Chapter 4: The Boss and the Brave Hug

Mom didn’t want to leave me alone in the hotel, so she brought me to her office instead.

She and her coworkers had to go upstairs for a meeting, and it wasn’t convenient to take me along. She checked my kid’s smartwatch about a hundred times, making sure it was charged, and told me: “If anything happens, call Mommy. Don’t trust strangers. If you need help, ask the lady at the front desk, okay?”

I nodded, clutching the straps of my backpack, feeling grown-up and nervous all at once. She gave me a long, squeezy hug before she left, smoothing down my hair. The lobby smelled like printer ink, perfume, and the faintest whiff of someone’s takeout. People in business suits rushed past, clutching Starbucks cups and tapping at their phones like they were defusing bombs. My legs dangled off the couch, and I tried not to let my sneakers scuff the fancy floor.

As soon as Mom disappeared into the elevator, I slid off my seat and tiptoed out of the building.

Comments kept rolling in front of my eyes.

[Little Maddie, see that black Tesla coming? The man inside is your dad.]

[Aaaa, this plot isn’t quite like I imagined. Did the author rewrite the story? Hurry and let Maddie meet the dad.]

[Little Maddie, when you see a man with big boss energy, don’t doubt, that’s your dad. Go up and call him.]

[……]

I looked at the tall glass tower nearby as a black car rolled up to the entrance. Two men got out—the one in front had a face so sharp and serious he looked like he could be on a magazine cover at Target. His suit was crisp, his hair neat, and his walk said he was the boss, even if you didn’t know his name.

I felt my heart beat a little faster. For a second, I almost turned around. He looked so much bigger in real life than any dad I’d seen at preschool pickup. I squeezed the straps of my backpack and tried to remember what the comments said. He’s my dad. I have to do this. I took a shaky breath, then ran forward with my short legs and wrapped my arms around his leg.

I looked up, nerves buzzing in my chest, and yelled as loud as I could: “Daddy!”

“Give me money!”

“I want to save Mommy!”

Dad has to raise the kid. The kid has to save Mom. That’s just how it works.

Everything went silent, like in a movie when the world stops. Even the security guard at the front desk stopped chewing his gum.

A second later, an impatient voice sounded above me: “Where did this little chubby girl come from?”

Chubby? Me?

I looked up, meeting his eyes for the first time. He was so tall up close, with a face like a storm cloud and eyes that didn’t miss anything. But he was handsome, just like Mom said.

“I’m not fat,” I said, crossing my arms. “Mom says I’m just growing, chubby and cute.”

The other man in a gray suit wiped imaginary sweat from his face: “Mr. Carter, maybe an employee brought their kid today.”

He crouched down, tie a little crooked, and smiled at me. “Hey there, can you tell me who your parents are? I’ll help you find them, okay?” He handed me a tissue, just in case.

I pointed up at the man I was hugging: “Uncle, my dad is right here.”

“Who?” He blinked, glancing at the boss. “Our Mr. Carter?”

I nodded hard, my cheeks burning.

He stopped talking, then turned to his boss. “Mr. Carter, you see…”

Mr. Carter looked down at me and snorted. “Little chubby girl, didn’t your family teach you that you can eat anything but you can’t say just anything? How come I don’t know I have such a big daughter?”

“Well, I’m telling you now, so now you know.”

“…I’m not.”

“But you are my dad.”

“Says who?” He squatted down, looking me right in the eye. “Do you even know my name, calling me dad?”

“I do, you’re Nathan Carter.” (Thank you, comments!)

He froze. “You know me?”

“You’re my dad, of course I know you.”

He stared for a long moment, then laughed. “Little chubby girl, who told you to come here and scam me?”

“I’m not called little chubby girl. You can call me Maddie.”

“Fine, Maddie, I really don’t have time to play with you. Go with that man to contact your parents, okay?”

He waved me off, but I held on tight. Mom always said not to give up when something mattered.

“No, are you going to abandon your daughter?” I glared. “Mom said you’re not that kind of person. Did you lie to my mom?”

People nearby watched, one woman with her mouth covered, another pretending to look at her phone. They were definitely listening.

Nathan Carter looked half amused, half annoyed. “Fine, tell me who your mom is. I want to see who I supposedly had such a big daughter with.”

“My mom is Sarah Carter.”