Chapter 2 - The Billionaire Who Could Buy Anything Couldn't Buy the One Thing His Daughter NeededAfter landing, I expected to leave.
I even gathered my bag before the plane reached the terminal.
Then two security guards appeared.
“Ms. Vance.”
I stopped.
“Yes?”
“Mr. Mercer would like you to stay.”
“I have work.”
“He knows.”
“Then tell him I appreciate his gratitude.”
One guard almost smiled.
“He said you'd say that.”
I sighed.
“Where is he?”
“Waiting.”
Leo stood near the aircraft stairs.
Lily was in his arms.
She looked peaceful.
Healthy.
Almost like a different baby.
He approached me.
“Come with me.”
“I can't.”
“Why?”
“Because I have a life.”
He looked at my suitcase.
“That life is in one bag.”
That hurt.
I didn't answer.
He seemed to realize it immediately.
“I didn't mean—”
“You did.”
He paused.
Then said:
“I'm sorry.”
I wasn't used to powerful men apologizing.
Especially not quickly.
“Where are we going?”
“My residence.”
“No.”
“You need a medical examination.”
“I am not sick.”
“I know.”
He looked at me.
“But my daughter needs to be examined.”
I frowned.
“Why?”
“She stopped vomiting.”
“What?”
“She hasn't kept food down for days.”
I looked at Lily.
“And now?”
“She hasn't vomited since you fed her.”
That was unusual.
But not impossible.
I was not a pediatrician.
I couldn't explain it.
“Maybe she was just hungry.”
“Maybe.”
His security chief approached.
“Dr. Patel is waiting.”
We left.
Leo's home was enormous.
Glass walls.
Private garden.
Security checkpoints.
But it didn't feel luxurious.
It felt tense.
Like everyone was waiting for something terrible.
The doctor examined Lily.
She was dehydrated.
Undernourished.
But improving.
“She needs regular feeding,” he said.
Leo frowned.
“She takes formula badly.”
Dr. Patel looked at me.
“Ms. Vance…”
“Nora.”
“Nora.”
He hesitated.
“Would you be willing to help us temporarily?”
I stared.
“What exactly do you mean?”
“Lactation.”
I glanced at Leo.
He didn't speak.
“I can help tonight,” I said.
“Not permanently.”
“No.”
“Understood.”
Dr. Patel explained that Lily's condition was complicated.
She wasn't digesting some formulas properly.
Breast milk might help stabilize her for the short term.
I hesitated.
My body had still been producing milk because I'd only stopped nursing several months earlier.
I never thought that fact would matter again.
But now it did.
I helped Lily feed.
For the next two days, she improved.
Leo watched everything.
He never touched me without permission.
Never made me uncomfortable.
He was always nearby.
And I started noticing things.
He slept beside Lily's crib.
He checked her breathing every few minutes.
He knew exactly how many wet diapers she had.
He knew which lullaby calmed her.
He wasn't a cold billionaire.
He was a terrified father.
One night, I found him asleep in a chair beside his daughter.
His tie was loose.
His head tilted sideways.
Lily slept peacefully.
I covered him with a blanket.
He woke immediately.
“Don't.”
“I'm not doing anything.”
“You were leaving.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“It's late.”
“I'll have a driver take you home.”
“I don't need one.”
“Nora.”
I looked at him.
“Your apartment isn't safe.”
I froze.
“What?”
He stood.
“Someone searched it.”
“Who?”
“We don't know.”
I felt cold.
“When?”
“This afternoon.”
I turned toward the window.
My apartment.
The only place I'd had left.
Now someone had entered it.
“Did they take anything?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
“They were looking for something.”
“What?”
“We don't know.”
I looked at him.
“Maybe they wanted me.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“That is what I am trying to find out.”
He handed me a photograph.
My apartment.
Taken from across the street.
I felt sick.
“Who took this?”
“My security team.”
“How long have you been watching?”
“Since the flight.”
“You've been following me?”
“Protecting you.”
I laughed bitterly.
“Those aren't the same thing.”
“No.”
He looked at me.
“They aren't.”
Silence.
Then he said:
“You can leave.”
I stared.
“But?”
“But I need you to understand something.”
He stepped closer.
“I don't know why you were placed on that plane.”
“I don't know who is watching you.”
“I don't know what they want.”
“But I know my daughter was sick.”
“And you made her better.”
His voice softened.
“I don't want to lose either of you.”
I swallowed.
“You barely know me.”
“That's true.”
“Then don't make promises.”
“I already did.”
“What promise?”
He looked at me.
“Anyone who comes for you comes through me.”
I looked away.
“That's not how normal people talk.”
He smiled faintly.
“I'm not normal.”
I almost smiled.
Then Lily began crying.
We both turned.
I went to her.
She immediately calmed when I picked her up.
Leo watched.
Something changed in his expression.
Not suspicion.
Not gratitude.
May you like
Something far more dangerous.
Hope.
Related Stories
