Chapter 25
H
Natalie and Sherry worked away at the studio as the clock ticked past 11 am. Suddenly, a call from Lilian Merritt dropped the news that she’d be a half–hour late. With the customer–was–always–right mentality, they decided to wait it out.
Noting the late hour and an impending meeting that could eat no lunchtime, Natalie stepped out of the office for a breather. There she found Vanessa in the break room, keeping Zayn and Emma entertained with storybooks.
“Vanessa, could you take the twins out for a meal? Ms. Merritt’s late, so Sherry and I might not make it to lunch, Natalie said.
Catching Natalie’s approach, Vanessa quickly stood from her char. Of course, Nat. Zayn and Emma are my top priority. You and Sherry focus on your meeting, and we’ll bring you back something good to eat, she offered.
Thanks, but we’ll be fine with takeout. Take your time and enjoy your lunch, Natalie assured Vanessa. She was worried the twins would feel pressured to eat quickly just to bring her a bite. So, she made up her mind to order food with Sherry, ensuring the twins could savor their meal without hurry.
Sure, go about your business, Nat. I’m the kids‘ favorite. Watching over them is no sweat,” Vanessa replied proudly.
Yeah, Mom, don’t stress. Vanessa’s got some awesome stories for us. We love them, and we’ll be on our best behavior,” Zayn assured her, his voice brimming with sincerity
Yes, Ill be good, Mommy,” Emma chimed in, her voice as sweet as could be.
Hearing what the twins say, Natalie felt a burst of energy and returned to the studio.
Once Natalie was out of earshot, Zayn pulled Vanessa and Emma aside to reveal his plan to find his father. “Vanessa, when we go out for lunch, take us to Evercrest Group’s main office. Then, Emma, you’ll go up to their boss and say…”
As Zayn shared his plan in a hushed tone, Emma eagerly nodded. “Zayn, I promise it shall be done,” she said with resolve. Vanessa was on board, thinking it wasn’t right for Natalie to raise the twins by herself when their father could be there for them. With a shared goal, they set out for Evercrest Group without delay.
Soon, they found themselves outside the Evercrest Group building, and Emma walked into the lobby alone. The receptionist, spotting the adorable little Emma, left her desk and crouched down to her level. “Sweetheart, are you here by yourself? Who are you looking for?” she asked.
“I’m here to see my dad,” Emma replied, with a blend of shyness and bravery in her voice.
The receptionist’s smile grew at the child’s polite response. “What’s your dad’s name, honey?” she inquired, suspecting she might be the child of an employee.
“Shawn Guzman. He’s the big boss here,” Emma declared proudly and loudly.
The receptionist did a double–take; the pieces falling into place as she recognized the resemblance between Emma and Shawn. Without delay, she reached for the phone and called the CEO’s office. Lucy, the secretary on the other end, picked up the call.
“Lucy, we have a little girl here who says she’s Mr. Guzman’s daughter. She’s here to see him,” the receptionist said, her voice filled with surprise.
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Lucy was astonished. “Mr. Guzman’s daughter? You can!
Guzman?”
“That’s what she says. She’s looking for her dad, the boss, here, e receptionist replied in a firm voice.
“Please bring her up.” Lucy instructed, unsure of how to proceed with Shawn and his assistant Eric out of the office.
Π
Remembering Zayn’s advice, Emma followed the receptionist to the elevator, ready to call Zayn once she was face–to–face with their father.
The receptionist escorted her to Lucy at the CEO’s office. “Lucy’ve brought her up,” she said, completing her task.
Right then, the secretarial staff huddled close together, their curiosity piqued as they tried to get a glimpse of the girl who claimed to be their boss’s daughter.
It was a shock to them: in all their years at Evercrest Group, they never heard that Shawn had a daughter.
Lucy squeezed through the crowd, and there she found Emma standing, as innocent as a toy one could find in a store window, her eyes gleaming brightly like the evening stars.
“Hello, everyone, Emma said with a polite nod.
“OMG, is she really Mr. Guzman’s daughter? She’s adorable!”
Up close, she does look like Mr. Guzman.”
But when did Mr. Guzman have a daughter? He’s not even married to Ms. Grant yet.”
The higher–ups do things in their own time, keeping their personal lives under wraps, and now their daughter’s grown so
much.”
The hum of the staff’s hushed conversations buzzed around her, but Emma just kept her smile in place. Zayn had coached. her on how to win over their father, make their family whole again, and dodge the school bully’s jabs. They had faced down the bully before and were ready to step up again if it came to that
“Alright, everyone, back to work,” Lucy said, noticing the growing crowd and worried they’d be seen as slacking off.
She then squatted down to ask Emma, “Sweetheart, what’s your name? Did anyone come with you? Where’s your mom?”
“My name is Emma. My mom’s at work. I came… by myself, Emma replied, following Zayn’s advice and not mentioning that Zayn and Vanessa were waiting downstairs.
Lucy, a mom herself, found it tough not to melt at the sight of a little girl like Emma. For her, whether Emma was the CEO’s kid or not was beside the point.
It was just that Emma’s being left alone by her mother didn’t feel right to Lucy. With a tender smile, she led Emma to the lounge, snagged her some snacks, and got her a glass of water.
*Emma, Mr. Guzman is out today. Rest here for a while, and I’ll try to contact him, okay?” Lucy said.
“Sure, thank you, Ma’am, Emma nodded, chewing on a cookie.
“Anytime, Lucy responded, her smile warm. “I’m Lucy, by the way, and I’ve got a kid your age at home.”
“Nice to meet you, Lucy, Emma said with a warm and genuine smile. “Thanks for the snack. I’ll be just fine here on my own.”
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“Alright,” Lucy
d with a nod, leaving Emma to savor the snack on her oWIL
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Nestled in the cozy lounge, Emma was all smiles as the secretaries from the CEO’s office passed around treats to her. She was having such a blast that the weight of Zayn’s crucial mission to track down her father almost slipped her mind.
However, downstairs, Zayn and Vanessa were getting anxious as mma hadn’t come back.
Vanessa was a bundle of nerves. “Natalie put her trust in me to look after the twins,” she muttered, her brow furrowed with WOITY. “If something goes wrong with Emma, we’re in for a world of hurt.” Just as she was about to push her way into the Evercrest Group building, Zayn stopped her.
Tll call Emma, Zayn said, using his smartwatch to dial Emma’s number. “Emma, where are you? How’s it going? Have you
seen Dad?”
Emma replied with a mouthful of cookies, Zayn, Dad’s not at the company today. Lucy said he was out. I haven’t seen Dad
yet.
–
“Then come back down first. We should head back before Mom finds out we’re gone, Zayn instructed.
“But what about Dad?” Emma wondered aloud, her thoughts lingering on the mission they hadn’t finished.
“Don’t sweat it,” Zayn assured her. “We’ve got the address. We can swing by later. His words were like a soothing balm to Emma’s worries.
Relieved. Emma decided to postpone the search for another day. I’m on my way down,” she replied, her voice echoing in the hallway.
She made her way to the elevator, her height just enough to reach the button for the first floor. With a firm press, she summoned the elevator to take her to Zayn’s side.
