Chapter 2 - The Architect of ShadowsThe airport terminal felt like it was spinning on its axis. Noah Parker, the man who controlled empires with a flick of his wrist, sat on a cold metal bench, his hands shaking as he held the photo. He wasn't looking at the image anymore; he was looking at Emily.
Every feature was a mirror of a choice he had made seven years ago—a choice to choose a screen over a soul, a boardroom over a bed, and success over a woman who had carried his world in her womb.
"Mr. Noah?" Emily’s voice was small, tinged with a sudden, intuitive fear. "Are you sick too? My mom gets sad like that sometimes."
Noah finally looked at her. He felt a phantom weight in his arms, the weight of the daughter he had never held. "No, Emily," he managed to choke out. "I’m not sick. I’m just... very, very late."
He knew he had to find Grace. He knew he had to face the woman he had abandoned. But as he stood up, his phone buzzed. It was Sarah, his assistant. "Mr. Parker, the acquisition team is waiting. If you don't sign the deal in the next hour, the investors will pull the funding."
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Noah looked at the phone. Then he looked at the red coat.
He silenced the phone and shoved it deep into his pocket. "Emily, where is your mother? Where does she work?"
