Chapter 3 - The Boardroom DistractionThe following Monday,

reality crashed back into my world,

dragging me away from the estate.

I sat at the head of a massive glass table,

located on the fortieth floor of my headquarters,

surrounded by men in expensive suits.

My chief financial officer,

Richard,

was pointing at a colorful graph on the screen,

droning on about quarterly projections.

I tried to pay attention,

I really did,

but my mind kept drifting away.

Instead of profit margins,

I saw a messy playroom,

scattered wooden blocks,

and a little girl laughing.

I glanced at my watch,

realizing it was nearly lunchtime,

and wondered what Lily was eating.

Maria had packed her a sandwich yesterday,

a simple peanut butter and jelly,

which she had offered to share with me.

Ethan,

are you listening,

Richard asked,

his tone laced with polite frustration.

I blinked,

snapping back to the sterile boardroom,

and the expectant faces around me.

Yes,

Richard,

I said smoothly,

though I had no idea what he had asked.

I think we should proceed with the merger,

I added,

hoping it was a safe guess.

He nodded,

seemingly satisfied,

and moved to the next slide in his presentation.

I reached into my jacket pocket,

my fingers brushing against a piece of paper,

folded neatly into a small square.

It was the drawing of the purple horse,

which I had taken from my desk at home,

unable to leave it behind.

I smoothed it out on the glass table,

right next to my quarterly reports,

feeling a sudden surge of protectiveness.

A billionaire with a child drawing,

sitting in a crucial corporate meeting,

was a ridiculous sight.

But I did not care,

not anymore,

because this paper meant more than any contract.

The meeting finally ended,

and I was the first one out the door,

leaving my confused executives behind.

My assistant,

Sarah,

hurried after me,

clutching her tablet tightly.

You have a dinner tonight,

sir,

with the Japanese investors,

she reminded me,

reading from my packed schedule.

Cancel it,

I ordered,

stepping into the private elevator,

pressing the button for the lobby.

But sir,

they flew all the way from Tokyo,

Sarah protested,

her eyes wide with shock.

Tell them I have a family emergency,

I lied,

feeling a strange thrill at the word family.

I watched the elevator doors close,

cutting off her sputtered objections,

and smiled for the first time that day.

I was going home,

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back to the playroom,

back to where I truly belonged.