CHAPTER THREE

The gloomy atmosphere in the Bentley was palpable, following an unsuccessful business deal that morning. Declan sat in the back of the car, his jacket folded across the seat behind him, and his fingers drummed rhythmically on his thigh. Though barely audible, it was the only sound accompanying the silent drive. That morning, he had sacrificed hours of his time for an impromptu meeting with the client which had taken nearly three hours of traveling, only for the meeting to yield what would be reserved in his words as a waste of morning. The client, a property developer who was looking to expand the market , had at first been considered by the brute business tycoon as a valuable business partner. Declan had initially considered a potential acquisition partnership with the group. Moreover, the figures being offered were promising, giving rise for the rare concession to meet the clients by himself. Of course, another reason Declan chose to meet with the client personally had been because of the sudden vagueness they were presenting concerning the proposals a few days earlier. However, although he had come visiting in person, the situation did not end as pleasantly as he wanted. 

 The loss of the deal however was not what occupied him. Business is just that way, you lose some and you win some, it is never that worrisome, especially to a man who singlehandedly built an empire that is well known. The other affair he considered worrisome and needed to be dealt with as soon as possible was the persona tainting scandal that popped up on the internet a few days ago. For some reasons, despite his PR team working their buttocks out to rid the internet clean of those scandalous pictures of him, the public seems to be really interested in his private life and they keep bringing it back. He could have considered other measures however; the man considered any further consideration to the matter as unnecessary. In his unreserved opinion, he needed a clean move to sweep the internet clean of their opinion of him. Not like he cared about the opinion of a bunch of strangers hiding behind their keyboards to do shady deals, it's just that these unknown opinions affected his business in ways he does not like. 

 He picked up the folder Ethan had passed to him earlier that morning and he opened it carefully. Ethan had sent a list he specially curated for his consideration. He flipped through each one. Not once did his expression change as he gazed at the information before him. The list is just as predictable and superficial as he suspected. The list included ladies from prominent families, socialites, actresses and models. The ladies were not inherently bad, they were beautiful in their own ways and with perfect profiles. However, none of them still fit what he wanted. The circumstances he was in is a special one. While Ethan went for optics, he considered something deeper. 

He did not need someone glamorous or impressive. That will get people digging and talking. He needed someone simple, real, and most importantly, with very little contact with the public. He needed someone he could control for the period of a one-year marriage contract and who would accept the terms of the marriage because they needed to. His dark eyes flickered back and forth through the list, the person he was searching for was not on that list. He grabbed his phone and sent a single word message to Ethan, 

 None 

 “Mr. Rowe,” the driver’s voice broke the silence in the car and the man lifted his gaze. His eyes met that of the middle-aged driver through the front mirror. He raised a questioning brow in response. 

 “The weather is turning, it looks like a storm is approaching, and we are still about an hour away from the city, sir” the driver uttered. 

 Declan lifted his gaze and stared out of the window. He saw the thick grey clouds hovering in the sky. It does look like there would be an outburst any moment from then.

 “What do you suggest?” known for his cautious habits, he pulled his gaze from the window and asked the driver who in turn looked at the GPS. 

 “There’s a place just ahead, it’s only a few minutes’ drive away. We can stay there until the rain stops.” The driver uttered. 

 Declan glanced back at the sky through the window, droplets of the rain was beginning to shower down. Low rumbles tumble silently in the deep clouds. “Let’s stop there.” He assented and the car fell back into silence. 

 The car slowed down and stopped in front of a restaurant, the driver stepped out and accompanied Declan out of the car, with an umbrella hovering his head for protection from the rain which was already pouring down quickly. Inside the place was empty, though not the usual high-end restaurant he was used to, the restaurant was well-kept, though dimly lit. 

 Declan chose a table near the window and settled into the chair, setting his phone on the table beside him. However, just as soon as he dropped the phone on the table, the screen lit up, beeping silently. He peered at the screen from the corner of his eyes. It was a call from Nora, his secretary. 

 He answered.

 “Sir,” the secretary’s voice rang out through the speaker. 

 “Hmm?” Declan’s fingers tapped the table lightly, indicating that he was listening. 

 “Ethan reached out to me earlier, he said he sent a list of suitable ladies to you which you rejected. Although I know you must have had your reasons for the rejection but it’s been three days and this matter cannot be prolonged any further. For some reason, the public is not having it at all and these people keep digging. It's gravely affecting the image of the brand. The board members are also requesting an emergency meeting. Usually, scandals like this go away on their own but, this was well-planned by you-know-who… he won’t let you go free so easily. Whatever counter plan you have in mind sir, we must execute them immediately. It isn’t just your personality that is being attacked in this, but trust you’ve built in the public all these years…”

 While listening to his secretary speak, the man’s fingers stopped rapping against the table at some point and he stood up. He walked to the window and gazed outside. The heavy rain caused the windows to be blurred with mist. His gazed lazed outside only for a moment before he looked away, focusing his eyes on other things in the room. It was at that moment he also felt a conscious glare piercing through his back. Sensing no harm from the constant stare, he turned around and looked at the far corner of the restaurant. 

 He directed his full attention at the spot and it was then he saw her. A little girl, sitting alone at a table. Her hair was dark and a little damp, enhancing her natural curls at the ends. She was wrapped in her own tiny arms, as the woolen cardigan she wore was probably not enough to contain the cold. Her gaze was fixated and fearless, she stared intently at him, nearly boring holes into his body. At first, he did not understand why she glared at him so deeply though harmlessly. Then, it clicked – she was not looking at him, maybe she was but not exactly because she was interested in him. Her interest was in something else. Something that he had. That realization brought rare amusement in his eyes. 

 “Sir?” Nora’s voice broke the magical moment between the man and child. 

 “I am here,” he said and at the same time, his body moved away from the window. He covered the space between himself and the child in very few long strides. He reached her side and crouched to the child’s level. His rare chuckle escaped his lips as he noticed the slight tensing of her small shoulders. He mused at how brave and scared the little girl appeared at the moment – it was a rare sight for him. The little girl tilted her head, looking cautiously at him. Her clear eyes assessed him, the dark glistening orbs scrutinized or maybe even judged him, something even adults would fear to do. 

 That little girl truly amused him, as there was a tiny, barely noticeable involuntary movement at the corner of his mouth. Declan almost smiled. 

 “Looks like you need this more than I do, huh?” he uttered, and in one swift movement, he shrugged off his jacket. He leaned forward and settled the black jacket on the girl’s shoulder. The jacket swamped the child instantly, the sleeves overlapped her tiny arms and they wrapped her securely to her legs. It looked more like an oversized dress on the girl. 

 The little girl looked at her body wrapped securely in the stranger’s jacket. She seemed unsure at first, then she looked up at him. He gave her an encouraging nod and she snuggled deeper into the cloth. The warmth made her cheeks bright with a childish flush.

 “Better?” he asked.

 The little girl seemed to consider the question with genuine seriousness before she then nodded, “Hmm.” 

 “Good,” Declan also gave a nod and then looked around. He finally figured that it was just him and the girl in the restaurant. His face dropped slightly with a frown and he looked at the lonely silhouette of the child now wrapped in his jacket.

 Did she get lost? He pondered.

 “Where are your parents?” he asked.