Chapter 6 - THE BIRTHDAY GIFT
The day after the recording was discovered, Dominic received a package.
It had no return address. Inside was a small envelope containing a
photograph of Ella leaving school with Mrs. Alvarez.
On the back, someone had written:
A father who is never home should be careful about making enemies.
Dominic read it once, then handed it to Marcus.
“Find out who sent this. Don’t alarm the child.”
Security increased around the school and the estate. The family attorney
contacted the authorities and documented the threat.
Dominic did not tell Ella what the photograph meant. He only explained
that there would be a few changes to her routine.
“Will you still pick me up?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Even if you have a meeting?”
“I’ll move the meeting.”
She considered that.
“Can I tell my teacher?”
“You can tell her that your daddy is learning to keep his promises.”
That afternoon, Dominic took Ella to a small bakery outside the estate.
It was the first time they had gone somewhere without a full security
procession. Marcus and Elena remained nearby, but they gave the pair
space.
Ella chose a chocolate cupcake with pink frosting.
Dominic ordered coffee.
“Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“Do you like birthdays?”
“I used to.”
“Why not now?”
He thought about it.
“Maybe I forgot what they were for.”
Ella licked frosting from her thumb.
“Birthdays are for cake and hugs.”
“Then I think I like them again.”
She opened her little purse and placed a folded piece of paper on the
table.
Dominic recognized the handwriting.
It was another heart.
This one said:
HUGS ARE FREE.
Underneath, Ella had drawn two stick figures. One had very long legs.
“That’s you,” she explained. “I made your arms big so you can hug me
better.”
Dominic laughed, and the sound surprised him.
When they returned home, Mrs. Alvarez was waiting in the entrance hall.
“Sir, there’s something else.”
She handed him a sealed envelope. It had been left at the front gate by
a delivery driver.
Inside was a letter from Adrian.
Dominic read it in silence.
Adrian claimed that Seraphina had been the one to suggest diverting the
funds. He insisted he had only followed her instructions. He also
claimed that she had been planning to leave the country with Ella once
the trust documents were signed.
Dominic’s attorney read the letter.
“This is an accusation, not proof,” she said. “We’ll verify every part.
But it supports the need for immediate safeguards.”
Dominic looked toward the staircase, where Ella was singing to
Mr. Rabbit.
“Whatever happens between the adults, she doesn’t become a prize in a
fight.”
His attorney nodded.
“That’s exactly the position we need to maintain.”
That evening, Dominic sat beside Ella’s bed.
He read three stories instead of one.
When he reached the end, she held his hand.
“Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“Can I have a hug tomorrow too?”
He kissed her forehead.
“Tomorrow, and the day after that.”
“Do I have to bring my box?”
“No.”
“Can I keep the box?”
“Of course.”
Ella smiled sleepily.
“Then I’ll put my drawings in it.”
Dominic waited until she fell asleep.
The wooden box had once held the price she believed she had to pay for
May you like
love.
Now it would hold proof that she never needed to pay at all.
