Chapter 62\u00a0<\/p>\n
Albert\u2019s Perspective\u00a0<\/p>\n
I spotted Mr. Sterling emerging from Cedar\u2019s office. He walked slowly, his long fingers absently tracing along his jawline as his gaze drifted somewhere in the distance. There was something that looked almost like a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I approached cautiously. \u201cMr. Sterling, there you are.\u201d He turned slightly, the afternoon light catching the sharp angles of his face. A subtle smile played at the corner of his lips, the kind that never quite revealed what he was thinking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas Coleman just confirmed his reassignment to Regional GM in Milwaukee,\u201d I said, consulting my tablet. \u201cAbout the executive position at Nest Design\u2013are we headhunting externally or promoting internally?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His eyes fixed on mine with unsettling intensity. \u201cI\u2019ll take the position myself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nearly dropped my tablet. \u201cYou\u2026 what? You\u2019re going to run Nest Design personally?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo I look like I\u2019m joking, Albert?\u201d His voice was calm but carried that unmistakable edge that made even veteran executives squirm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, sir.\u201d I struggled to maintain my composure. The CEO of Sterling Group stepping down to manage a subsidiary? Unheard of.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Unfathomable. Unless\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
My eyes caught the faint scratch on his jaw. And Mr. Sterling has just walked out of Cedar\u2019s office with a smile? The pieces suddenly\u00a0<\/p>\n
clicked together in my mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It must be related to her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mind instantly conjured a scandalous scene\u2013Mr. Sterling attempting to kiss Cedar, only to have her slap that perfect jawline in self-\u00a0<\/p>\n
defense!\u00a0<\/p>\n
So that\u2019s why he was demoting himself to run Nest Design\u2013he was pursuing Cedar Wright!\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019d worked for Mr. Sterling for eight years, and I\u2019d never seen him pursue a woman. Not once. Yet here he was, stooping to personally\u00a0<\/p>\n
oversee a subsidiary company just to get closer to her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSend out the announcement immediately,\u201d he instructed, straightening his already perfect tie. \u201cAnd Albert?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, sir?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCancel my dinner with the Langford Foundation tomorrow. I have other plans.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As I watched him stride purposefully toward the elevator, I couldn\u2019t stop myself from wondering\u2013what exactly did Cedar possess that could transform Mr. Sterling this way?\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
9:44 Thu, Nov 6 B\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 62\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedar\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
96\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at my computer screen in disbelief, reading the company\u2013wide email for the third time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Effective immediately, Ridley Sterling will assume direct executive control of Nest Design\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ridley Sterling\u2013would be my direct supervisor? I felt my stomach drop. How could this be happening? With him as my boss, I\u2019d never escape from under his thumb,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why this sudden change? Couldn\u2019t I just resign from my design director position?\u00a0<\/p>\n
But\u2026 no. That wasn\u2019t realistic. I needed the money\u2013desperately needed it. The $150,000 salary was enough to make me swallow my pride. The mortgage payments, the loans, the mounting bills\u2013they wouldn\u2019t pay themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sighed, closing the email. I\u2019d just have to endure it for now. When it became truly unbearable, I could always quit and find something else. But until then, I needed this job too much to walk away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of anxiety and dread. By six, I was more than ready to escape to my Wicker Park apartment and the one bright spot in my otherwise chaotic life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy, this is the best spaghetti in the universe!\u201d Oliver exclaimed, marinara sauce decorating his cherubic face like abstract\u00a0<\/p>\n
expressionism.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I laughed, reaching across our small dining table to wipe his cheek with a napkin. \u201cEasy there, Jackson Pollock. The food goes in your\u00a0<\/p>\n
mouth, not on your face.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWho\u2019s Jackson Pollock?\u201d His big blue eyes\u2013so like his father\u2019s\u2013widened with curiosity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA famous artist who splattered paint everywhere. Just like you\u2019re doing with that sauce.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oliver giggled, twirling another impossibly large forkful of pasta. \u201cI don\u2019t wanna stop staying with you,\u201d he said suddenly, his voice dropping to that small, vulnerable register that always broke my heart.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. \u201cWhat do you mean, sweetie?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He set his fork down, eyes fixed on his plate. \u201cDaddy called. He wants me to come home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Though I\u2019d been expecting this moment, the pain was still sharp. Ten magical days with this little boy had somehow healed places in me I\u00a0<\/p>\n
hadn\u2019t known were broken.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell,\u201d I said carefully, \u201cyour daddy must miss you very much.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I don\u2019t wanna go!\u201d His lower lip quivered. \u201cYou make the best food and tell the best stories and you don\u2019t get mad when I spill\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 62\u00a0<\/p>\n
things!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I moved to his side of the table, kneeling beside his chair. \u201cOliver, your daddy loves you. Just in a different way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His shoulders slumped in resignation. \u201cMaybe just for one night? Then I can come back?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I brushed his unruly brown curls from his forehead. \u201cWe\u2019ll see each other again, I promise. And you know what? I\u2019m going to send a little\u00a0<\/p>\n
gift for your daddy with you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oliver\u2019s head snapped up, his expression suddenly alarmed. \u201cA gift? For Daddy? No, that\u2019s\u2013that\u2019s not a good idea.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not? I want to thank him for letting me spend time with you. Maybe a nice thank\u2013you note and something he might like?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t like things,\u201d Oliver said quickly. \u201cHe\u2019s very\u2026 particular.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled, not catching the panic in his eyes. \u201cEveryone likes thoughtful gifts, sweetie. And I\u2019d really like to meet him properly, to thank\u00a0<\/p>\n
him in person.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oliver\u2019s face paled visibly. \u201cMeet him? No, no, no. He\u2019s very busy. Super busy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His exaggerated protest made me laugh, though I couldn\u2019t understand his reluctance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oliver had mentioned his father \u201cdidn\u2019t want\u201d him, but I could only take that claim with a grain of salt. The boy was clearly well\u2013fed, with round, healthy cheeks that showed he was well cared for. \u201cNot wanting\u201d was almost certainly an exaggeration\u2013though I suspected there\u00a0<\/p>\n
might be some emotional distance or coldness at home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I loved Oliver deeply, even after this short time together. All I wanted was for him to grow up in a home filled with warmth and affection.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why sending a gift to his father felt so important. A thoughtful present accompanied by a heartfelt note might help break the ice. Perhaps I could gently suggest ways to connect with this sensitive little boy who clearly craved attention and affection.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yes, that\u2019s exactly what I would do. A gift and a letter\u2013nothing intrusive, just a bridge between two adults who both cared about Oliver\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
wellbeing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll talk about it tomorrow,\u201d I said, kissing the top of his head. \u201cNow, how about some ice cream?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oliver bounced excitedly in his seat, instantly distracted by the promise of dessert.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We Want Mommy, Not You, Daddy!\u00a0<\/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 62 Chapter 62\u00a0 Albert\u2019s Perspective\u00a0 I spotted […]<\/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-30461","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\/30461","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=30461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30461\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}