Part 2: CEO Had No Idea He Had a Daughter—Until She Knocked and Said, “Daddy, You Fired Mommy”.
Part 2: The Photograph That Changed Everything
Nathan's hands trembled as Lily carefully pulled the photograph from her backpack.
It was old enough that the edges had begun to curl.
In the picture, a young woman sat in a hospital bed, exhausted but smiling. Her blonde hair was messy, and tears glistened in her eyes as she held a newborn baby wrapped in a pink blanket.
Nathan immediately recognized her.
Rebecca Mitchell.
Becca.
The woman he had loved six years ago before ambition, distance, and one terrible misunderstanding had driven them apart.
But it wasn't Becca that stole his breath.
It was the baby.
A tiny infant with bright blue eyes staring directly into the camera.
His eyes.
Nathan lowered himself into a chair.
"Where did you get this?" he asked quietly.
"My mommy keeps it by her bed," Lily answered.
His heart pounded.
"When was this taken?"
"The day I was born."
The room suddenly felt too small.
Nathan remembered the last conversation he'd had with Becca.
Six years earlier.
He had been preparing for an overseas acquisition.
She had shown up unexpectedly and told him she needed to talk.
He had been distracted.
Impatient.
Focused on work.
He remembered saying he'd call her later.
He never did.
Two days afterward, she disappeared.
No messages.
No explanations.
No forwarding address.
Nathan had searched for months before eventually convincing himself she had chosen to leave.
Now a six-year-old girl stood in front of him carrying proof that she had never left alone.
"Why did you say I fired your mommy?" Nathan asked.
Lily's face fell.
"Because everyone at Mommy's office got fired."
Nathan frowned.
"What office?"
"Pierce Investments."
The blood drained from his face.
Three days ago.
The restructuring.
Westlake Acquisition.
Hundreds of positions eliminated.
He hadn't reviewed the names personally.
He never did.
The layoffs were handled by department executives.
"Mommy worked for my company?"
Lily nodded.
"She said it wasn't your fault."
Nathan's chest tightened.
"But she cries when she thinks I'm asleep."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Lily looked up.
"Did you know about me?"
Nathan swallowed hard.
"No."
Her eyes searched his face.
"Would you have wanted to?"
The question shattered him.
More than any boardroom battle.
More than any financial loss.
Nathan looked at the little girl standing in front of him.
A child who should have known her father her entire life.
A child who had walked alone into a skyscraper because she thought she was protecting her mother.
"Yes," he whispered.
"More than anything."
Lily's lower lip trembled.
"Really?"
Nathan nodded.
For the first time in years, tears filled his eyes.
May you like
And for the first time in six years, he knew exactly what mattered.
"Take me to your mother."
