Part 4: Career Day
The crisp autumn air of Friday morning brought an unexpected challenge to the Ashford household—one that money couldn't solve and software couldn't fix.
Sophia’s school was hosting its annual "Family Heritage and Career Day," an event where parents were expected to present alongside their children. For years, Sophia had either skipped the event or stood on stage alone, mumbling a few generic lines while watching other children hold hands with both parents.
At the breakfast table, Sophia pushed her cereal around her bowl, her dark eyes glued to the table surface.
“Sophia, sweetheart, is everything alright?” Catherine asked, setting a plate of sliced strawberries down. “You haven’t touched your eggs.”
Sophia shrugged, her jaw tight. “It’s just Career Day. It doesn't matter.”
“Of course it matters,” Catherine said, sitting down across from her. “What time do I need to be at St. Jude’s Academy?”
Sophia looked up, her expression a mix of defensive pride and deep vulnerability. “You don’t have to come, Mom. You have the quarterly board review with the European investors. Everyone knows it’s your biggest meeting of the year.”
Catherine froze. The European merger was worth eighty million dollars. It had been scheduled for three months.
Across the kitchen, Marcus was packing Maya’s lunchbox. He paused, looking over at Catherine. He didn’t say a word, but his gaze carried an unspoken question: What kind of empire matters more than the girl sitting right in front of you?
Catherine looked at Sophia’s anxious, waiting face. The little girl was bracing herself for disappointment, expecting her mother to choose the boardroom over her, as she had a hundred times before.
Catherine didn’t hesitate this time.
“The European investors can wait an hour,” Catherine said firmly, reaching across the table to take Sophia’s small, cold hand. “I’ll be at your school at 9:00 AM sharp, Sophia. And I’m going to tell them all about how my oldest daughter is the sharpest, most brilliant young strategist I know.”
Sophia’s jaw dropped. A brilliant, disbelieving smile broke across her face, followed instantly by tears that she quickly tried to blink away. “Really? You won’t leave halfway through?”
“Cross my heart,” Catherine promised, pulling her daughter into a fierce hug.
An hour later, the grand doors of St. Jude’s Academy auditorium buzzed with wealthy parents, polished executives, and proud mothers and fathers. When Catherine Ashford walked through the double doors hand-in-hand with Sophia—with Marcus and Maya trailing close behind to support them—the entire room fell dead silent.
Catherine Ashford—the untouchable tech titan who never attended local school functions—was walking down the center aisle, her head held high, smiling down at her daughter.
When it was Sophia’s turn to present, the young girl walked up to the microphone with a newfound confidence.
“My mom builds software companies,” Sophia announced into the microphone, her voice ringing clear through the speakers. “She works really hard. But this year, she taught us something even more important. She taught us that no matter how big your business is, your family is always bigger.”
In the front row, Catherine felt a tear roll down her cheek. She looked back toward the aisle. Marcus was standing near the exit, giving her a proud, approving nod, Maya holding his thumb tightly.
Later that afternoon, back at the mansion, the celebratory mood was electric. Marcus was in the kitchen preparing a celebratory lunch, while the five girls played tag in the sprawling backyard.
Catherine walked into the kitchen, shedding her suit jacket and rolling up her sleeves.
“You knocked it out of the park today,” Marcus said, plating a batch of sliders.
“I couldn’t have done it without you,” Catherine said, stepping close to him. The playful banter had given way to a deeper, undeniable intimacy over the past two weeks. “You changed everything, Marcus. You didn’t just clean this house; you brought life back into it.”
Marcus set the platter down and turned to face her. The space between them felt suddenly very small.
“I didn’t do anything, Catherine,” Marcus murmured, his eyes locking onto hers. “You did the work. You opened your heart.”
Before Catherine could reply, the back door flew open.
Lily burst into the kitchen, gasping for breath. “Mom! Marcus! You have to come outside right now! Charlotte found a baby bird in the rose bushes!”
Catherine laughed, shaking her head, but as she turned to follow Lily, a sudden, sharp knock echoed from the front foyer.
It wasn't the polite knock of a courier. It was heavy, demanding, and relentless.
Catherine froze. Her smile vanished.
She walked out to the grand foyer, pulling open the heavy oak door.
Standing on the porch was a tall, impeccably dressed man with sharp features, cold gray eyes, and an expensive tailored suit.
Richard Ashford.
May you like
Her ex-husband.
And the man who had sworn he would take her daughters away the moment she showed a single sign of weakness.
