Chapter 1 - The Encounter
The light turned red at Columbus Circle, and Vance Callahan’s entire life stopped behind the windshield of a black Maybach.
At first, he did not understand why his hand tightened on the expensive leather seat.
He could no longer hear the polished, empty laughter of his mistress, Lila Crane, sitting beside him.
The freezing Manhattan night blurred into a meaningless wash of neon lights and taxi cabs.
His entire existence narrowed down to a single, fragile figure standing in the crowded crosswalk.
Maddie Rowan, his ex-wife, stood shivering in a cheap coat that offered no protection against the brutal February wind.
Three years ago, he had abandoned her in a sterile hospital room after their final, failed IVF treatment.
He had walked away from her tears, sending a heartless text message to end their marriage because he was too obsessed with building his corporate empire.
Now, she looked exhausted, burdened by a heavy canvas tote bag and the visible weight of a difficult life.
But what caused Vance’s chest to violently seize were the two toddlers clutching her hands.
A little boy in a green puffer jacket stood on her left, shifting his tiny boots on the wet pavement.
A little girl in a pink knit hat stood on her right, her small face serious and observant.
The boy suddenly turned his face toward the bright glare of a streetlight, revealing a deep, unmistakable dimple on his left cheek.
It was Vance’s exact dimple.
Then the little girl looked up, and Vance felt all the air leave his lungs.
Her eyes were a piercing, stormy gray.
They were the exact same eyes that stared back at him from his penthouse mirror every morning.
Panic, guilt, and a terrifying possessiveness exploded inside his chest.
He shoved the heavy car door open, ignoring Lila’s sharp, annoyed voice demanding to know what he was doing.
Vance stepped into the freezing traffic, the icy wind slicing through his designer suit as a taxi blared its horn at him.
He shouted Maddie’s name, his voice raw and desperate enough to cut through the noise of the city.
Maddie froze in the middle of the street.
She slowly turned her head, and when her eyes locked onto his, Vance saw pure terror flash across her pale face.
She instinctively pulled the children closer to her legs, stepping backward as if Vance were a predator.
Before Vance could take another step toward his family, a massive black SUV screeched to a halt directly in front of the crosswalk.
The rear door swung open with aggressive speed.
Grant Ellison, the billionaire heir to a rival real estate empire, stepped out onto the wet asphalt.
Grant did not even look at Vance as he wrapped a fiercely protective arm around Maddie’s waist.
With effortless familiarity, Grant scooped the little boy into his arms, pressing the child’s face against his expensive cashmere coat.
Vance took a step forward, his fists clenching with a violent, murderous rage.
May you like
But before he could speak, the little boy looked at Grant, smiled brightly, and yelled a single word.
The boy looked at Grant and clearly shouted the word "Daddy."
