Chapter 4 - The Boardroom and the Breach
While Miller dug into Annie’s background, Kevin sat through a grueling four-hour merger negotiation with a European tech conglomerate. Normally, Kevin thrived on these high-stakes chess matches, ruthlessly dismantling competitors' arguments and securing multi-billion-dollar valuations. Today, however, his mind was trapped a dozen miles away in a nursery filled with cream-colored curtains and sleeping twins.
During a brief recess, Marcus Vance slid into the leather chair next to Kevin, smelling of expensive cologne and quiet ambition.
"You look distracted, Kev," Marcus said, flashing a smooth, practiced smile. "Is it the European acquisition? If you're losing your stomach for the expansion, the board can take over the final vote."
Kevin turned his head slowly, locking eyes with his second-in-command. Marcus had been by his side since the startup days in the warehouse. He had attended Lauren’s funeral. He had brought casseroles over during the first bleak weeks. Yet lately, Kevin noticed subtle shifts—shadowy whispers with board members, late-night calls in the corridor, and an eagerness to sign off on security contracts without Kevin’s personal review.
"I haven't lost my stomach for anything, Marcus," Kevin said coldly. "And I handle my own company. Focus on the logistics."
Marcus chuckled, though his eyes remained sharp and calculating. "Just looking out for you, man. Ever since Lauren passed... well, the press is starting to wonder if Morrison Dynamics is being run by a grieving widower rather than a CEO. Rumor has it you've burned through five nannies in a single month. People are talking. It looks unstable."
"Let them talk," Kevin snapped, standing up and buttoning his jacket. "The board cares about quarterly growth, and our growth is up twenty-two percent. My personal life is none of their concern."
"Of course," Marcus said smoothly, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Just make sure your new domestic help doesn't end up being the one to write a tell-all memoir about the great Kevin Morrison's domestic circus."
The words hung in the air like poison smoke. Kevin didn't reply, but Marcus's warning struck a raw nerve. Why had Annie been hired so easily? Why was she so unfazed by his wealth, his coldness, and his haunted children?
When Kevin finally returned to the mansion that evening, the house was dark except for a soft amber glow spilling from the kitchen.
He didn't hear shouting. He heard laughter.
Real laughter. The high, bubbling giggles of five-year-old boys that Kevin hadn't heard since before the crash.
May you like
He walked quietly down the hall and stopped at the kitchen entrance. Annie was sitting at the low kids' table, wearing a paper crown made of construction paper, while Jordan and Justin pelted her with tiny plastic blocks, shrieking with joy.
Annie caught sight of Kevin standing in the shadows. She didn't flinch. She simply picked up a blue block, tossed it gently back at Justin, and said, "Your dad's home. Time to show him what we built."
