Chapter 10
[Addison]
The man steps forward into the light carrying an impossibly large bouquet of lilies in a fine, crystal vase.
As our eyes connect, a warm wave of gratitude rolls through me as I recognize him instantly. “It’s you,” I murmur, my heart
lifting. “The man from the warehouse.”
The gentleman frowns, his face pinched with worry. “You must be mistaken. I haven’t been to any warehouses recently.”
I know I’m not mistaken. The man in the warehouse took off his mask as he caught me. He looked just like him. The same eyes,
the same jawline. “I’m sure I’m not mistaken. You’re the one who rescued me from the kidnappers.”
His laughter is like a clear, brass bell that rings through the room. “Mrs. Stone, I assure you that you are mistaken. You were
rescued by a special–ops unit that was investigating those kidnappers for having mob connections. I am not a federal agent,” he
shakes his head. “Far from it, I run a multi–billion dollar trading company. I’ve never stepped foot in a warehouse.”
His entire posture changes as he takes a seat next to my bed, adjusts his tie, and leans casually in the chair. He’s still as charming
and handsome as ever, but now he’s suddenly cold and commanding, his small genuine smile taking on an arrogant edge.
Seeing him like this, I realize my mistake. He’s nothing at all like the caring man in the warehouse who rushed me to safety. They
share a close resemblance, but it’s only skin deep.
Maybe I’m mistaken?
“Then why are you here?” I ask, sitting up as I reach out to touch one of the lilies. The blooms are stunning in shades of orange and blue, dotted with brown speckles. Looking at the vase, I almost gasp. It’s a Juliana Morana crystal vase worth at least $2,000.
That’s a lot of money to spend on someone you don’t know.
“I don’t understand why you’re here,” I exhale deeply, suddenly very tired, the hope from the moment before draining from me as I realize he isn’t the person I thought he was. “We don’t know one another, why would you visit?”
“You helped my niece, Olivia,” a touch of warmth enters his smile as he speaks of the little girl who almost wandered into the street. “I tried finding you later that evening, to bring you a gift in appreciation. My investigators found you after the story about your kidnapping made it into the newspaper.”
“My kidnapping made the paper?” That explains how he knew I’d be at the hospital. The article probably had a few details about the criminals as well. His investigators likely filled in the rest. That must be why he knows so much about what happened.
“I’m sorry, by the way,” his voice takes a gentle edge as he adds, “about your loss.”
My hand reaches down instinctually to my belly. The baby. My baby. The only baby I was likely to ever have, now gone forever because of what those brutes did to me.
A tear rolls down my cheek, followed by another.
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“Why aren’t you at home,” he hands me a fancy–edged piece of monogrammed linen. A personalized handkerchief? I didn’t realize people still carried these. It is a touch of old–fashioned charm that adds another level of mystery to the gentleman sitting
next to me.
Who is he?
“Where’s your family? Your husband,” he looks around, noticing that the room is empty except for me and the large, expensive
vase of lilies now sitting at my bedside.
The sound that escapes my lips is more like a rough bark than a laugh. “Good question.”
My phone rings for the second time today. “Speak of the devil,” frowning, I answer the call.
“Michael,” wiping my eyes, I try to keep my tone even. “Why are you…?”
“OH MY GOD, ADDY!” Michael shouts into the phone. “Are you okay? Did the kidnappers hurt you? When are you coming home? I
was so…”
I’ve been in the hospital for three days. It took him three days to check on me and he doesn’t seem to have a clue what is going on.
“They did hurt me, Michael,” my tone is as crisp as my stone–cold heart. “I’ve been in the hospital for the last three days. I’ve…”
“Oh good, you can sleep and then come home when you’re done,” he interrupts me mid–sentence as a feminine voice calls his
name in the background. “Just bill the hospital for your stay. I’ve got to run! Lots to do at the office today.”
“Michael, you should know I…” I try to tell him about the baby, to explain why I can’t just come home, but he had already hung
up, the phone sitting dead in my hands.
Of course. Just like the warehouse, I come last.
Something between a sob and a moan pours forth from my lips as I rock back and forth, the tears I had been holding back falling
from me fast and hard as the dam holding back my emotions bursts. I don’t want to cry in front of this stranger but I can’t help it,
the depth of my emotion more than I can contain.
In one, terrible moment, I lost everything. My husband, my son, my baby.
“I have nothing left,” I warble, my body shaking. “My baby is gone. My son hates me and wishes my husband’s mistress was his mom,” I sob, “I…I… I must be unlovable. I don’t have anyone who loves me anymore.”
“That isn’t true.”
Those words cut through my gloom like a sharp knife.
“My niece loves you,” the gentleman sitting next to me continues, smiling brightly. “She’s absolutely enamored with you.”
His niece loves me?
“Olivia, right,” I remember her gentle smile and her beautiful long brown pigtails that curled at the ends.
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His smile brightens. “Yes, Olivia Hunter. My niece. You do remember her. She hasn’t been able to stop talking about you since the
day you saved her”
“She’s such a sweet girl,” I smile thinking of the clean warm smell of her skin as she held onto my neck. “And you are…Harrold?”
“Hunter. Hunter Grant,” the man introduces himself, his tone as clean and proper as if he were introducing himself at a board
meeting.
“Well, Mr. Grant,” I finally manage to smile, “Thank you for saying that. I needed to hear that someone out there still cares.”
He tilts his head slightly. “Of course. Speaking of my niece,” he sits a bit straighter, “One of the reasons I had been looking for
you was not only to express my gratitude but to…well…to offer you a job.”
“I’m sorry…?” my brow crinkles. “Are you serious?”
“Yes,” there is no trace of humor as he adds, “I’ll pay you $500,000 per year”
