Chapter 3 - Return to Sunshine HouseThe Aston Martin pulled up to the weathered gates of Sunshine House just before noon. The rain had cleared, leaving behind a damp, heavy humidity that clung to the brick walls of the Victorian building.
As Gabriel stepped out onto the sidewalk, a flashbulb went off across the street.
Click. Click. Click.
A photographer from The Boston Chronicle stepped out from behind a parked sedan, long lens pointed straight at him. "Mr. Mendes! Is it true you have an illegitimate daughter inside? Is this why you bought out the city council's land permits last month?"
Gabriel ignored the shouted questions, his jaw set like granite. He pushed open the iron gate and strode up the concrete steps, the heavy oak door swinging open before he could even knock.
Catherine Morrison stood in the doorway, her arms crossed, her expression a mix of fierce maternal protection and deep skepticism.
"You came back," Catherine said, her voice guarded.
"I said I would," Gabriel replied, stepping into the familiar disinfectant-scented hallway. "Where is she?"
"She's in the art room. But before you see her, Mr. Mendes, we need to talk." Catherine gestured toward her small office.
Inside, the room was just as cramped as yesterday, but the atmosphere felt heavier. Catherine sat behind her desk and slid a Manila folder across the wood.
"I did some digging of my own last night," Catherine said, watching him closely. "Lucia didn't just leave Clara here with a neighbor. Before she passed, she left explicit legal instructions with a local attorney. If anything happened to her, custody was to be contested..." She paused. "...by the biological father. A father she named in a sealed affidavit."
Gabriel felt a cold sweat break out across the back of his neck. "She named me?"
"She named Gabriel Mendes," Catherine corrected softly. "She knew who you were. Even after all those years, when you walked away and built an empire while she struggled to keep a roof over her head in a cramped Cambridge apartment... she never stopped following your career. She watched you on television, read about your corporate takeovers, and she told Clara that her father was a great man who had simply lost his way."
The words struck Gabriel harder than any physical blow. A great man who had simply lost his way.
"She didn't hate me?" Gabriel whispered, his voice trembling for the first time in decades.
"Hate takes energy, Mr. nests. Lucia was too tired for that," Catherine said bluntly. "She was dying, and her only worry in the world was what would happen to her little girl. She didn't want your money, Mr. Mendes. She wanted your presence. She wanted someone to love Clara the way she did."
Gabriel closed his eyes, the memory of his own cold, abusive childhood flashing through his mind—a father who had beaten him, a mother who had wept in silence. He had sworn never to be weak. He had sworn never to let anyone depend on him. And in doing so, he had become the exact monster he had fled from.
"I want to take her," Gabriel said, opening his eyes. His voice was steady, absolute. "I want to take Clara home with me."
Catherine stared at him, narrowing her eyes. "It's not that simple, Mr. Mendes. A child isn't a corporate acquisition. You can't just sign a check and make her yours."
"I am her legal father," Gabriel argued, leaning forward. "I will sign whatever paperwork is required. I have the best lawyers in the country—"
"And I have the state child welfare board," Catherine interrupted sharply. "They don't care about your lawyers. They care about stability, safety, and emotional readiness. And right now? You are a man under federal investigation for labor violations, hounded by the paparazzi, with zero experience parenting a seven-year-old child who just lost her mother!"
Before Gabriel could retort, the office door creaked open.
A small head with uneven braids peeked into the room. Extraordinary green eyes blinked shyly at him.
"You came back," Clara whispered, clutching a faded crayon drawing in her small hands.
May you like
All the air rushed out of Gabriel's lungs. The corporate titan, the cold-hearted billionaire, melted into dust. He knelt down on the worn linoleum floor, holding out his hands.
"I told you I would," Gabriel said softly, his voice thick with unshed tears. "And I never break a promise."
