Chapter 146

Richard's POV

A small sound from the doorway interrupted my thoughts. Kathy stood there in her white nightgown, her eyes watching me intently.

"Daddy?" she whispered, always so attuned to my emotions.

I quickly masked the pain in my eyes, forcing a gentle smile. "Hey, princess. Come here."

She padded across the room and climbed into my lap without hesitation, nestling against my chest. My arms encircled her automatically, my chin resting on her head.

"You went to find Mommy, didn't you?" she asked suddenly.

I stiffened in surprise. "What makes you think that?"

Kathy said simply. "And you look sad. You only look that sad when you think about her."

My brilliant, perceptive daughter. I sometimes forgot how much she understood despite her young age.

"You won't give up on bringing Mommy home, will you?" she asked, her voice small but hopeful.

I cupped her face in my hands, looking directly into her eyes with a seriousness I rarely showed her. "Never," I promised. "I will never give up."

The smile that bloomed across her face was radiant. She reached into her pajama pocket and pulled out a small USB drive.

"This is for you," she said, pressing it into my palm. "It has all of Mommy's friends and addresses from when she was living away. Max gave it to me."

I stared at the tiny device, speechless at this unexpected gift.

"You need to try harder, Daddy," Kathy continued, suddenly authoritative. "Otherwise you'll end up a single dad, and that would be terrible."

I raised an eyebrow. "A single dad?"

"Yes. It's a man who lost his wife and has to raise children by himself," she explained with excessive patience. "Their lives are very difficult."

I frowned, irrationally offended by the term. I was barely thirty, at my physical prime, wealthy beyond measure, and—false modesty aside—still considered one of the most eligible bachelors.

"If you remarry," Kathy continued thoughtfully, "that would make things even worse. Stepmothers are complicated. They cause all sorts of problems between you and us."

"Where did you learn all this?" I laughed.

She shrugged, smiling mysteriously. "I read a lot."

Elena's POV

I stared at the contract on my desk, the numbers swimming before my tired eyes. Just one project. That's all Oliver had given me so far—a futures contract worth less than half a million dollars. And I wouldn't see a penny of it for at least six months.

"This isn't going to work," I muttered, pushing the papers away.

At this rate, how long would it take me to accumulate enough funds?

Back at William's friend's house, I collapsed onto the couch, not even bothering to take off my coat.

"Bad day?" Dennis appeared from the kitchen, a glass of water in his hand.

I just nodded, too exhausted to elaborate.

These days, Dennis had been unusually quiet. He hadn't bothered me or asked about work.

"Elena, I think we should move out."

I looked up from my coffee cup, surprised. "Move out? Why?"

Dennis sat down. "William hasn't been here for days. It feels... inappropriate to keep imposing on his friend's hospitality like this."

"Besides," he continued, "since we're not going back to Moonhaven immediately, we might as well rent our own place. Somewhere more convenient."

What he said made sense.

"I think you're right," I agreed. "I'll look into rental options tomorrow."

"No need," Dennis smiled. "I can handle it today."

I raised an eyebrow. "You don't know Elysium at all. How would you even know where to look?"

"I'll figure it out," he shrugged. "How hard can it be to find a decent apartment?"

Before I could argue further, he was gone, leaving me with a strange feeling of unease.

Just over an hour later, my phone buzzed with a text from Dennis: "Found a place. Downtown, fully furnished, available immediately. Coming to pick you up."

I stared at the message in disbelief. One hour? In a city he didn't know?

When Dennis returned, his face was flushed with triumph as he showed me photos of the newly rented modern apartment.

"How did you find this so quickly?" I demanded. "And in such a good location? These apartments usually have waiting lists months long."

"I happened to see an advertisement earlier. Then I asked at the front desk, and they mentioned this place was conveniently located."

I narrowed my eyes. "And they just happened to have an opening in the city's best residential building?"

"The rental market moves fast," he explained, avoiding my gaze. "Do you like it?"

Despite my doubts, the apartment was perfect—close to work, exactly what we needed. I pushed my concerns aside and agreed to move that afternoon.

---

The new apartment was undeniably beautiful, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city skyline.

I was unpacking the last of our things when my phone rang. William's name flashed on the screen.

"You moved?" He sounded surprised. "When did this happen?"

"Today, actually," I walked to the window, watching the city lights below. "Dennis found a place downtown. It's closer to work."

"Dennis found it?" William's tone sharpened with suspicion.

"Yes... what's wrong?"

"Nothing." He paused. "Speaking of work, how's it going with Oliver? Making any progress?"

I sighed, leaning against the cool glass. "Not really. He's only given me one small project so far. He probably doesn't trust me yet."

"What about the others?" William asked.

"They all got the hottest financing projects right now, making hundreds of thousands of dollars," I said angrily.

Suddenly, William's voice lowered conspiratorially. "You know, there might be another way. Have you considered approaching Pinnacle Engineering Group's executives directly?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if you could meet with Pinnacle Engineering Group's head directly, and once you make money, offer to share the profits with Oliver, he wouldn't refuse either."

"You're suggesting I go behind Oliver's back?" The idea made me uncomfortable.

"Not behind his back. Just... expanding your opportunities. Oliver gets his cut either way. Everyone wins."

I frowned, unconvinced. "I don't know, William. That sounds risky."

"Just think about it," he urged. "Sometimes you have to be bold to get what you want."

After hanging up the phone, I stood by the window for a long time, contemplating William's suggestion.