his fort needs

s hands on his hips, looking so serious that someone who did not know him could have thought this was an issue of national importance. Behind him, the li

ready have s

is an em

t before releasing a long, exag

, following Noah's increasingly detailed instructions with the patience of a man overseeing a billion-dollar project. The boy had very specific requirements for his creation, and apparently, six blankets were nowhere near sufficient

of an architect showing off his masterpiece, pausing now and then to correct Ethan when he had put a cushion in the wrong place. Ethan went through all of it, even when the security system he was told to use was

look. He was used to working with prominent executives, used to making decisions that may affect the future of Stone Global. He was used to people anticipating his wants, not needing to adapt theirs, yet around Noah he was a differen

ttling onto the living room floor to i

r in the

S

-old who clearly considered meal schedules to be nothing more than suggestions. He shook his head, a smi

of his afternoon pancakes. He climbed a kitchen stool and observed Ethan, with great intensity, as he collected the materials, occasionally providing ideas, which Ethan didn't want and hadn't aske

every action with the tense concentration of a man directing an operation of the utmost importance, bending forward now and again for a better view. One pancake was deformed with an uneven edge and an uncomfortable

rt critic evaluating a priceless masterpiece.

y, Noah's enthusiastic comments and the occasional burst of laughter. The obligations sitting on Ethan's iPad were untouched, notifications and unfinished work suddenly forgotten. He'd spent much of his adul

inosaur would fit into the fort's elaborate security system. The familiar voice of his best friend came through the phone, and

him," Liam said. "Ava

anything for you

me spent with the boy as a burden. Noah's presence was, if anything, a welcome diversion from the continuous demands of business. The youngster brought a sort of unadulterated warmth to the house, filling the silent spaces wit

mprovised building and several blankets were draped over the furniture, a testament to the amount of work Noah had put into his construction project. Together with Ethan, the boy had at last succumbed to sleep, following a long afternoon of pancakes, intricate planning and constant

lders and legs were covered, then went back to his seat. His movements were slow, soft, a silent contradiction to the decisiveness that marked him in the boardroom. He sat for a moment, watching the video play, witho

ncrypted p

being careful not to disturb Noah, and looked at the message on the screen. The words were few but their meaning was enough

'S DAUGHTER BAC

business world recognised. He read the message again to confirm the information, then his fingers tightened slightly over the phone before he allowed himself to react. The man who had spen

omez," he

allegiance could carry serious consequences. His name alone belonged to a sphere of influence where information was carefully guarded and every development could alter the balance between those who held power. Now his daughter

re him and the message on his phone could hardly have been sharper. Noah was safe, the penthouse was quiet, and the only thing that had demanded Ethan's attention for most of the aftern

e warmth of the afternoon had not entirely faded, and his attention lingered on the child sleeping peacefully beside him. Yet the message on his phone remained impossible to ignore. The man who

ered the enc

he ordered coldly. "It's tim