hapter 107\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aiden\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u0f66 \u0f41\u0fad 42%\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t focus on the stack of design proposals Henderson had arranged on my desk. The corner office\u2013my father insisted I maintain my own workspace despite my age\u2013felt suffocating today. Floor\u2013to\u2013ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the Chicago River, but I barely noticed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
All I could think about was her face, her voice, her gentle touch on my hai\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Henderson entered with a tablet in hand. \u201cYoung Master Aiden, I thought you should know\u2013Wright Creatives officially filed for bankruptcy an\u00a0<\/p>\n
hour ago.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
One night. It had taken less than twelve hours for Wright Creatives to crumble after Dad\u2019s strategic moves. Part of it was my doing, but most of\u00a0<\/p>\n
it was Dad\u2019s invisible hand pressing down on it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I should have cared. I should have felt something about our successful destruction of Cedar\u2019s adoptive family\u2019s business. Instead, my mind could only process one thing since receiving the DNA test results last night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedar was our biological mother.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHenderson,\u201d I swiveled my chair toward the window, how can I make her my mother legally? Properly?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Henderson set down his tablet. \u201cThe simplest solution would be for Ms. Wight to marry your father and become Mrs. Sterling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Father resents our biological mother,\u201d I reminded him, the painful truth we\u2019d discovered in fragments over years. \u201cHe\u2019s never spoken of her\u00a0<\/p>\n
except with coldness.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Sterling doesn\u2019t know Ms. Wright\u2019s true identity yet,\u201d Henderson pointed out. \u201cIf he falls in love with her before discovering who she really is, by then his feelings might be strong enough that he wouldn\u2019t send her way, even after learning the truth.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I considered this, watching boats navigate the river below. The mathematics of human emotion was always more complex than financial calculations, but Henderson\u2019s logic seemed sound.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018So we need Father to fall in love with Mom, I concluded, the word \u2018mom still new and precious on my tongue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Henderson nodded. \u201cAnd make their connection strong enough to withstand the truth when it eventually comes out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned back to my desk, suddenly energized. This was a project worth my attention\u2013far more important than any design proposal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Then that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019ll do.\u2018\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedar\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
With the design exhibition finally behind us, the chaotic rush at Nest Design had settled into a more manageable pace. I spent the morning organizing all our quarterly reports into a single comprehensive document before heading to Sterling headquarters. As I slid into the back seat of my Uber, I double\u2013checked that I had everything needed for my first quarterly executive meeting since becoming department head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sterling Design Group had grown into an empire over the years, with nearly a hundred subsidiaries spanning across the country. When I arrived\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
16:24 Thu, Feb 5 BNB.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 107\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u0f25 \u0f5f\u0fad 42%\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
at the towering glass building along the Chicago River, the executive conflence room was already buzzing with activity. Department heads and regional directors clustered in small groups, exchanging pleasantries and industry gossip.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2026and then Daisy Black arrived with him this morning\u2026\u201d I caught fragments of conversation as I made my way through the room. \u201c\u2026his childhood friend\u2026always had her eye on\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I glanced at my watch\u2013ten minutes until the meeting officially began. Needing a moment to collect my thoughts, I stepped out onto the adjacent terrace that overlooked the cityscape of downtown Chicago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The spring air felt crisp against my face as I gazed at the architectural masterpieces that lined the river. The Sterling building itself was a monument to modern design, with its gleaming fa\u00e7ade reflecting the blue ky above.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sharp click of heels against marble interrupted my moment of tranquility. I turned instinctively toward the sound and saw a stylishly dressed woman walking down the corridor. In her arms was a little girl\u2013unmistakably Aria.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was Daisy Black.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As if sensing my gaze, the child slowly turned her head. Our eyes met across the distance, and something extraordinary happened. The shadows that seemed to surround her small frame transformed into brilliant light, and her dark, melancholic eyes suddenly filled with something like\u00a0<\/p>\n
wonder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was definitely Aria! But why was she with Daisy? After what happened at the restaurant, how could Ridley still trust that woman with his\u00a0<\/p>\n
daughter?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Without thinking, I started walking toward them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Wright, the meeting is about to begin. Where are you going?\u201d Thomas appeared suddenly at my side. He was also here for the meeting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Coleman, just give me two minutes. I\u2019ll be right back,\u201d I said, my eyes still following Aria.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But before I could reach them, Daisy carried Aria into the CEO\u2019s office and closed the door firmly behind them. I froze mid\u2013step.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So Ridley had allowed this. Daisy must truly be special to him if he could forgive her negligence so easily. But it wasn\u2019t my place to judge. Still, I couldn\u2019t help wondering if Aria was truly comfortable with her\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
With a strange heaviness in my chest, I followed Thomas back to the conference room in a daze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGood morning, everyone, Sterling\u2019s Executive Vice President began from the head of the table. \u201cMr. Sterling has urgent matters to attend to and won\u2019t be joining us today. I\u2019ll be chairing our quarterly review meeting..\u00a0<\/p>\n
As each subsidiary representative presented their reports, my mind kept difting back to that closed door. Despite my distraction, I managed to deliver a coherent presentation about Nest Design\u2019s quarterly performance when my turn came. The polished Danish minimalist lamp we\u2019d developed had exceeded sales projections by 37%, and our new sustainable materials initiative was gaining traction with eco\u2013conscious luxury\u00a0<\/p>\n
retailers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Two hours later, the meeting finally concluded. I deliberately took my tim gathering my materials, waiting until everyone else had left the room. As if pulled by an invisible force, I found myself walking toward Ridy\u2019s office.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The door remained closed. I stood there, feeling oddly displaced in the empty corridor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The EVP had mentioned that Ridley had \u201curgent matters\u2018 preventing him om attending the meeting. Was spending time with his childhood\u00a0<\/p>\n
hedr\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u9cf3\u7cd6\u00a0<\/p>\n
?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
The Sky Remembered the Touch of Our Unfinished Goodbyes by Lysa Orion Rehn 107 hapter 107\u00a0 Aiden\u2019s POV\u00a0 \u0f66 \u0f41\u0fad […]<\/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-30506","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\/30506","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=30506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30506\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}