Chapter two
1179 Words
Jayden’s POV
The city never slept.
From my office on the top floor of Sinclair Enterprises, I had a perfect view of the metropolis below. The skyline was bathed in the glow of neon lights and headlights, a vibrant sea of motion and life. People were still out there working, living, chasing dreams, or simply trying to survive.
I had spent my life at the top of this world, looking down. Not because I wanted to, but because that was the way things had always been. Born into privilege, I had never known what it meant to struggle, to fight for scraps, or to wonder if I would have enough to make it through the next day.
It wasn’t something I was proud of. It was simply a fact.
But that didn’t mean I hadn’t worked for what I had.
I leaned back in my chair, exhaling as I rolled my shoulders to ease the tension from the past few hours. The leather creaked beneath me as I glanced at the stack of paperwork on my desk. Contracts, business proposals, reports—none of it ever ended. Running a multi-billion-dollar empire wasn’t easy, despite what people assumed.
My father had built Sinclair Enterprises from the ground up, and when he passed away, the responsibility had fallen onto my shoulders. At thirty-two, I was one of the youngest CEOs in the industry, but that didn’t mean much. Success wasn’t just about numbers or leadership. It was about control.
And control was something I had mastered.
A soft knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.
“Come in,” I called, rubbing my temples.
The door opened, and my assistant, Noah, stepped inside, carrying a tablet in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. “Long night?” he asked with a smirk.
I sighed. “When is it ever not?”
“Fair point.” He set the coffee down on my desk and handed me the tablet. “You’ve got a full schedule tomorrow meetings with the board in the morning, a conference call with our partners in London, and a charity gala in the evening.”
I barely glanced at the screen. “Reschedule the gala.”
Noah raised an eyebrow. “You do realize this is your own event, right?”
“I don’t care.”
He sighed dramatically, shaking his head. “One of these days, you’re going to have to start playing the part of the charming billionaire instead of the reclusive workaholic.”
“I’ll consider it,” I said dryly, taking a sip of the coffee.
Noah sat down in the chair across from me, crossing his legs casually. Unlike me, he actually had a social life. He was the type of guy who thrived at events, charming his way through any crowd.
“You know,” he said, “you’ve been pushing yourself harder than usual. What’s going on?”
I hesitated.
I didn’t talk about personal matters. Ever. But Noah had been with me long enough to notice when something was off.
“It’s my mother,” I admitted after a moment. “She called earlier. She says she’s fine, but…”
Noah frowned. “But you don’t believe her.”
I shook my head. “She’s been looking after the estate on her own for too long. I should have hired more staff to help her, but she insisted she didn’t need it.”
He nodded. “Mothers can be stubborn like that.”
“Yeah,” I muttered. “But she’s getting older. And I hate the thought of her being alone in that huge house.”
Noah studied me for a moment. “Then maybe it’s time you visit.”
I exhaled slowly, leaning back in my chair. I hadn’t been to the Sinclair estate in weeks, maybe even months. Between running the company and handling everything my father left behind, I had barely had time to breathe.
But Noah was right.
My mother deserved more than phone calls and brief check-ins.
“Fine,” I said, standing up. “I’ll head home tonight.”
Noah grinned. “Look at you, making responsible life choices.”
I rolled my eyes and grabbed my suit jacket. “Don’t push it.”
Sinclair Estate
By the time I arrived, it was well past midnight. The mansion stood like a silent sentinel against the dark sky, its towering structure untouched by time. The iron gates opened smoothly as my car approached, the automated security system recognizing my vehicle.
I pulled into the driveway, shutting off the engine before stepping out. The night air was cool, carrying the faint scent of roses from my mother’s beloved garden.
As I walked up the steps, the heavy oak doors opened, and Martha, one of the older maids, greeted me with a warm smile.
“Mr. Jayden,” she said. “It’s been a while.”
I gave her a nod. “I know. I should have come sooner.”
She didn’t scold me, though I knew she wanted to. Martha had been around since I was a child, and she had never been afraid to tell me when I was being an i***t.
“She’s resting now,” Martha said, leading me inside.
I glanced around the familiar interior—the grand staircase, the polished floors, the high ceilings adorned with chandeliers. It all felt the same, yet something was different.
There was a quietness in the air, a heaviness that hadn’t been there before.
I followed Martha down the hall toward my mother’s room, but before we reached the door, I paused.
A light was on in one of the smaller rooms down the corridor.
Frowning, I turned to Martha. “Who else is here?”
She hesitated. “Your mother’s daughter is visiting.”
I blinked. “What?”
Realizing her mistake, she quickly corrected herself. “I mean—her daughter by heart, not by blood. Kelly Hayes.”
Kelly.
The name stirred something in my memory, something distant yet familiar. It had been years since I’d heard it, but I still remembered the little girl who had grown up in the shadows of this house.
The maid’s daughter.
I hadn’t thought about her in years.
But now, she was back.
And something about that unsettled me more than it should have.
Martha must have noticed the look on my face because she gave me a knowing smile. “She came to see her mother. She’s grown into a fine young woman.”
I nodded absently, pushing aside whatever thoughts were creeping into my mind. It didn’t matter.
Kelly Hayes was just another ghost from the past.
And I had no reason to care.
Kelly’s Room
I stood outside the door for a moment, debating whether or not to knock. The light was still on, meaning she was awake.
I wasn’t sure why I hesitated.
Maybe because a part of me was curious.
Or maybe because a part of me knew that whatever happened next…
Would change everything.
- Writer
