Serena’s POV
I clutched Rancy’s tiny hand as we stepped into my favorite diner—a small, no-frills place with the best french fries in the city. The card from Ethan Quinn felt like it was practically searing through my pocket. LUXE Jewelry. The coincidence was way too clean, way too unsettling.
"Fwies! Fwies!" Rancy chanted, practically vibrating with excitent as we slid into our regular booth by the window.
"Yes, sweetheart, french fries coming right up," I said, plastering on a smile as I helped her onto the booster seat.
"What you want, Mama?" Rancy asked, already attacking the kiddie nu with the crayons our waitress had dropped off.
"Just coffee, baby," I replied.
The waitress materialized with Rancy’s chocolate milk and my coffee. "The usual for our little princess?" she asked with a wink.
"Yes, please," I nodded. "Kid’s fries and nuggets."
As the waitress walked away, I pulled out Ethan Quinn’s business card again, turning it over like it might reveal hidden secrets. Was this just a normal playdate invitation, or sothing more? Could Ethan possibly know who I really was?
"Vivi nice," Rancy said suddenly, making nearly jump out of my skin. She pointed at the card in my hand. "Play dolls?"
"You want to have a playdate with Vivian?" I asked, searching my daughter’s innocent face.
She nodded like a bobblehead. "Big dolls. Pretty dresses."
I sighed, shoving the card back into my pocket. Maybe I was losing my mind with paranoia. Maybe this really was just about two little girls who wanted to play together. But with LUXE suddenly popping up everywhere I turned, I couldn’t shake the feeling that my carefully built life was about to co crashing down.
"We’ll see, sweetheart," I said, reaching across to ta her wild curls. "Mama needs to think about it."
"Think fast!" Rancy giggled, completely oblivious to my internal crisis.
When our food arrived, I watched my daughter happily destroy her fries with ketchup, making a disaster but enjoying every second. Her world was so pure, so uncomplicated. I envied that.
---
In three days, the signing ceremony and grand opening were scheduled to take place.
I stared at my phone screen, my stomach dropping at the fifteen missed calls from Sally. The morning that should’ve been all about final prep for the signing ceremony had turned into a living nightmare when I discovered Rancy burning up with fever.
"Look at Mama, baby," I whispered, gently pressing my palm against her forehead. The heat radiating from her tiny body sent pure terror shooting through my veins. "Oh God, you’re on fire."
My daughter’s normally bright eyes were glassy and distant. "Mama," she whimpered, her little arms reaching for like she was drowning. "Hurts."
That single broken word obliterated any thought about the ceremony. I scooped her up, blanket and all, not giving a damn that I was still in my silk pajamas.
"Mrs. Lancaster, your gown is ready and—" My housekeeper froze in the doorway, her eyes widening at the sight of Rancy’s flushed face.
"Call Sally right now," I ordered, already flying down the stairs. "Tell her Rancy’s sick and I’m rushing her to the hospital."
"But the ceremony—it’s in three hours! The LUXE executives are already in town!"
I didn’t even break stride. "Sally will handle it. End of discussion."
Twenty minutes later, while a nurse was taking Rancy’s vitals in the ergency room, Sally burst through the hospital doors like a hurricane, already dressed in her formal business attire.
"What the hell happened?" she demanded, her eyes ping-ponging between and my daughter, who was whimpering softly against my chest.
"High fever. Probably from that damn ice cream the nanny let her have last night." I couldn’t keep the fury from my voice. "Who in their right mind gives a two-year-old ice cream at bedti in this weather?"
Sally hesitated, glancing at her watch like it was a ticking bomb. "Serena, I get that you’re scared, but this signing ceremony... LUXE’s representatives are expecting you personally."
"I’m not leaving her side, Sally." I stroked Rancy’s damp curls, feeling her little body shake despite the fever. "Nothing on this earth is more important than this little girl. Nothing."
"But your business—"
"Is just business." I cut her off with steel in my voice. "You know the contract inside and out. You helped write every single clause. You can handle this."
Sally looked like I’d asked her to perform surgery. "The LUXE people specifically requested to et with you. This Ethan Quinn—"
"Then they’ll have to deal with disappointnt." I t Sally’s gaze without flinching. "You’re my right hand for a reason. I trust you with my life. Take the ceremonial scissors, smile for the caras, sign where necessary, and make sure our new branch opens with the class it deserves."
Sally exhaled like she was deflating, then squared her shoulders. "Alright. I’ll do it. But you know they’ll ask questions."
"Tell them family ergency. It’s the truth." I looked down at my daughter, who had finally closed her eyes, completely drained from fighting the fever. "This is everything that matters to ."
Sally nodded, her expression going soft. "I get it. I’ll take care of everything."
As she turned to leave, I called after her: "Sally? Thank you."
She flashed a smile that said ’don’t even worry about it’. "Just focus on getting that little angel better. Business will still be there when you get back."
After Sally left, a doctor finally appeared to examine Rancy. I held my breath like my life depended on it as he checked her over, my heart hamring so loud I could barely hear his questions.
"It’s a viral infection," he finally confird, scribbling notes on his chart. "Pretty common in kids her age, especially with these crazy weather changes. We’ll get her on IV fluids and fever reducers."
"Is she going to be okay?" My voice cracked like I was thirteen again.
The doctor’s whole deanor softened. "With proper care and rest, she should bounce back completely. I’d like to keep her here 24 to 48 hours for monitoring."
Relief hit like a freight train, so intense that my legs turned to jelly. I collapsed into the chair beside Rancy’s bed, watching as a nurse gently worked an IV into my daughter’s tiny arm. She whimpered and tried to pull away, but I held her other hand, whispering every soothing word I knew.
"Mama’s here, baby. Mama’s not going anywhere."
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