PART 7
By noon,
the house was filled with the savory scent of lunch,
and the living room was a joyful mess of toys.
Ethan was running in circles,
his small feet thumping happily against the rugs,
clutching a blue plastic airplane.
Ryan was on his knees,
fully immersed in the toddler's world,
making engine noises that made Ethan erupt into giggles.
Suddenly,
Ryan's phone buzzed on the coffee table,
vibrating with an intensity that broke the peaceful atmosphere.
He hesitated,
looking at the screen,
and saw the name of his former chief investor,
Marcus Vance.
Marcus was a man from Ryan's past life,
a billionaire who only valued money,
power,
and endless sacrifice for corporate success.
Emma noticed the change in Ryan's posture,
her eyes tracking his hand as he picked up the phone.
The old Ryan would have answered instantly,
shouting orders,
and ignoring his son entirely.
Instead,
Ryan looked at Emma,
then down at Ethan,
who was tugging on his pant leg.
He slid the button to decline the call,
turning the phone completely face down on the wood.
Emma raised an eyebrow,
clearly surprised by his decision to ignore a man who control millions.
"You're not going to take that?"
she asked,
her voice tinged with a mix of curiosity and testing.
Ryan smiled gently,
scooping Ethan up into his arms,
pressing a soft kiss to his son's forehead.
"Marcus can wait,
my son's flight schedule is much more important right now."
Ethan laughed,
throwing his tiny arms around Ryan's neck,
unaware of the massive choice his father had just made.
Emma watched them,
May you like
and for the first time in months,
the tension in her shoulders completely disappeared.
