Chapter 6 - THE PRINCESS OF THOMPSON GLOBAL
The private elevator chime sounded with a soft, melodic ding. The heavy mahogany doors slid open to reveal Grace standing nervously inside, holding Mr. Buttons under one arm and wearing a brand-new, pastel-pink wool coat that Viktor had bought her earlier that morning. She looked around the massive, high-tech executive suite with wide, curious eyes.
When she spotted Marcus standing by his desk, her face lit up with a brilliant, sunshine smile. She broke into a run, her little sneakers squeaking against the polished marble floor, and launched herself straight into his arms.
Marcus caught her effortlessly, swinging her up into the air as she giggled—a sound so pure and joyous it seemed to chase every shadow out of the glass office. He buried his face in her soft blonde hair, inhaling deeply, feeling an overwhelming wave of fierce, unconditional love.
"You came to visit my office?" Marcus asked, setting her down gently while keeping one hand securely on her shoulder.
"I woke up and you weren't there," Grace explained earnestly, looking up at him with those big blue eyes. "Mrs. Gable said you were working very hard to build tall buildings. So I brought you a present."
She reached into her deep coat pocket and pulled out a slightly crumpled, wax-crayon drawing on a piece of office printer paper. She handed it to him with both hands like it was a priceless crown jewel.
Marcus took the paper. Drawn in bright blue, yellow, and red crayons was a very wobbly stick-figure family: a tall man with a crown on his head, a little girl holding a teddy bear, and a giant sun smiling down from the top corner. At the bottom, written in careful, uneven first-grade handwriting, were the words: MY HERO MARCUS.
Marcus felt a lump rise in his throat so large he couldn't speak for a full ten seconds. He blinked rapidly, fighting back unaccustomed tears. He had received plaques, awards, and billion-dollar stock certificates from all over the world, but nothing in his entire life had ever matched the weight of this single piece of paper.
"Grace," Marcus whispered, his voice trembling slightly. "This... this is the greatest thing I have ever been given. I am going to frame it and hang it right behind my desk."
"Do you really like it?" she asked, beaming with pride.
"I love it more than words can say," Marcus replied. He scooped her up again and carried her over to his massive leather executive chair, sitting down with her safely settled on his lap. "In fact, since you are now the official Chief Inspector of Thompson Global, I have a very important decision to make. How would you like to live here with me forever? Legally, safely, as my daughter?"
Grace’s eyes widened. "Forever? Like... a real family? Nobody will ever take me away to the big house again?"
"Nobody," Marcus promised, his voice ringing with absolute, unshakable power. "I am adopting you today. We are going to court this afternoon, and your name is going to be Grace Thompson. My daughter, my heir, and my favorite person in the whole world."
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Grace threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. "Yes! Yes, please!"
As Marcus held her tight, his gaze shifted back to the computer screen on his desk. The corporate files on Julian Sterling were still flashing on the monitor. A cold, steely determination settled back into Marcus's expression. He would give Grace her happily ever after, but first, he had to destroy the monster trying to take it away.
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