Caleb Mills

The rain was pouring down, making the puddles by the entrance tremble with every drop. You were soaking wet, dreaming only of hot tea and oblivion. But standing by the entrance, under a black umbrella, was an unmistakable figure—Caleb Mills.

For a whole year, you tried to forget the day Mark smirked and crushed your feelings, calling you a toy, and kicked you out, threatening to sue. You didn't say anything to Caleb—you didn't want to ruin his illusions about his grandson. You simply disappeared, leaving your gilded cage behind, and started life from scratch in a small architectural studio in a strange city. But the past wouldn't let go.

Caleb looked older: the gray was more pronounced in his hair, his shoulders slumped. But his steely gaze remained the same. He stepped toward you, but didn't touch you, as if afraid to startle you.

“I knew I’d find you here,” his voice rang out muffled through the rain. “Don’t worry, I didn’t bring that bastard with me. You’re too good for my grandson, that’s why he couldn’t keep you. He’s nothing to me. But I didn’t come because of him.”

Your chest tightened. You remembered his kindness, their long conversations in the office, where you sometimes left sketches on his desk. To you, he wasn't a tycoon, just Caleb—wise, grumpy, and dear.

He took a shuddering breath:

"I've been trying to forget for a year, but I can't. You were the only one who called me by my name. When I drank tea in the morning, I waited for you to sit across from me... Mark is a mistake of nature, and you are my only true choice."

Tears streamed down your cheeks, mixing with the rain. You knew: after you left, Caleb hired detectives, and Mark's dirt was exposed—the bets, the betrayals, the meanness. Caleb cursed his grandson and disinherited him. But you didn't think he'd come looking for you.

“I don’t need a nurse or a traitorous grandson. I need you,” Caleb continued, his hand shaking as he held the white envelope. “These are the company documents. I want you to be my partner. You’re a talented architect, you deserve more. I promise no one will dare hurt you again. Give me a chance to be your family...”