Chapter 7: Kieran Returns
1105 Words
The coffee mug shattered against the kitchen floor.
Pieces scattered everywhere.
Elaria didn't move.
She couldn't.
Her eyes remained fixed on the photograph glowing from her phone screen.
The man in the article stared back at her.
Older.
Sharper.
More powerful.
But unmistakably him.
The stranger from the storm.
The man who had disappeared without a word.
The man who unknowingly changed her life forever.
Kieran Ashcroft.
CEO of Ashcroft Global.
Billionaire.
Business genius.
One of the most influential men in the country.
And somehow...
Evren's father.
Her knees gave out.
She sank into a chair.
Her pulse hammered painfully against her ribs.
Six years.
For six years she'd imagined countless possibilities.
Maybe he'd forgotten her.
Maybe he'd died.
Maybe he'd been married.
Maybe he'd never thought about her again.
Never once had she imagined this.
A billionaire.
A man whose face appeared on magazine covers.
A man who commanded boardrooms and billion-dollar deals.
A man completely out of her reach.
"Mama?"
Evren's voice pulled her back.
She quickly locked the screen.
Too late.
He had already noticed her expression.
"Are you okay?"
Elaria forced a smile.
"I'm fine."
It was a terrible lie.
Evren clearly knew it.
But thankfully, he let it go.
For now.
As he returned to eating breakfast, Elaria's phone buzzed again.
A news notification.
Her stomach tightened.
Without thinking, she opened it.
The headline immediately caught her attention.
ASHCROFT GLOBAL CEO RETURNS AFTER SIX-YEAR INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION.
Returns.
The word felt personal.
Dangerous.
Almost threatening.
She opened the article.
A photograph filled the screen.
Kieran stepping off a private jet.
Reporters surrounding him.
Security guards creating a path.
His expression unreadable.
Cold.
Powerful.
Untouchable.
Nothing like the injured man she'd cared for six years ago.
The article detailed his accomplishments.
International acquisitions.
Luxury developments.
Corporate mergers.
Record-breaking profits.
The kind of achievements ordinary people only read about.
Yet Elaria barely absorbed any of it.
One sentence stood out.
Sources close to the CEO claim that despite his success, Kieran Ashcroft has spent years privately searching for an unidentified woman connected to an incident six years ago.
Her breath caught.
Searching.
The word echoed inside her head.
Searching for who?
For her?
Impossible.
Surely not.
A man like Kieran Ashcroft wouldn't spend six years searching for a stranger.
Would he?
A knock interrupted her thoughts.
Sharp.
Unexpected.
Elaria frowned.
She wasn't expecting visitors.
Neither was Evren.
Curious, she walked to the door.
When she opened it, her stomach dropped.
Arabella Pierce stood there.
Perfect makeup.
Perfect clothes.
Perfect fake smile.
Elaria immediately knew this wasn't a social visit.
Arabella never visited unless she wanted something.
"Can I come in?"
"No."
Arabella laughed lightly.
"Still holding a grudge?"
Still?
The audacity nearly impressed her.
After everything Arabella had done.
The lies.
The betrayals.
The secrets she'd sold for money.
And she thought Elaria was holding a grudge.
"I think we're beyond grudges."
Arabella's smile faltered.
Only briefly.
Then she recovered.
"I'm here to help."
That made Elaria laugh.
Actually laugh.
"That's funny."
Arabella's eyes narrowed.
"Elaria—"
"No."
She folded her arms.
"What do you want?"
For a moment Arabella remained silent.
Then she pulled a magazine from her handbag.
And handed it over.
Elaria reluctantly accepted it.
The moment she saw the cover, her blood ran cold.
Kieran Ashcroft.
Again.
Arabella watched her carefully.
Too carefully.
"You know him, don't you?"
The question struck like lightning.
Elaria's heart skipped.
Danger.
Every instinct screamed danger.
She forced herself to remain calm.
"What are you talking about?"
Arabella smiled.
A knowing smile.
The kind Elaria hated.
"I saw your face."
"When?"
"At the charity gala last year."
Elaria frowned.
She had attended countless events for work.
One must have involved Ashcroft Global.
"I saw you staring at his picture."
A chill ran through her.
Arabella leaned closer.
"And now he's back."
The implication hung heavily in the air.
Elaria didn't respond.
Couldn't.
Because suddenly she realized something terrifying.
Arabella wasn't guessing.
She knew something.
Maybe not everything.
But enough to be dangerous.
Much too dangerous.
Finally, Arabella stood.
"I just thought you deserved a warning."
Elaria narrowed her eyes.
"Warning?"
Arabella's smile returned.
Cold this time.
Cruel.
"Kieran Ashcroft has been asking questions."
The room suddenly felt smaller.
"What questions?"
Arabella headed toward the door.
Then paused.
And looked over her shoulder.
"The kind that could ruin lives."
Before Elaria could ask another question, Arabella left.
The apartment fell silent.
Except for one thing.
The sound of Elaria's racing heartbeat.
Hours later, across the city...
The top floor of Ashcroft Global buzzed with activity.
Executives hurried through hallways.
Assistants carried stacks of reports.
Board members nervously prepared for the CEO's first meeting since returning.
Nobody wanted to disappoint Kieran Ashcroft.
Nobody wanted to face his temper.
Inside the executive office, Kieran stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The city stretched beneath him.
Power.
Success.
Control.
He had everything.
Except answers.
His assistant approached carefully.
"Sir."
Kieran didn't turn.
"Did you find her?"
The assistant swallowed.
"Yes."
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Slowly, Kieran faced him.
His expression unreadable.
The assistant handed over a file.
Kieran opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
Elaria Quinn.
Standing outside a hospital.
Looking tired.
Beautiful.
Exactly as he remembered.
For a long moment, he simply stared.
Six years.
Six years of searching.
Six years of dead ends.
Six years of wondering whether she'd even survived.
And now—
There she was.
Real.
Alive.
Found.
Then another photograph slid from the file.
A little boy.
Dark hair.
Bright eyes.
A familiar smile.
Kieran froze.
Something tightened painfully in his chest.
The child looked...
Strangely familiar.
Too familiar.
His gaze dropped to the information beneath the photo.
Name: Evren Quinn Age: 6
The air left his lungs.
Six.
Years.
Old.
Kieran stared at the picture.
Then at the date.
Then back at the picture again.
A terrible possibility began forming in his mind.
One he wasn't ready to accept.
One he couldn't ignore.
Slowly, he looked up at his assistant.
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Dangerously calm.
"Get me everything you can on that child."
The assistant nodded nervously.
"Immediately, sir."
Kieran's gaze returned to Evren's photograph.
And for the first time in years...
Fear touched him.
Because if the impossible was true...
If that little boy was who he thought he might be...
Then someone had hidden his child from him for six years.
.......
Kieran orders a background investigation on Evren, but before his assistant leaves, he hesitates and says, "Sir... there's something else you should know. Dominic Kane has recently become involved with Elaria Quinn." Kieran's expression instantly darkens.
- Writer
