Chapter 5 5

The next morning, Annemarie stood in the gleaming lobby of the Bradford & Associates building. Her heart was pounding so hard she was sure the security guards could hear it. She held a manila envelope in her clammy hands, containing a formal letter terminating the firm's representation.

Clementine stood beside her, looking impossibly small in the vast, marble-floored space. Annemarie had hoped to leave her with the babysitter, but the woman had called in sick at the last minute. She had frantically called Jazmine, her parents, and even the neighbor she barely knew. No one was available. A cold dread filled her, but the firm's deadline was absolute. Annemarie had no choice. She had to bring her daughter.

"Stay close to me, okay?" Annemarie whispered, adjusting the oversized pink sunglasses on Clementine's nose. The sunglasses were ridiculous, shaped like hearts, but they covered half of the little girl's face. Annemarie had also pulled a wide-brimmed sun hat low over her daughter's head.

"Okay, Mommy," Clementine said, her voice muffled by the brim of the hat.

Annemarie approached the reception desk. The woman behind it was perfectly groomed, her blonde hair pulled back in a sleek chignon. She looked up, her expression polite but distant.

"Can I help you?"

"I need to drop off a document for Mr. Bradford," Annemarie said, sliding the envelope across the counter. "It's urgent."

The receptionist barely glanced at it. "Do you have an appointment?"

"No," Annemarie said. "But he's expecting this."

The receptionist pushed the envelope back. "Mr. Bradford does not accept hand-delivered documents at the front desk. You'll need to go up to the executive floor and hand it to his secretary."

Annemarie's stomach dropped. "Can't you just send it up?"

"Policy, ma'am," the receptionist said, turning back to her computer screen. "Elevators are to your left."

Annemarie gritted her teeth. She couldn't make a scene. She couldn't draw attention to herself. She took the envelope and grabbed Clementine's hand, marching toward the elevator bank.

The elevator doors were polished chrome, reflecting their distorted images. Annemarie pushed the button for the executive floor. The car began to ascend. Clementine hummed quietly to herself, bouncing her red rubber ball against the elevator floor.

Ding.

The elevator doors slid open. Annemarie stepped forward, her eyes fixed on the plush carpet of the hallway outside. She collided with something solid.

She looked up, her breath catching in her throat. Carlisle Bradford stood in the doorway, flanked by two men in expensive suits. He was dressed in a navy pinstripe today, looking every inch the billionaire tyrant. He was looking down at his phone, but the collision made him lift his head.

His eyes locked onto Annemarie. Then, slowly, his gaze traveled down to the small figure beside her. Annemarie instinctively yanked Clementine behind her legs, shielding her from his view.

"Mr. Bradford," she gasped, trying to sound professional. "I was just coming to see you."

Carlisle ignored her. His eyes narrowed, focusing on the small hand clutching her pant leg. "Who is this?"

"My daughter," Annemarie said, her voice tight. "She's sick. I couldn't leave her at home."

Carlisle tilted his head, his expression unreadable. He didn't move out of the elevator doorway. "You brought a sick child to a corporate office?"

"I just need to give you this," Annemarie said, thrusting the envelope toward him. "It's a termination of representation. I won't be needing your firm's services anymore."

Carlisle didn't take the envelope. He glanced at it, then back at her face. A slow, mocking smile spread across his lips. "You think you can just walk away?"

"Yes," Annemarie said, lifting her chin. "I do."

A loud, rubbery thwack echoed in the confined space. Clementine, bored by the adult conversation, had dropped her ball. It bounced once, twice, and then rolled out from behind Annemarie's legs, straight into the elevator. It came to a stop right against Carlisle's shiny black shoe.

The world seemed to shrink to a pinpoint. Annemarie froze, her blood turning to ice in her veins. Carlisle looked down at the bright red ball resting against his foot. It was a cheap, battered thing, covered in teeth marks.

Slowly, Carlisle crouched down. He picked up the ball, his large hands dwarfing the small toy. He turned it over in his fingers, his expression thoughtful.

Clementine, annoyed at losing her toy, pushed her way out from behind her mother. She reached up and pulled off the ridiculous pink sunglasses, wanting a better look.

"Excuse me," Clementine said politely, looking up at Carlisle. "Can I have my ball back, please?"

Carlisle looked up. His eyes met the little girl's. Carlisle's smile froze. Staring into the child's amber eyes, he felt a strange, unsettling jolt of familiarity, a fleeting echo he couldn't quite place. He frowned, momentarily distracted by the odd sensation, before dismissing it as a trick of the light.

Annemarie watched, paralyzed with terror, her heart hammering against her ribs as Carlisle stared at her daughter. The little girl's amber eyes were wide and curious in the harsh fluorescent light.

Carlisle blinked, his jaw muscle ticking as he pushed the strange feeling aside. He stood up slowly, holding the ball out to her. His gaze lingered on Clementine's face for a second longer than necessary.

"Here you go," he said softly, his voice rough.

Clementine grabbed the ball, giving him a wide smile that crinkled her nose. "Thank you!"

Annemarie lunged forward, snatching Clementine up into her arms. "We have to go," she gasped, pushing past Carlisle into the hallway. She practically ran down the corridor toward the secretary's desk, her heart pounding in her ears.

She didn't look back. She couldn't bear to see the look of dawning realization that she was sure was on his face.