Chapter 5
1 288 Vouchers
Chicago’s first snowfall came in late December.
I walked to the floor–to–ceiling window, stretching as I stared at the snowy view, lost in thought.
Just then, someone knocked on the office door.
Snapping out of it, I said, “Come in.”
A moment later, my assistant, Tina Jensen, walked in with a gift bag, smiling brightly.
“Kaia, happy birthday. This is for you.”
I saw the luxury brand logo on the bag and instinctively said, “You’ve only been working here two months, why would you give me something this expensive?
“Isn’t your mom having surgery soon? You should take it back and see if you can return it.”
Tina shook her head.
“Please take it, Kaia. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even have this job. You’ve been so kind to me, and you even lent me money for my mom’s surgery. I really wanted to thank you.
“If you won’t take it, just toss it in the trash.
“I’m off work.” Then, she rushed out of the office before I could say no.
I looked at the gift bag on my desk and couldn’t help but smile.
Five years ago, I left New York and flew to Chicago–my mom’s hometown, and a place that held pieces of my child- hood.
After settling down, I started a small company and encouraged people with criminal records to apply.
I didn’t expect that nearly everyone who showed up had a record, but they had genuinely turned their lives around and just couldn’t find work.
Tina was one of them.
After college, she unknowingly joined a scam company, and by the time she finished her sentence, no one wanted to
hire her.
Seeing these people find a job gave me the feeling that I was doing something right.
On the drive home, the moment I stepped out of the elevator, the smell of home–cooked food hit me.
I smiled and unlocked the door, and just as I expected, there was a tall man busy in the kitchen.
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Chapter 5
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Silently, I walked up behind him, wrapped my arms around his waist, and let out a deep sigh, closing my eyes like a weight had finally lifted.
“Tired?”
Finley Roberts’s gentle voice filled the kitchen as he paused what he was doing and turned to me with a warm smile.
Then he leaned down and kissed the corner of my lips.
“Go lie down for a bit if you’re tired. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.
“I made your favorite ribs. Didn’t you say you were craving them yesterday?”
I smiled and nodded.
“Okay! Don’t forget to call me when it’s done.”
Then, I left the kitchen, grabbed a blanket, and curled up on the couch to relax.
The apartment of just over 100 square meters was simple and cozy.
It couldn’t compare to the pricey real estate in New York, but it gave me a deeper sense of peace and security.
Five years ago, I returned to Chicago in a daze, and that’s when I crossed paths with Finley, someone I had only met a few times before.
He was the son of one of my mom’s good friends.
When I was a child and my mom took me to spend summers in Chicago, Finley was one of the few kids I played with.
But after that, I stopped visiting for years, and we lost touch.
When we met again, he went to great lengths to help my career, running all over the place.
Seeing that I wasn’t taking care of myself, he even cooked for me and drove me to and from work for years without fail…
Slowly, he healed wounds I thought would never heal.
We naturally fell in love and got married.
Being with him made me realize that a truly good connection doesn’t need a lot of struggles to be perfect.
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