CHAPTER 2 — The Proposal No One Expected
Zara stared at the business card as if it might disappear if she blinked.
Heavy white stock.
Simple black lettering.
ELIAS VANCE
Chief Executive Officer
Vance Holdings
No flashy gold embossing. No unnecessary titles. Just a name that seemed to carry enough weight on its own.
She looked back at him.
"I'm not interested in pretending to be someone's girlfriend," she said flatly.
Elias didn't look offended.
"I didn't ask you to."
"You implied it."
"I asked whether you'd consider attending one family dinner."
"Why?"
He slipped both hands into his coat pockets.
"My grandmother turns eighty tomorrow."
"So?"
"So she has one wish."
Zara folded her arms.
"Which is?"
"To see me stop living like a machine."
Before Zara could answer, Daisy tugged on her apron.
"Mommy..."
"Yes?"
"Is he lonely?"
The question landed harder than any accusation.
Elias looked at the little girl before answering.
"I suppose I am."
Daisy nodded seriously.
"I know what lonely looks like."
Zara felt heat rise in her cheeks.
"Daisy..."
"It's okay, Mommy."
She looked back at Elias.
"When Daddy left, Mommy looked lonely too."
Silence settled between them.
Several nearby shoppers pretended not to listen.
Elias knelt again until he was eye level with Daisy.
"Where is your father now?"
Daisy shrugged.
"I don't know."
Zara answered instead.
"He left before she was born."
Elias didn't ask another question.
He simply nodded.
"I'm sorry."
Those two words surprised Zara more than the limousine had.
Most people became curious.
They wanted details.
They wanted gossip.
He simply apologized.
Then he looked toward the bakery stall.
"I assume you baked all of these."
"Every one."
"They smell incredible."
"They pay rent."
A corner of his mouth lifted.
"I respect that answer."
One of the assistants stepped from the front passenger seat.
"Mr. Vance, we're already behind schedule."
Elias ignored him.
He looked back at Zara.
"I'll make this simple."
He picked up a cinnamon roll.
"How much?"
"Four dollars."
He handed her a hundred-dollar bill.
She immediately searched for change.
"I don't have enough."
"I don't need change."
"You'll take it."
"I won't."
They stood there for several seconds.
Finally Elias laughed quietly.
It sounded unfamiliar, as though he hadn't done it in months.
"You really don't make anything easy."
"No."
"I admire that."
He accepted ninety-six dollars in change.
The driver blinked.
His assistant nearly dropped his tablet.
Apparently no one ever gave Elias Vance exact change.
As he returned to the limousine, Daisy called after him.
"Don't forget your cinnamon roll!"
He smiled.
"I won't."
Then he paused.
"If you change your mind..."
He gestured toward the card.
"...call me."
The limousine disappeared into traffic.
Zara sighed deeply.
She tore the card in half.
Then into quarters.
Then tossed it into the trash.
Daisy gasped.
"But Mommy..."
"We have enough complications."
That night, after Daisy had fallen asleep with Wiggles tucked beneath one arm, Zara counted the day's earnings.
Rent.
Electricity.
Flour.
Butter.
Medicine for Daisy's asthma.
There wasn't enough.
Again.
She rubbed her tired eyes.
Then noticed something beneath the cash box.
Another business card.
Perfectly untouched.
She frowned.
"I threw this away..."
Daisy's sleepy voice drifted from the bedroom.
"I saved it."
"You what?"
"You looked sad."
Zara laughed despite herself.
"You little thief."
"I'm helping."
She looked down at the card for a long time.
Finally...
She picked up her phone.
The following afternoon, the gates of the Vance estate slowly opened.
It looked less like a home than a palace.
Fountains.
Gardens.
Marble statues.
Luxury cars lined the circular driveway.
Zara almost asked the taxi driver to turn around.
Instead, Daisy squeezed her hand.
"You said brave people get scared too."
"I did."
"So let's be brave."
A butler welcomed them inside.
The grand ballroom glittered beneath crystal chandeliers.
Dozens of elegantly dressed guests turned at once.
Their conversations stopped.
The whispers began immediately.
"Who is she?"
"That's not Olivia."
"I thought he'd bring the senator's daughter."
"She looks like..."
"...a baker."
Every word reached Zara.
She kept walking anyway.
Then the crowd parted.
Elias descended the staircase in a charcoal suit.
For a brief moment, he forgot every conversation in the room.
Because Zara wasn't pretending to be someone else.
She wore a simple navy-blue dress she'd borrowed from her neighbor.
No expensive jewelry.
No designer handbag.
Only quiet dignity.
Daisy waved enthusiastically.
"Hi!"
Elias smiled.
"You came."
"I almost didn't."
"I'm glad you did."
Before either could say more, an elegant elderly woman approached with the help of a silver cane.
Her white hair was perfectly styled.
Her sharp gray eyes missed nothing.
This was Eleanor Vance.
She studied Zara for several silent seconds.
Then she ignored Elias completely.
Instead, she bent down toward Daisy.
"And who might you be?"
"I'm Daisy."
"Were you dragged here against your will?"
Daisy giggled.
"No."
"Excellent."
Eleanor smiled warmly.
"Then you already have better judgment than half this family."
Several relatives shifted uncomfortably.
Elias quietly whispered,
"Grandmother..."
She ignored him.
Taking Zara's hands, Eleanor said softly,
"My dear, thank you for coming."
May you like
For the first time that day...
Zara felt welcome.
