Eleanore’s POV
The quiet in the house was suffocating.
I sat at the polished dining table, carefully cutting into a piece of a steak.
Across from me sat Richard, pouring himself a glass of expensive red wine.
His massive estate was luxurious, peaceful, and entirely paid for by Richard’s endless bank accounts—a life I had spent years dreaming of.
Yet, as the clock ticked loudly against the silence, my mind involuntarily drifted.
Usually, around this time, Kayla would be bustling around the kitchen, babbling about her day, setting the table, or asking if I needed anything.
She had always been a loud, warm presence in my life, constantly filling the silence with her endless noise.
Now, there was only the quiet hum of the central air conditioning.
“You’re picking at your food, Eleanor,” Richard’s deep voice broke through my thoughts.
I blinked, snapping my gaze to him.
He was watching me with those sharp, observant eyes, leaning back in his leather chair.”
”I’m sorry, dear,” I murmured, putting my fork down and offering a polished smile.
“Just tired from your upcoming charity gala planning.”
”It’s not the gala,” Richard said calmly, taking a slow sip of his wine.
He set the glass down with a soft clink.
“It’s been almost a month, Eleanor. You haven’t mentioned your daughter’s name once since you moved in. Every time I ask where she’s staying or how she’s doing, you brush it off.”
My chest tightened.
I reached for my water glass, trying to keep my hands steady.
“Kayla is an adult, Richard.
She’s… independent.
She decided to move out and live with a friend.”
”Eleanor,” Richard interrupted, his tone narrowing with suspicion.
“I’ve lived enough life to know what a mother looks like when she’s proud of her child moving on, and what a mother looks like when she’s hiding something. Why aren’t you on good terms with Kayla? What really happened between you two?”
I swallowed hard, the steak suddenly turning to ash in my mouth. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
How could I tell him the truth?
How could I admit to this wealthy, respectable man that I had forced my own biological daughter to sacrifice her reputation, her youth, and her future just to secure my place in his high society world?
How could I tell him that when she came back shattered and broken, I had kicked her out into the streets because her presence reminded me of the dirty deal I’d made?
If Richard knew the extent of my coldness—if he realized the cruel, selfish mother I truly was—he would look at me with disgust.
“She was just… ungrateful for the life I provided,” I lied, forcing a tone of deeply wounded grace into my voice as I squeezed out a fake tear.
“She rebelled against my wishes, Richard. It broke my heart, so I had to step back and let her learn her lesson in the real world.”
Richard studied my face for a long, unbearable moment.
His expression remained unreadable, but the subtle tension in his jaw told me he wasn’t entirely convinced.
“I see,” he said quietly, returning to his dinner.
“A mother and daughter shouldn’t stay estranged forever, Eleanor. Family has a way of coming back to haunt you.”
I smiled weakly and agreed, but beneath the table, my hands clenched into tight fists.
Kayla was gone, and as far as I was concerned, she needed to stay gone.
I had fought too hard for this life to let my past ruin my present.
Kayla’s POV
First day at the Throne’s Corporation Company
The air inside the glass tower of Throne Corporation was cool, smelling faintly of expensive espresso and high end Hall ways.
Standing in the center of the third floor interview suite, I took a deep, steadying breath.
I smoothed down the front of my tailored black top, ensuring my silk top hung loosely to hide any subtle hint of my early pregnancy.
“Miss Williams?” The middle aged HR director smiled warmly at me from across the broad wooden conference table.
“Your background in multi tasking under high stress environments is impressive, but it’s your poise today that really sets you apart.
You handle complex corporate protocols effortlessly.”
”Thank you, Mrs. Gable,” I replied, keeping my voice smooth, confident, and professional.
“I believe an executive office functions best when every moving part is handled with absolute discretion and efficiency.”
Mrs. Gable closed my folder with a satisfying snap and stood up, extending her hand.
“That is precisely what we need here. The training period is strict, but we’re willing to offer you the position as our Receptionist and Executive Assistant Trainee.. starting immediately.”
My heart did a happy flip in my chest.
“Thank you so much! The source of this chapter is g.com.
You won’t regret this, I promise.”
”Welcome to Throne Corporation, Kayla.”
Walking out of the HR office, I felt as if a crushing weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
The salary alone meant safety.
It meant food, doctor’s visits, and a nursery for my baby.
I clutched my leather bag tight to my chest, a soft, triumphant smile filling my lips as I stepped into the gleaming glass elevator to head down to the main floor to pick up my temporary entry badge.
The elevator descended smoothly, opening into the grand main lobby…a massive, marble floored expanse with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the city.
I stepped out, looking around at the sheer luxury of the building.
But as I turned toward the central reception desk, my gaze caught the back wall of the lobby.
There, mounted beneath soft spotlighting above the main entrance, hung a massive, official portrait of the company’s owner and CEO.
I stopped dead in my tracks.
The color drained from my face so fast the world began to spin.
My knees buckled slightly, my breath completely locking in my throat.
Dark, sharp, ruthlessly handsome features.
Eyes like cold steel.
A jaw line carved from granite.
It was him.
The man I had slept with.
The man who had saved my dying body out of the freezing ground.
The billionaire whose name was whispered in hushed, terrified tones across the entire country.
Lucien Thorne.