Chapter 4: A Father's Gift
Chapter 4: A Father's Gift
Chairman Shortman's estate overlooked the ocean.
It wasn't merely a mansion.
It was a symbol of a life Anna had never known.
Every employee welcomed her with tears.
Many had worked for the Chairman for decades.
They had watched him search endlessly for his missing daughter.
An elderly housekeeper embraced Anna gently.
"Your room has been waiting for twenty years."
Inside was a nursery frozen in time.
Stuffed animals.
Storybooks.
A tiny rocking horse.
Even the wallpaper had never been replaced.
Chairman Shortman smiled sadly.
"I couldn't bear to let go."
"I believed you'd come home someday."
Anna broke down in tears.
That evening, she signed no contracts.
Accepted no wealth.
Asked for nothing.
She only had one request.
"Can I spend today as your daughter..."
"...before becoming your heir?"
The Chairman smiled through his tears.
"You've always been my daughter."
"We're only making it official."
May you like
Outside the window, Anna rocked her own baby to sleep.
The cycle of loss had finally ended.
