"You want me to bring a five-year-old to a board meeting?"
Cecilia crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Samuel, who looked far too comfortable in his three-piece suit and devil-may-care grin.
"I don't want you to," Samuel replied coolly. "I'm saying… we have no choice. I've got no one else to watch him today."
"I'm not your nanny," she snapped.
Samuel raised an eyebrow. "You're his mother. And also the one who showed up in my life with a surprise child. If anything, I should be the one panicking."
"You should be panicking," Cecilia muttered. "You think boardrooms and sippy cups mix?"
Just then, Leo walked into the room holding a juice box, wearing a child-sized navy blazer Samuel had bought that morning. It hung a little big, but with his golden curls and confident smile, he somehow pulled it off.
"Mommy," he said brightly, "Mr. Samuel said I'm going to help him with his 'bored meeting'."
Cecilia snorted despite herself. "Sweetheart, it's board meeting, not—"
"I know," Leo interrupted, sipping loudly. "But it looks boring, so I was right."
Samuel choked on a laugh, quickly masking it with a cough.
"Oh, we're doomed," Cecilia sighed.
---
In the Boardroom – Fifteen Minutes Later
Samuel sat at the head of the massive oval table, flanked by twelve of the most powerful executives in New York. Each one stiff, sharp-suited, and allergic to children.
And then there was Leo.
Seated beside Samuel in a leather swivel chair, legs dangling, one hand gripping a juice box and the other sketching something on the back of a quarterly report.
Cecilia stood against the wall like a bodyguard—alert, arms crossed, ready to scoop her child out the second anything exploded.
Which, given Leo's curiosity and the fact he just asked a VP if he owned a "secret lair," was likely.
"I think we can all agree the Q2 financials have—" a man began droning.
Leo raised a hand.
Samuel blinked. "Yes, Leo?"
Leo sat up straight. "What's a merger?"
Half the boardroom froze.
Samuel leaned back, clearly enjoying the panic in the room. "Good question. A merger is when two companies join together to become one big team."
"Like when Iron Man and Captain America stopped fighting and teamed up?" Leo asked.
"Exactly," Samuel said without missing a beat. "Except with lawyers and contracts instead of shields."
Leo nodded wisely. "Sounds less fun."
Cecilia pinched the bridge of her nose.
---
After the Meeting
The second the meeting ended, executives all but ran for the exit. One of them muttered something about "juice on the fiscal report."
Samuel turned to Leo, who was now explaining to a confused assistant how he was going to redesign the building with trapdoors and a candy room.
Cecilia cleared her throat. "Well. That went exactly as I feared."
Samuel smirked. "He did better than most interns."
She rolled her eyes. "And you think this is sustainable? A billionaire dragging his son to every meeting like it's 'Bring Your Kid to Work Day'?"
"No," Samuel said, serious now. "But I do know I missed five years of this. I don't plan to miss any more."
His tone shifted, lower, softer.
Cecilia looked at him and saw something unfamiliar: vulnerability.
It made her chest ache.
---
Later That Day – The Park
After the chaos of the office, they took Leo to the park near Blackwood Tower. The boy was busy launching himself off a swing while Samuel sat beside Cecilia on a bench, sleeves rolled up, tie loosened.
"Can I ask you something?" he said.
She nodded cautiously.
"When you left… why didn't you tell me? You could've sent a letter. A message. Anything."
Cecilia bit her lip, eyes on Leo.
"I wanted to," she said quietly. "I tried. I even came to your apartment once. But your father met me first."
Samuel went still.
"He made it clear I wasn't welcome. He said you'd lose everything if you stayed with me. He said I'd ruin your life… and I believed him."
Samuel clenched his jaw. "He lied."
"I know that now. But back then? I was scared. I had nothing. And I thought… maybe you'd hate me if I ruined your future."
Samuel didn't respond right away. The tension between them sat thick like fog.
Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out the folded drawing Leo had made the day before — the one with the man, the boy, and the sun.
"I love this. I love him," he said, voice rough.
Cecilia's eyes stung.
"I know," she whispered. "So did I."
---
That Evening – Samuel's Apartment
They dropped Leo off in the guest room, where he fell asleep clutching a model car Samuel gave him.
Cecilia stood by the door, uncertain. "I should go."
Samuel stepped closer. "Stay for dinner."
She hesitated. "That's not a good idea."
He smiled crookedly. "Why not? You used to love my cooking."
"You mean you used to burn eggs and call it brunch."
"That's called creativity."
Cecilia laughed before she could stop herself.
It was the first time in years they had laughed like that — and neither of them wanted it to stop.