He Hated Me Until His Daughter Called Him Daddy
I successfully disappeared for five years.
Five.
Whole.
Years.
Do you understand how hard that is when you're internationally hunted, emotionally unstable, and raising a five-year-old child who thinks hiding under restaurant tables counts as "stealth mode"?
I had a plan.
Disappear quietly.
Protect my daughter.
Never see Caelan Valecrest again.
Simple.
Effective.
Emotionally catastrophic, sure, but effective.
Except apparently the universe looked at my suffering and said, "Needs more comedy."
Because after five years of hiding from corrupt billionaires, secret syndicates, and people who think illegal human experimentation is a fun hobby…
I got exposed by a child with pigtails and zero survival instincts.
"Daddy!"
That's what Kaeliviane yelled.
In public.
Directly at Caelan Valecrest.
Do you know what kind of spiritual damage that causes a person?
Caelan froze.
I froze.
Even the waiter carrying champagne froze.
Meanwhile, my daughter was smiling proudly like she'd just solved world hunger instead of detonating my entire life.
Now Caelan keeps appearing everywhere "coincidentally."
Sir, you are the CEO of Valecrest Global Holdings. You do not accidentally appear at playgrounds carrying strawberry milk and dinosaur bandages.
And why is he good with children?!
One minute he's terrifying billionaires in boardrooms, the next he's kneeling on the ground helping Kaeliviane bandage her stuffed rabbit because apparently "Mr. Bunbun had emotional damage."
Traitorously, she adores him.
Absolutely obsessed.
Yesterday she told me, very seriously:
"Mommy, Daddy looks scary but his eyes become sparkly when he sees me."
I nearly passed away.
Meanwhile, I'm trying very hard to survive secret organizations hunting my family, assassins who don't believe in personal space, emotional trauma, and the deeply unfortunate realization that I might still be stupidly in love with Caelan Valecrest.
Honestly, being chased by international syndicates was less stressful.