CHAPTER 78. Way out of your leagueA luxury car stopped in front of the building, and Mason, dressed impeccably, stepped out along with a nurse holding the baby in her arms. Andrea immediately took her and cradled her against her chest."Ben... do you know a good private investigator?" she suddenly asked."I can get one. Why?" her friend responded."Because it seems too strange that a man who had to steal from his wife and daughter six months ago is now driving a high-end Mercedes-Benz," she replied angrily. "I need everything on that man, Ben, right down to the color of his damn underwear!"She walked away quickly, trying to contain her emotions, and headed toward the door. She had to find Andrea; she had to apologize for abandoning her and tell her that he would help, that he would move heaven and earth to permanently put Adriana back in her arms, but first, he had something to do.He took the stairs because, with Adriana in her arms, Zack was sure Andrea would take the elevator, an
CHAPTER 79. That kind of powerAndrea walked to the reception area nervously. She was expecting one of the old clients who were obviously nervous about the change in management, but what she found was an unexpected surprise.Standing before her was a tall and handsome young man, dressed in a dark blue coat. He had a kind face and a gentle demeanor that Andrea had seen many times over the past two weeks, though mostly via video.“Mr. Stormhold?” she exclaimed.“Please, just call me Gideon. I’m only twenty years old even if I look older,” he responded in a deep, soft voice, extending his hand to greet her. “And you must be Mrs. Brand. I’ve come to meet you.”Andrea felt her heart skip a beat. She had been chasing after him, of course, but she never expected him to show up there.“Of course, please… Can I offer you a coffee?”Gideon nodded, and Andrea used the company card to take him down to the café. A few minutes later, they were seated at a small table, and Andrea gave him her full a
CHAPTER 80. A WeaknessShe was about to tear her hair out when the receptionist girl came running in."Someone's here to see you again, and this time it’s a woman who looks really angry. I think she's going to hit you. Should I call security?" the girl warned.Andrea hurried to the reception area to find herself face-to-face with Dianne Stormhold and her son. They spoke briefly, and less than five minutes later, Andrea was pushing open Ben's office door without even knocking."I need…" she gasped, leaning on the doorframe because she had run across half the floor, "I need… a contract… a representation contract for my client," she said excitedly. Ben stood up while Zack, who was standing by the window, fixed his gaze on her."Your client? Who?" Ben asked, puzzled.Andrea walked over to her mural, took down the last photo, and placed it on her desk."I got Baby Storm," she said. "He’s in one of the conference rooms. I need a contract… now, Ben! Now!" she exclaimed excitedly, and Ben cam
CHAPTER 81. A very serious accusationAndrea couldn't understand how she could feel so bad and so good at the same time. She had secured her contract, but Mason had the nose of a bloodhound for ruining her happiness."I’ll... I'll be at my desk..." she murmured softly, as if talking to herself, and Zack felt a knot in his stomach, realizing how much it was affecting her. She had lost weight and at times seemed out of it."How much is the bonus for the contract?" he asked Ben after the door closed behind her."Four thousand dollars," his friend replied."Double it, and let's start looking for advertising contracts for the boy," Zack commanded, fully embracing his role as the owner of the company. "There are some strings we can pull to get him exceptional publicity..." He checked his watch, calculating the time because he knew it must be late in the UK, and the person he wanted to talk to was there. "I'll make that call tonight, but for now, we need to deal with the daycare issue."Half
CHAPTER 82. The First PieceThe social workers looked at each other and both fell silent, stunned."Alright, we can do this one of two ways, Director. You come with me to declare the daycare operational, or we pose for tomorrow's headline photos. Which do you prefer?"Mr. Gazca was an imposing man with many years of professional experience. The fact that he was willing to take this to the very end only increased Zack's confidence in him. Shortly afterward, they had the necessary documentation, and Gazca patted Zack on the shoulder with a smile."All set, Mr. Keller. Tomorrow you'll have the little girl back in her daycare. If you want to see how, be at this address tomorrow at eight sharp."Zack nodded, satisfied, and fell into thought for a moment."I appreciate you handling the case, but I'm worried Andrea won't accept my help," he said. "I mean, after everything that happened between us... we had a bad breakup and she still hasn’t forgiven me.""There are other ways. I’m also the c
CHAPTER 83. The company’s lead attorneyMason had come down the stairs of his mansion grumbling because the visit, according to the housekeeper, seemed very urgent, and he was taken aback when he saw the man at his door.No one had to tell him he was a lawyer; everything about him screamed it, from the elegant black suit to the folder of documents he carried."Good morning, Mr. Lee. I’m the lead attorney for Nexa Sport Representation, and therefore Mrs. Brand’s attorney," the man said firmly. "I’m here to notify you that the daycare your daughter attends has been declared fit again."Mason stared at the paper, trying to comprehend what he was reading."That’s impossible!" Mason growled, already imagining Andrea groveling at his door to see the child. "The social workers...!""The social workers you paid have already been fired, Mr. Lee," the lawyer said with a smile. "I’m just here to deliver the judge’s order. If your daughter isn’t at the court-designated daycare in thirty minutes,
CHAPTER 84. Only the best"I... I'll find a way to repay you," Andrea decided."You do that every day with your work. Ben told me that contract you landed was really exceptional," Zack replied. "Now you should focus on getting her good advertising deals."She nodded slowly, and Zack had to summon all his willpower not to go hug her like he wanted."Hey, Ben is asking for projects from an American advertising company. You can review them together," he informed her."Ben?""Yes... Ben," he replied, and Andrea nodded."Okay, I'll go see him," she murmured before heading to her office. But no matter how much she wanted to hide it, it was clear to her that Zack had his hands in all of this.She had two options: to hold onto her pride or to accept the help from the company's lawyer, but with her daughter's well-being at stake, there wasn't much room for pride.Ben handed her a large folder with the projects that KHC Group Advertising was working on at that moment and then handed her a check
CHAPTER 85. I’ll pack my bagZack wasn’t alarmed because news from England was usually good, but he still answered within two seconds.“Hello, love of my life, torment of my soul, desire of my heart...!”“You're such an idiot when you want to be, James!” Zack scoffed. “But I love you too. What's up? My assistant said it was urgent.”“Well, yeah! You called me to light a fire under my ass, and I’m returning the favor!” his friend laughed.James King and Zack had studied together at Oxford. Now, James managed one of the branches of Kings Holding Corporation while his older sister, Sophia, ran the Boston branch. Zack knew and respected her a lot, but he preferred to deal with his friend first.“Listen, Sophi called me. She got an urgent project for a youth trench coat brand,” James explained. “I showed her the picture you sent of the kid, and she liked his ‘aura’ or whatever. So if you can get to Boston with the guy by five o’clock tomorrow, the contract is yours.”Zack almost jumped wit