‘Can I clean your house in exchange for a plate of food?’ But when the millionaire saw her, he froze.
Rain poured down on the glass roof of the billionaire’s luxurious mansion, located just outside Seattle. Inside, Julian Maddox stood by the fireplace, holding a cup of black coffee, his gaze lost in the dance of the flames. He was accustomed to silence; even in this grand house, he was never truly surrounded by people. Success had brought him money, but not peace of mind.
There was a sharp knock in the hall.
Julian frowned. He wasn’t expecting anyone: the staff had the day off, and visitors were rare. He set down his cup and headed for the front door. When he opened it, a woman stood on the threshold, soaked to the skin, holding a little girl barely two years old in her arms. Her clothes were worn, her eyes sunken with fatigue. The child, silent, clung to her mother’s sweater, looking around curiously.
‘I’m sorry to bother you,’ the woman said in a trembling voice. ‘I haven’t eaten in two days. I can clean your house… just for a plate of food for me and my daughter.’
Julian froze.
His heart stopped — not out of pity, but out of amazement.
‘Emily?’ he muttered.
The woman raised her head, her mouth slightly open in disbelief.
‘Julian?’
Time seemed to collapse in on itself.
Seven years ago, she had disappeared without a word, without saying goodbye. She had simply walked out of his life.
Julian stepped back, stunned. The last time he had seen Emily Hart, she had been wearing a red summer dress, barefoot in the garden, laughing as if the world could not hurt her.
And now… she stood before him in rags.
His chest tightened. ‘Where have you been?’
‘I didn’t come for a reunion,’ she replied, her voice broken. ‘I just need something to eat. Please… I’ll leave right after that.’
He looked down at the little girl: light curls, blue eyes… the same eyes as her mother.
His voice gave way: ‘Is she… mine?’
Emily didn’t answer, just turned away.
Julian stepped forward: ‘Come in.’
The warmth of the house enveloped them. Shivering, Emily left a few drops of water on the polished marble while Julian gave instructions to the chef to prepare the meal.
‘Do you still have staff?’ she asked quietly.
‘Of course,’ he replied a little sternly. ‘I have everything… except answers.’
The little girl reached for the bowl of strawberries on the table and whispered timidly, ‘Thank you.’
Julian smiled faintly. ‘What’s your name?’
‘Lila,’ Emily whispered.
The name struck him. Lila. That was the name they had wanted to give their future daughter when everything was fine… before everything fell apart.
Julian slowly sat down. ‘Explain. Why did you leave?’
Emily hesitated, then sat down opposite him, holding Lila in her arms.
‘I found out I was pregnant the same week your company went public. You were working twenty hours a day. I didn’t want to be a burden.’
‘That was my decision to make,’ he said bitterly.
‘I know,’ she continued. ‘But then… I was diagnosed with cancer.’
Julian’s heart sank.
‘It was stage two. The doctors weren’t sure I would survive. I didn’t want you to have to choose between the company and a dying girl. So I left… I gave birth alone, went through chemotherapy alone. And I survived.’
He was speechless, torn between anger and sadness.
‘You didn’t trust me enough to let me help?’ he finally asked.
Tears welled up in Emily’s eyes: ‘I didn’t even trust myself to survive.’
Lila tugged at her mother’s sweater: ‘Mummy, I want to sleep.’
Julian leaned towards the girl: ‘Would you like to rest in a warm bed?’
She nodded. Then he turned to Emily: ‘You’re staying here tonight. I’ll prepare the guest room.’
‘I can’t stay…’ she began.
‘You can, and you will,’ he interrupted firmly. ‘You’re not just anyone, you’re the mother of my child.’
She froze: ‘You think she’s my daughter?’
Julian straightened up: ‘I don’t need a test to know that. Look at her: she’s mine.’
That night, after they had put Lila to bed, Julian stood on the balcony watching the storm-washed sky. Emily came up to him, wrapped in a dressing gown borrowed from one of the maids.
‘I didn’t want to ruin your life,’ she confessed.
‘You didn’t,’ he replied. ‘You just disappeared from her life.’
Silence fell.
‘I didn’t come here to ask for anything,’ Emily said. ‘I was just desperate.’
Julian turned his head towards her: ‘You were the only woman I ever loved. And you took away my right to fight for you.
Tears streamed down Emily’s cheeks: ‘I still love you… even if you hate me.
He didn’t answer. He looked at the window where Lila was sleeping, safe.
Finally, he said, ‘Stay. At least until we decide what to do next.’
The next morning, the sun broke through the grey clouds, flooding Julian’s estate with golden light. For the first time in years, the house didn’t feel empty.
Downstairs, Julian was unexpectedly at the stove, beating eggs. The smell of butter and toast filled the kitchen. Soft footsteps could be heard: Emily appeared in the doorway, holding Lila by the hand, now in clean pyjamas, her hair neatly combed.
‘Are you cooking now?’ Emily asked with a slight smile.
‘I’m trying,’ Julian replied, handing Lila a plate: for her.
The girl climbed onto a chair and devoured her breakfast as if she hadn’t eaten real food in weeks.
‘She adores you,’ Emily remarked, sitting on the edge of the counter.
‘She’s easy to love,’ he replied.
The next few days passed in a new, calm rhythm: Emily, still distrustful, said little, while Julian watched her every move, trying to make up for lost time.
But not everyone was happy about them living together.
One afternoon, returning from a meeting, Julian found his assistant Charlotte standing with her arms crossed at the door.
‘Are your wife and child living here now?’ she asked.
‘Yes. Emily and her daughter.’
‘Your daughter?’ Charlotte was surprised.
He nodded.
‘It’s not very secretive. The board of directors is already asking questions.’
‘Let them ask,’ Julian replied coldly. ‘My family isn’t interested in the stock market.’
The word ‘family’ sounded unusual coming from him, but now it seemed right.
In the evening, Emily sat on the terrace watching Lila chase butterflies on the lawn. Julian joined her with two cups of tea.
‘You’ve always loved the sunset,’ he whispered.
‘It was the only time the world was at peace.’
He took a sip: ‘Why didn’t you come back after you recovered?’
She turned away: ‘I no longer thought my place was in your world. You became… unattainable. Famous. Powerful.’
He approached her. ‘I was alone.’
She remained silent.
‘You could have come back,’ he repeated.
‘I was afraid you wouldn’t forgive me.’
Julian stepped back, his hands in his pockets. ‘And now?’
Emily struggled to find the words: ‘I still don’t know if you can.’
He turned to her: ‘I don’t need revenge, Emily. I want to understand what kind of person I need to be now… for her.’
Her eyes filled with tears: ‘She needs a father, not a CEO.’
‘Then I’ll be that for her,’ he said.
The next day, while Julian was on a conference call, Emily received an unexpected visitor: standing at the door was Diana Maddox, Julian’s mother, dressed conservatively and with a cold stare.
‘So you’re back,’ Diana said to Emily.
‘Hello, Diana,’ Emily replied cautiously.
‘You’re not staying, I presume?’ Diana said dryly.
‘I wasn’t planning to…’ Emily admitted. ‘But now I don’t know.’
‘Do you think having a child makes you a family?’ Diana said mockingly.
‘I’ll always be one. Lila is Julian’s daughter.’
Diana smirked: ‘What if it’s just a ploy to get your share of the inheritance?’
Emily straightened up, her voice firm: ‘Then you don’t know me at all.’
At that moment, Julian returned: his gaze turned stern as he noticed the tension.
‘What’s going on here?’ he asked.
‘A family visit,’ Diana said with a false smile. ‘I’m meeting Emily.’
Julian turned to Emily with suspicion. She shook her head silently.
Later that evening, Emily was packing her suitcase.
Julian found her in the hallway, zipping up her bag.
‘What are you doing?’ he exclaimed.
‘I can’t stay… your mother…’
‘Forget it,’ he interrupted. ‘I want you to stay. Lila needs you. No one will kick you out of this house, not even my mother.’
Her lips trembled: ‘You’ll go against your family for me?’
‘You’re my family,’ he said. ‘You and Lila. You always have been.’
Emily burst into tears. And this time, when he hugged her, she didn’t pull away.
Weeks passed, then months.
Julian travelled less for work. He learned to braid Lila’s hair instead of reviewing quarterly reports. Emily found peace in the house that had once felt like a prison and took up painting again. Lila laughed more and more every day.
One Sunday morning, under the magnolia tree in bloom in the garden, Julian knelt down, holding a small velvet box in his hands.
Emily opened her mouth in surprise and whispered: ‘Julian…’
‘I lost you once,’ he said. ‘I won’t make the mistake of letting you go again.’
Tears rolled quietly down Emily’s cheeks, while Lila clapped her hands, happy and innocent.
‘Yes,’ she whispered. ‘Yes.’
And the world was finally filled with light again — for them.
