CHAPTER 11
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“Is the building being fumigated today?” Emma was preparing the eggs for Tanner's breakfast when Lisa told her about the notice that apparently arrived in the mailbox and got misplaced with other documents that they couldn't see before.
“And that's not the worst of it, Emma”
Emma finished plating the eggs and took them to Tanner, who already had the juice and cereal.
“What do you mean, Lisa?”
“If it was just any day and they fumigated the building, we could go with Tanner to Central Park or wherever, but I just got a call from the Staten Island branch. I have to cover sick leave. You don't know how I hate cleaning those departmental offices!”
Emma put down her hot cup.
It was literally lousy news, since Lisa usually stayed with Tanner in her absence. And it wasn't like she was taking advantage of the woman who saved her from ruin when she was stranded in New York, as Lisa adored Tanner and they got along great.
Tanner couldn't stay in the building to get fumigated.
He couldn't stay with Lisa either.
Damn school had yet to start classes where he could just take his son there.
If he were in Cheyenne, there would be no problem because the town was so small, he could stay anywhere because everyone knew each other. Even in the worst case, she could drop him off at his father's house. But in the big city, that was unthinkable, she couldn't keep her son waiting for so long in the coffee shop near her office.
“I'll have to take Tanner to work”
“But you won't have any problems?” asked Lisa.
“Am I really going to go and see what's inside a Wall Street building?” say the boy
Emma was terrified at the thought of Tanner being in the same space as Liam.
But the solution that came to her mind was far from the two of them meeting.
Liam never went to the lower floors, he stayed on the 56th floor and away from anyone who wasn't an executive.
Which was great, because Emma planned to ask a huge favor of the Concierge, the only friendly human group she'd known since she'd worked in that building. Quiet and diligent, they were the lowest working link who maintained cleanliness, order and care that everything looked neat and tidy.
The boy could stay on the 30th floor, he would bring his laptop and a box with his lunch. He would not bother anyone and the janitors, especially the nice Mr. Myoga would keep an eye on him so that the boy would not get into trouble.
Although the improbable situation of father and son meeting was weighing on his conscience, he calmed himself by thinking that it was impossible.
“That's right, I'll leave you with some colleagues who work on a different floor. You won't be alone and you won't cause problems for those executives either. I'll prepare your lunch box,” Emma got up like a spring, so that Tanner and Lisa wouldn't notice that she had become nervous.
Although Tanner continued eating his breakfast calmly, to Lisa's eyes that didn't go unnoticed.
Emma began to prepare the sandwiches and Tanner's favorite milk drink with some fruit.
She wasn't even worried that those guys wouldn't agree to help her. She knew they would, because Tanner was adorable.
What had her shuddering, though, was that it was the first time and possibly the only time where Tanner would be so close to the father she would never know.
That old guilt in the bottom of her heart that she had deprived her son of knowing his father contrasted with the feeling that Liam would reject him, probably meet the financial obligations, but would never accept the shame of having slept with her.
Emma felt very guilty in that regard, because of the two of them, the one who had more conscience that night was her. He just acted on instinct.
“Finish the cereal and let's go Tanner, we have to catch the subway and I don't want to be late”
“Will you be working overtime today too?” asked Lisa.
Emma nodded.
She barely had time to eat, because they were working against the clock preparing the merger with FINANCIAL, to present it to the Board and get approval for Liam to finally be named CEO.
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Liam arrived and saw that Emma was still not at her desk.
He pursed his mouth.
That damned woman knew they were short on time and long on work.
Where could she have gotten to?
He was thinking of calling her on the corporate line to tell her off, when the sound of the elevator marking the floor made him realize that Emma was practically running in, carrying her purse in one hand and in the other the two vanilla lattes he demanded to have on his desk along with the Evian water.
“Come whenever you want,” he said sarcastically.
Emma set her purse on the desk panting and then approached him with the tray of coffee.
“I'm sorry, it's just that...” Emma interrupted herself. How could she even think of talking to him about her son? “I had a problem with the subway”
He raised an eyebrow. He didn't remember riding the subway since he was a little boy without a driver's license.
“That it won't happen again, was that clear?”
"Very clear," she replied, trying to lower her eyes so as not to meet his.
Liam was good at detecting lies, and her body language gave her away. But he was paying her to be his secretary, not to meddle in her affairs.
“I want you to work on the folders we left pending yesterday”
Emma settled back at her desk.
“I'll start right away”
“Well, you'd better,” he said, picking up his coffees to drink them in the office. “I hope the coffee didn't arrive cold”
Liam walked into his office, closed the door and went straight to open the MAC.
Although he was trying to concentrate on what he was doing, the truth was that he had been left with a curiosity regarding Emma's late arrival.
He was still intrigued as to what could have motivated a Cheyenne girl to migrate to New York and now today. Her resume didn't mention marital status or family situation, only that she lived in Queens.
“Stupid Liam and what do you care about her private life?”
Better to finish what he did.
He had planned to pay a visit to his future father-in-law, who was still keeping an incredibly low profile, but as William warned him, the man was more dangerous than a poisonous snake, just waiting for the right moment to strike.
He smiled at the idea of going to visit him with any silly excuse, with the sole purpose of ruining his lunch schedule.
He had recently lost his faithful collaborator Emily, and he should still be raging about foolishly losing the game.
He pressed the intercom button.
“I won't eat lunch here” to warn Emma so she wouldn't order lunch for him.
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Tanner was impressed.
From the moment he entered the building, his eyes wandered in wonder. The boy was happy to see the place, although his mother was adamant in ordering him to stay on the 30th floor with the kindly Mr. Myoga, who was a janitor in charge of taking notes from the other general service employees.
He had a room at his disposal, where he could watch television and a refrigerator where he kept his lunch box. The elder Myoga had already told him that if he was hungry for anything else, just ask.
He had brought his laptop, and although Tanner tried to concentrate on some math games, the truth was that the excitement was getting the better of him. It was hard for him to ever go back; it was just a coincidence that his mother brought him on this occasion.
Even as a child, with the precocious intelligence he already possessed, he watched television and listened to Wall Street, that imposing financial heart he dreamed of belonging to.
He closed the laptop, his mind was made up, he would do exactly what his mother forbade him to do, which was to venture to the upper floors. If anyone asked, he would never give away his mother's name so as not to find out and he would pretend to be lost. It wouldn't be hard, because Tanner was very smart.
He stowed his equipment in the locker Myoga provided, watched in the hallway to make sure the old man wasn't watching him, and ran for the elevators.
He would dial from the 55th floor, which was from where the executive floors started and it was possible to bump into those elegant businessmen.
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Liam did not find Michael in his office. He was away at some business meetings, his new secretary informed him.
The young man smiled sideways, he would have loved to see her face as they shared an awkward lunch. He was most likely out, planning what else to do to prevent him from becoming the CEO of the company.
Nothing would stop him, they were already completing the merger with FINANCIAL and the plan would be to lend to the partners on the day of the meeting. It would be impossible for them not to vote for him after having achieved the impossible.
His cell phone rang.
He only looked once to see that it was Anna. With so much work, he had forgotten about her and that was not good. He had to keep that damned thing happy if he wanted the father on his side in a public way.
How tiresome it was to behave like a lout and even more so in the case of that spoiled brat Anna!
He approached the elevator to push the button to return to his floor when he heard someone scolding someone else.
Usually he wasn't interested in other people's problems, but he was on the executive floor and that was his damn building. He looked over and saw a woman, one of the secretaries on that floor, nudging someone. That made him turn more attentively as he realized it was a child.
“Get out of here, kid! How did you get in here?”
Liam walked over to hear the commotion, taking care not to be noticed and mainly to see how a female employee of the company handled the situation. He was a simple lost boy and didn't warrant such exaltation.
It was there that he recognized with enormous surprise that the little boy shaking was the same one from that morning in Central Park, the one who earned his hundred dollars when he gave him that wonderful idea that made him get FINANCIAL.
The boy's face was something he could never forget, because it reminded him of him in his childhood.
“What the hell are you doing,” he interjected, grabbing the boy to get him on his side.
The woman was startled to recognize him.
What was a senior partner like Liam Van Dyke doing in that scene?
“Sir, I'm so sorry. But this kid snuck into these halls and no one knows him, he must be a petty thief”
"Shut up," he ordered, then looked at the boy who was still stunned by the woman's "Insults - in my company, no one insults or hits a child," Liam looked at a man who appeared to be the rude woman's boss. "Fire that woman, effective immediately."
The supervisor nodded his head quickly.
Liam looked at the boy again and even more angered by the frightened look he still had, he turned back to the man.
“And make sure she never works for any company in Manhattan again, I want her out of my city”
Liam took the little boy's hand and they walked out of there, without looking back.
The Prince of Manhattan had just demonstrated his power and influence. This woman would never work in the city again if he ordered her to. Her unforgivable attitude brought consequences.
Liam took the boy to the executive cafeteria. Many looked at them in surprise, but would never dare to comment.
Tanner had regained some of his shrewdness and more when Liam told him he could ask for anything he wanted.
"Can I ask for anything I want? I think it should be the other way around. You saved me a lot of trouble.
“Come on, you have unlimited credit with me, after the advice you gave me in the park,” Liam winked. “Order milkshakes, they're very good”
The waitress came and took the order.
Liam only ordered a vanilla latte, but Tanner lost his shyness as he ordered milkshakes, a peach cobbler and bagels with strawberry filling.
As the boy ate, Liam took the opportunity to satisfy his curiosity.
“How did you end up in my building?”
“Do you work here too?” asked Tanner, as he sipped his milkshake.
“Of course, and I don't allow anyone to hurt children here, even if they've snuck in without permission”
Tanner placed his empty glass on the table.
“I came with my mother, but I snuck out because I was curious to see the Wall Street executives at work”
“Does your mother work here...?”
Tanner thought about it for a moment.
“Yes, but it wouldn't be good for her to find out that I ran away from my watchers. Since I have helped you in your business, you must promise not to betray me"
Liam smiled.
“You've got a deal, kid,” the man felt very comfortable with the little boy, not only because he reminded him of himself, but because of the sense of familiarity. “Anyway, you still have to tell me why you're interested in seeing Wall Street executives”
“Isn't it obvious? I just want to be one”
“You want to work on Wall Street,” Liam raised an eyebrow.
“I'm torn between being a Wharton banker and a Harvard lawyer,” Tanner squinted. “Bankers are smarter than lawyers, though, so I know what I want”
“You'll be a great banker and fulfill your dream of working on Wall Street,” Liam patted the boy.
“How do you know that?”
“Because I was like you too....”
Tanner smiled at those revelations and reached for the bagel on his plate to put it in his mouth.
Liam was immersed in tenderness because of that little guy.
“If you want to eat something else, don't be shy and ask for whatever you want”
Tanner, who was still chewing the sweet bread, nodded his head.
“I think I'll come back later, because my mother might be looking for me. You promised to keep it a secret”
Liam nodded.
Although he had no idea who the boy's mother might be, she must be someone admirable to raise such an alert and intelligent child.
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Emma came to the floor where the executive cafeteria was located to borrow a fork from the staff to eat the lunch she had brought.
Her kindness endeared her to the employees there, who would always lend her utensils if she needed them. They even used to give him bagels if no one was looking.
But when she was about to turn to go in, she had to turn around like a spring to avoid being seen, as she leaned against the wall, holding her hands to her mouth.
Her eyelids and lips began to tremble.
Her hands lost strength. Her legs filled with a tingle of nervousness.
She peeked closer, to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her with mirages.
But it was no hallucination.
Liam was at a table with Tanner, her son, laughing as if they were old acquaintances.
Emma hurried to move away, before someone came to talk to her and ended up giving away her presence.
Liam with Tanner?
How was it possible that they could have overlapped?
It was naturally impossible!
Father and son were not fated to ever see each other.
But fate was fascinated with playing perverse games.