Chapter 4 - A Quiet Kitchen
The silence in the penthouse kitchen was heavy, broken only by the hum of the commercial refrigerators. Maria sat on an upturned crate, her hands shaking as she held a cup of chamomile tea that Daniel had personally poured for her. Sophia was fast asleep on a makeshift bed of clean linens in the corner, her thumb tucked securely in her mouth.
"Mr. Mercer, I don't know what to say," Maria whispered, her eyes red from crying. "You ruined your engagement because of us. The Langstons are very powerful people. They will try to hurt your business."
Daniel was leaning against the stainless-steel counter, his tuxedo jacket tossed onto a chair, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He looked more relaxed than he had in months.
"They can try, Maria," Daniel said, taking a sip of his bourbon. "But businesses can be rebuilt. A person’s character can't. I should have seen who Victoria really was a long time ago. She loved the billionaire, but she hated the boy from the South Side. You didn't cause this. You just saved me from making the biggest mistake of my life."
He walked over to the corner, looking down at Sophia’s peaceful face. The little yellow dress was slightly wrinkled, but to Daniel, it represented absolute innocence—a purity that the corporate world constantly tried to crush.
"How long have you been struggling to find childcare, Maria?" Daniel asked softly.
Maria lowered her gaze. "Since the school year started. Mrs. Alvarez helps when she can, but she is old. Private daycare in Pilsen is six hundred dollars a month, Mr. Mercer. I... I don't have that kind of liquidity."
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Daniel nodded slowly, a plan already forming in his mind. He was a man of action, a man who didn't just solve corporate crises—he restructured realities.
"Tomorrow morning, I want you to take the day off," Daniel said, turning back to her. "A car will pick you and Sophia up at ten o'clock. There's someone I want you to meet."
