential investors today,\u201d I explained, trying to sound more confident than I felt. \u201cWith Wilson Group out of the picture, I need to find\u00a0<\/p>\n
alternative funding before Jonathan can\u2026\u201d I trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore he can fire you?\u201d Oliver finished bluntly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded, throat tight. It\u2019s a long shot, but I have to try. These investors weren\u2019t interested before, but maybe now\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
What I didn\u2019t say was that these were investors I\u2019d previously declined because they wanted too much control. Now, beggars couldn\u2019t be choosers. Without new funding to offset the Wilson loss, Jonathan would have every excuse to remove me from the Haussmann Tower project\u2013possibly from Wright Creatives\u00a0<\/p>\n
entirely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After breakfast, I knelt to Oliver\u2019s eye level, adopting my serious face. \u201cI need to go meet with these investors. You\u2019ll stay home, okay? No sneaking out . again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oliver snapped to attention, giving me a solemn salute. \u201cYes, ma\u2019am!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t help but smile. \u201cHow could you be so lovely?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
3:50 pm\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 19\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGood genes!\u201d he replied with a cheeky grin. \u201cMy dad is handsome and my mom is so beautiful and endearing!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
0:30\u00a0<\/p>\n
His words made my anxiety momentarily recede. I kissed his forehead and grabbed my portfolio, mentally rehearsing the desperate pitch I\u2019d crafted during\u00a0<\/p>\n
the night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As I walked toward the financial district, my phone vibrated. The name on the screen made my blood freeze: Jonathan Wright.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I hesitated before answering. \u2018Hello?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Twenty minutes. My office.\u201d Jonathan\u2019s voice was arctic. The line went dead before I could respond.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at my phone, the dread I\u2019d been fighting all night crystallizing into certainty. So Elara had already told him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I glanced longingly at the building housing my potential investors, then turned and hailed a cab. \u201cWright Creatives on North LaSalle, please. As fast as you\u00a0<\/p>\n
can.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As the taxi wove through downtown traffic, I stared out at the Chicago skyline, mentally shifting from Plan A to Plan B. If Jonathan was summoning me\u00a0<\/p>\n
now, the investor meetings were moot. I needed a different strategy\u2013and quickly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite my title as Associate Design Director at Wright Creatives, I was treated little better than an intern. Half the department\u2019s performance metrics\u00a0<\/p>\n
rested on my shoulders, with none of the credit for successes and all of the blame for failures. Losing the Wilson contract would give Jonathan the perfect\u00a0<\/p>\n
excuse to sideline me permanently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Unless I could find a way to replace that funding\u2013and fast.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The cab pulled up to the sleek building housing Wright Creatives. I paid the driver and took a deep breath, squaring my shoulders as I walked through the\u00a0<\/p>\n
revolving door. Whatever Jonathan had planned, I would face it with dignity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Sky Remembered the Touch of Our Uninished Goodbyes by Lysa Orion Rehn 19 Chapter 19\u00a0 Oliver\u2019s POV\u00a0 Sunlight crept […]<\/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-30418","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\/30418","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=30418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30418\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}