Chapter 7 - Sunday Afternoon
Ryan arrived with one gift.
A cardboard box.
Emily looked suspiciously at it.
“I said no expensive gifts.”
“It cost twelve dollars.”
She opened the box.
Inside were three wooden airplane kits.
Emily looked at him.
“You remembered the airport.”
“I remembered Ethan’s toy.”
That surprised her.
The boys watched from the hallway.
Ryan saw them.
His entire posture changed.
For the first time in his life, the billionaire did not know what to say.
Ethan solved the problem.
“Are you Mommy’s friend?”
Ryan glanced at Emily.
She gave him no help.
“We used to be.”
Lucas stepped closer.
“Did you fight?”
Ryan nearly choked.
Emily covered a smile.
“I told you he asks difficult questions,” she said.
“That was Ethan.”
Lucas pointed at himself.
“I ask normal questions.”
Noah remained behind his brothers.
Ryan crouched.
“Hi.”
Noah looked at the airplane kits.
“Do they fly?”
“Probably not very well.”
“Then why are they airplanes?”
Ryan laughed.
Emily had forgotten that laugh.
Not the polite one used at galas.
His real laugh.
The boys relaxed.
For two hours, they built wooden planes on the living-room floor.
Ryan got glue on his shirt.
Lucas accidentally broke a wing.
Ethan demanded to know why billionaires existed.
Ryan stared at Emily.
“You told him I’m a billionaire?”
“He reads.”
“I’m five,” Ethan corrected.
“Almost five.”
Ryan nodded solemnly.
“My mistake.”
Then Noah fell while reaching for a marker.
Ryan instinctively caught him.
The boy froze in his arms.
So did Ryan.
Noah looked up.
Their faces were inches apart.
Ryan’s eyes filled.
Emily saw it.
He carefully set Noah down.
“Sorry.”
Noah shook his head.
“You caught me.”
Ryan’s voice became rough.
“Yeah.”
For a second, Emily had to look away.
After dinner, Ryan prepared to leave.
The boys returned to their toys.
Emily walked him outside.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For following the rules.”
Ryan nodded.
“I meant what I said.”
Emily folded her arms.
“This does not erase anything.”
“I know.”
“You hurt me.”
“I know.”
“You believed the worst version of me without allowing me to defend myself.”
Ryan looked at the ground.
“I know.”
Emily studied him.
“You keep saying that.”
“Because I finally do.”
Before she could respond, Ryan’s phone rang.
David.
Ryan answered.
“What did you find?”
Emily watched his expression change.
David spoke for nearly a minute.
Ryan said nothing.
Then he looked directly at Emily.
“Send it to me.”
He ended the call.
“What?”
Ryan’s voice was quiet.
“The anonymous email with those screenshots.”
Emily waited.
“We traced the original server.”
Her stomach tightened.
Ryan continued.
“It came from Harrison Energy headquarters.”
May you like
Emily went cold.
“And the login credentials belonged to Adrian.”
