Falling For Mr. Tyson

Daddy!

Chloe

"Are you satisfied?" I asked, looking down at the little girl as she scraped the very last spoonful of strawberry ice cream I had given her.

She nodded solemnly, her long black hair swaying over her shoulders.

We were huddled together on a shaded bench just outside the parlor. I had spent the last ten minutes doing everything in my power to console her after her heartbreaking confession that she didn't have a mommy. My gut twisted with sympathy. The plaza was buzzing with rushing shoppers, and her real family had to be absolutely losing their minds right now.

And damn it — Nina still hadn't returned from the restroom. I had tried calling her three separate times, but the calls kept dropping to voicemail.

I turned my full attention back to the little girl, noticing for the first time how strikingly beautiful her wide hazel eyes were. "So tell me, little princess..." I began with a soft voice. "What is your name?"

"Emery," she murmured, swinging her legs off the edge of the bench.

"Emery. That's a beautiful name," I smiled, tucking a strand of her hair. "Where is your daddy, sweetie? Who did you come to the plaza with?"

"I came with my nanny. And Daddy left early in the morning for work, " she answered, looking at her tiny shoes.

Okay. This was going to be an uphill battle, but I needed specific details if I wanted to help her. "Emery, do you have your daddy's phone number memorized? Or your house line? Anything so I can call him and send you right back home?"

She slowly shook her head.

Gosh, what do I do now? I couldn't just leave her here, and I couldn't wander the city blindly with someone else's toddler.

"Chloe!"

A familiar, breathless gasp cut through my panic. Nina's frantic face finally came into view as she jogged toward our bench.

"What on earth took you so long?!" I asked, standing up. "I thought you got sucked down the drain!"

"I am so incredibly sorry," Nina panted, clutching her stomach. "I had a sudden, violent case of diarrhea, Chlo. Absolute emergency. And when I finally got out, I couldn't find you anywhere! Then on my way out here, some crazy, arrogant man in a designer suit bumped into me and didn't even say sorry. He just barked at me to get out of his way!"

I rolled my eyes, though a small laugh escaped my lips. Typical Nina. Even in the middle of a medical crisis, she managed to find a man to feud with.

"So tell me, who is this kid?"Nina questioned when she spotted the little girl on the bench beside me.

"That is exactly what I don't know," I replied. I found her standing completely alone by the planter boxes. I think she lost her guardian."

"Oh my gosh, she is absolutely adorable," Nina squealed softly, waving her hand. "Hi there, cutie!"

Emery instantly shrunk back, hiding her face behind my trench coat, her tiny fingers gripping the fabric.

"I think our best option is to report it to the nearest precinct," Nina suggested, tapping her chin. "The police will have a missing child report on file. That's the safest way."

A brilliant wave of relief washed over me. "Nina, that's it! Why on earth didn't I think of that first? My brain is completely fried from shopping." I turned back, gently stroking Emery's dark hair. "Don't worry, sweetie. We're going to take you to some nice people who will get you back to your dad, okay?"

Emery nodded, trusting me completely as she let go of my coat and took my hand.

We began walking toward the edge of the plaza. But we had barely taken five steps when Emery suddenly came to a dead stop. Her tiny hand tightened around mine, anchoring me to the pavement.

"Emery? What's wrong?" I asked, turning around.

She didn't answer. She stared out into the distance, her wide hazel eyes scanning the bustling crowd. Then her entire face lit up with a brilliant, blinding joy.

Across the stone plaza, the sea of shoppers was violently parting. A tall, broad man in a dark tailored suit was cutting through at a terrifying pace, his jaw set in a mask of pure fury. Three imposing security guards flanked him, aggressively clearing a path.

Emery lifted her small finger, pointing straight through the crowd.

"DADDY!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Before I could process the word, she tore her hand from my grip and bolted across the open plaza as fast as her little legs could carry her.

"Emery, wait!" I shouted, my heart leaping into my throat.

But the tall man had already heard her. He snapped his head toward the sound of her voice, his icy blue eyes widening in pure, raw shock. Without a shred of corporate dignity, the powerful tycoon dropped onto one knee right there on the dirty concrete, arms opening wide as Emery collided against his chest.

He caught her, lifting her off the ground and burying his face into her neck. He hugged her so tightly, so desperately, that even from a few feet away I could see his massive hands trembling against the fabric of her pink dress. He drew in a ragged breath, then pulled back to press a fierce, lingering kiss on her forehead.

Beside me, Nina's fingers dug into my arm as she stared at the scene with a completely dropped jaw.

"Chloe... tell me I am hallucinating right now," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Is that... is that not Mr. Tyson? Hendrix Tyson is the father of this kid?!"

I stood frozen on the pavement, shopping bags slipping from my numb fingers.

This was our second time crossing paths outside of work. Ever since our boardroom pitch three weeks ago, ABC Interiors had won the project, but all onboarding had been handled through Julianne Olson. We hadn't seen a glimpse of the elusive CEO since that intense day.

And now, here he was. Not as the ruthless billionaire — but as a terrified, fiercely protective father holding his world in his arms.

Taking a deep, trembling breath, I stepped forward. "Mr. Tyson...?" I called out softly.

He slowly looked up from his daughter's neck. The second his piercing blue gaze landed on me, a deeply surprised expression flashed across his chiseled features, melting away his icy corporate armor.

"Ms. Murphy..." he breathed, his deep voice thick with shock.

Emery's hazel eyes beamed as she tugged on his lapel. "Daddy! She is the one who took care of me and gave me strawberry ice cream!"

Hendrix looked up at me, the corners of his lips softening into a breathtaking, genuine smile. "Thank you for helping my little girl. I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am."

"Oh, it's really fine," I stammered, my heart doing a strange, fluttering flip. "I just did what any normal person would have done."

Hendrix stood up, adjusting Emery against his broad chest, his intense blue eyes locking onto mine with a sudden, heavy gravity. "Do you mind if I treat you to dinner to—"

"Oh, finally! You found her!"

A loud, smooth voice abruptly cut Hendrix off. An impossibly handsome man in an expensive designer suit came jogging up, wiping an imaginary sweat drop from his brow.

The exact millisecond Nina's eyes landed on him, her posture went rigid. "You!" she seethed, fingers curling into fists.

I blinked in confusion. "Wait, Nina, you know him?"

"Of course I do!" Nina snapped. "That is the incredibly annoying man who bumped into me outside the restroom and didn't even bother to apologize!"

"Hey, look, Miss," the man scoffed, crossing his arms. "I was in a massive hurry trying to find my missing goddaughter! You should have watched where you were walking!"

"Oh, so now you're blaming me?!" Nina hissed, stepping right into his personal space.

"Stop it, Owen," Hendrix's commanding voice cut through the bickering as he shot him a stern look. "You don't argue with a lady on the sidewalk."

"But she started it, Hendrix!" Owen complained, throwing his hands up like a frustrated teenager.

Nina's eyes flashed with fire, but I grabbed her arm before a full-scale sidewalk brawl broke out.

"Mr. Tyson, don't worry about it," I said quickly, offering a polite smile. "We're heading out now anyway. Our bags are getting heavy."

He nodded, his gaze softening. "Alright. I'll see you Monday morning, Ms. Murphy." He shifted his eyes to Nina, tone deeply apologetic. "And Nina? I'm truly sorry about my friend's terrible behavior."

Nina's jaw dropped slightly at the billionaire's humility. "Thank you, Mr. Tyson."

"Bye, Emery," I smiled gently.

Emery peeked out from behind her dad's shoulder, little hand waving. "Bye-bye."

Without wasting another second, I wrapped my hand around Nina's wrist and pulled her away.