After visiting her uncle at the hospital, Danielle left her mother there to keep an eye on him.
She had no intention of staying at Alexander’s place forever.
Once she’d packed their things, she took Niki’s hand and walked out the front door of the villa.
They made their way to the apartment Danielle had bought herself.
The elevator climbed slowly. As the glowing numbers ticked upward, Niki tightened her grip on Danielle’s fingers and whispered, “Mom, are we really going to live here for good?”
Danielle crouched down, gently smoothing out her daughter’s wind-tousled bangs, her eyes warm with a tender smile. “That’s right, sweetheart. This is our own home now.”
When they opened the door, a familiar scent greeted them.
Niki’s unfinished picture book was still lying on the sofa, and a little dress hung from the balcony, swaying softly in the evening breeze.
Danielle pushed their suitcase into the entryway. She had just bent down to change her shoes when she heard Niki’s quick footsteps dash into the living room. The little girl hugged a cushion to her chest, turned around, and beamed. “Mom, it’s so much more comfortable at home!”
Once Niki was settled—washed up and tucked into bed—Danielle retreated to her study and opened her laptop.
She needed to finish her calculations.
Rubbing her temples, she let her fingers rest on the keyboard, but her thoughts drifted back to the events of the day.
Gian had called earlier to say there was progress on Vanguard Technologies’ partnership project. The signing ceremony would be held in a couple of days, and he wanted her to be fully prepared.
Night deepened outside the window. In the quiet study, only the soft tapping of keys and the faint scratch of a pen broke the silence.
For a big event like this, she wanted the data to be flawless.
She wasn’t sure how long had passed. When she finally checked the clock, it was nearly eleven. She got up to peek in on Niki—just in case her daughter had kicked off her blankets—when she noticed a small nightlight still glowing in the living room.
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