Chapter 13
“Maddie, how are you this adorable?” Emma Evans teased, a wide grin lighting up her face. “You‘ re the one who came up with the name for Evergreen Media.”
“I came up with it?” Maddie‘ s jaw dropped, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“That can’t be right.”
“It’s true!” Emma laughed. “When you were little, you said you wanted to start a company like Mom and Dad. Mom asked what you‘ d name it and you said,
‘Evergreen, because your favorite game. was ‘Red Light, Green Light.”
Maddie‘ s cheeks flushed as Emma
recounted the childhood memory.
Meanwhile, a shadow passed over
Emma’s expression–a flicker of pain that didn’t go unnoticed by Maddie.
The year Maddie had been taken away, Emma was already seven. The memory of
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Chapter 13
hat day was etched into her mind, a haunting reminder of how quickly life could change. Over the years, Emma had
often woken in the middle of the night, her dreams replaying the moment her sister
опе disappeared. Each time, she asked herself grethe same question: What if I had been die here?
ith dis
Sensing the heaviness in Emma’s voice indrew Cooper stepped in with a chuckle. hed ‘Emma, you’ve got a lot of nerve
ante
VOUS
ringing that up! Back then, you used to ad word it over Maddie and me just because
ou were the oldest. Every time we played ‘Red Light, Green Light,‘ you’d always vin, while Maddie and I were stuck osing.”
QUERIDOP
ght
s Bas
пеш
“Please,” Emma retorted, rolling her yes. “That’s because you two were icker errible at the game. Not my fault you
ouldn’t keep up.”
teandrew crossed his arms, feigning
ndignation. “Terrible? How about you
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Chapter 13
admit you cheated half the time!”
“Proof or it didn’t happen,” Emma quipped, sticking her tongue out.
“Alright, alright, break it up!” Maddie interjected, waving her hands to halt their bickering. “Emma, are you saying Mom and Dad really plan to give me Evergreen Media?”
Emma nodded, her smile returning.
“That’s right. Don’t tell me you‘ re still in shock about this?”
“But I don’t know anything about running a company,” Maddie said, her voice tinged with panic. “My degree is in Literature! I’ve never managed anything before.”
Emma placed a reassuring hand on Maddie’s shoulder. “Relax. You‘ Il learn. Besides andrew has some free time–he can teach you the ropes.” She smirked at Andrew, who raised an eyebrow but didn’t protest. “Also, Mom and Dad
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Chapter 13
know about the novels you’ve written. They’ve already put together a team to adapt them into TV shows.”
OUSE
Andrew chimed in with a playful grin.
“See? Even if you‘ re clueless about
unning a business, you’ve already contributed. Your stories are valuable,
B Maddie. And don’t sell yourself short-
writing a full novel isn’t something just rehrinyone can do. That alone proves you‘ ve all mot what it takes.”
Maddie looked between Emma and
hingandrew, their earnest expressions stirring addi omething deep within her. She saw her
“Meflection in Emma‘ s dark eyes and felt an anag nexpected warmth settle in her chest.
or years, she had believed that being ghaared for meant being caged. Rico had laxlipped her wings, confining her to a life of fre assivity under the guise of protection. He Shad told her she didn’t need to do ehnything because he’d take care of her lom prever. But he’d never asked what she
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Chapter 13
wanted, what she loved, or what her dreams were.
Rico had treated her like a songbird in a gilded cage, there to satisfy his vision of home, not her own.
But now, standing in the presence of her real family, Maddie realized what true love and care looked like. It wasn’t about
confinement. It was about freedom and
support.
She smiled softly. It wasn’t too late to start
over.
Her family was whole again. And they would never be torn apart.
***
That night, as Rico pulled into the parking lot of his apartment complex, the exhaustion of the day weighed heavily on him. Out of habit, he glanced up at the twenty–third floor, expecting to see the comforting glow of the lights Maddie always left on for him.
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Chapter 13
But tonight, the windows were dark.
For the first time, the place he called home felt unbearably empty.
Xxx
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