THE BILLIONAIRE'S SECOND CHANCE

SEVEN

SEVEN

Tara Coleman

When I got that call from Brinnah four years ago, my hopes went up, and I was curious to know what life held for me in a new country. My boss, Mr. Knight, was a good man from the moment I stepped foot in his office for the interview.

"You have the qualifications for this job, Miss Young. You have the experience we need in this company, and I am entrusting you with it. I know you will do a good job, so don't disappoint me." He countered a few minutes after talking and asking questions about me. He was an American just like me and made me feel like I was at home, given that we were in a French country.

"I promise, I will not disappoint you. I will do my best to take this company to the next level."

"That's the spirit; your work starts today, and I am assigning Brinnah to be your secretary. You know what to do, so you can start work immediately." He ordered, and I smiled. My life had just taken a drastic change, and I loved the new course.

"Thank you, Sir..." I hesitated a bit, but he brushed it off like it was nothing.

"You don't have to thank me, Tara. I want to see results, and I expect that from you. If anything happens, call me and inform me if there is a problem. The previous manager here was only extorting money from my company, and I almost lost everything I had worked so hard to achieve. I have read your CV and even spoke to your previous manager; he spoke highly of you. That's why I am entrusting you with this company. I am managing my main company in New York, so this will entirely be your responsibility. Is there anything else you would like clarification on?"

"No, I think I am satisfied with the way you explained everything I need to know. I will do my best; that's what I do best." I added, and he nodded.

I was immediately shown to my office, which was slightly bigger than my previous office in New York. I was working as the CEO, the highest rank.

The office looked stunning; it overlooked the city with large open glass windows that illuminated the room with natural light. It had a sleek and modern design with a spacious desk and a comfortable, magnificent swivel chair, accompanied by a cozy seating area for meetings.

It also had some stylish decor and artwork to add a touch of personality. It just inspired productivity and made me feel confident and motivated.

But time flies fast when you are busy, right? After working for a few months, I gave birth to my lovely son, whom I named Jason Coleman. I hated that he had to grow up without a father, but his father decided to betray me and be with my best friend.

Speaking of which, Mark seemed like he had moved on, and I decided to focus on building my career and raising my son. When Jason came into my life, he brought joy and happiness with him. I was a happy mom after several years of trying to look for a child to no avail. My son brought happiness and good luck into my life. I managed to raise my son and balance work for over four years, and that Tuesday evening, as I got off from work, I walked straight to my son's room. He was always playing in his room with his nanny while I was at work until I came back from work.

I couldn't be at home and work at the same time, so I had to find a good nanny for him, and Brittney, his lovely nanny, was there for both of us. She would come to take him from school, stay at home, make sure he was well fed, washed, and retired to bed, then wait for me to come back from work.

That evening, after bidding her goodbye, I walked back to the living room and found my son playing with a new toy. I was home early, and I got curious.

"Jason, where did you get this new toy? I don't remember buying you this kind of toy." I asked as I examined the toy, and it was expensive. I had my doubts that Brittney had bought it for him, so I called just to confirm, but she denied any knowledge about the new toy; in fact, she had no idea that Jason had found himself a new toy.

"Mommy, promise me you won't get mad." He pouted his little face at me, and I smiled and squatted in front of him with the toy in my hands.

"No, baby, you know I would never get mad at you for anything. Now tell me, who gave you this toy? Did you steal it from one of your friends at school? You know I warned you against taking things that don't belong to you, didn't I?"

"But...I didn't steal it, Mom. The new uncle gave it to me; he said it was a birthday gift, and he also said that I shouldn't show it to anyone, not even you."

"Okay, I warned you against talking to strangers, Jason. What if he took you away from me?" I asked, intimidating him, and instead, my son smiled. He looked at me with his pouty face, and I couldn't stay angry at him for so long.

"No one is taking me away from you, Mom. I am going to protect you; I will be a big boy soon, and you will not have to worry about anyone harming you." He said it in a bubbly voice, and I chuckled.

"This uncle, what was his name?" I asked curiosity, getting the better part of me, and Jason smiled as he gently touched the toy.

"I didn't get to ask his name, but he asked me my name, and I didn't tell him, just like you told me."

"But you took the toy from him?"

"I wasn't the only one, Mom; he gave toys to every other boy in my playgroup. I wouldn't have taken it, Mom." He countered, and I smiled, then stood up.

Jason has his father's sense of humor in him, and it was a daily reminder that he was his father's son, and the more he grew up, the more he looked like his father. But I knew I couldn't press him further on the same, not after he had just explained to me what had happened, but the thought of a stranger gifting my son an expensive toy at school and showing interest in him only piqued my curiosity. I wanted to know more about the strange man, but my heart wasn't at peace; it shifted straight to Mark. It had been four years of therapy and trying to get over him and my conniving best friend.

He was the only person who could come looking for his son, but my question was, how does he know about Jason? Did he know that I was pregnant before I left, or did he just find out that he had a son? What if he took my son away from me? What if he wanted to crawl back into my life and file for custody? What could be the end for me? Was I going to lose my baby to Mark after the selfish act he committed four years ago?

I couldn't fathom the idea of Mark taking my son away from me, not after what he did to me or after everything, I had done to keep my son safe from all the drama.

"From today on, no talking to strangers, Jason. You have no uncle around here, and you don't just receive gifts from anyone. Is that clear enough?"

"Yes, Mom, I am sorry. It won't happen again." He innocently apologized, and I nodded. However, I couldn't sleep the rest of the night; I kept turning and tossing on my bed the whole night and only got some sleep in the wee hours of the morning.

A week later, after the incident, I called Brittney to stay up with Jason as I had a work charity event that I couldn't miss for anything. She agreed to stay with my son until I got back, so I quickly freshened up and decided to dress professionally and elegantly.

A classic suit or a tailored dress with tasteful accessories were the two choices I had, but I ended up settling on a navy-blue classic two-piece suit.

My driver was picking me up, so I kissed my son goodbye, then left for the event that was a few minutes’ drive from my apartment. The event was fully packed, which was not what I expected. There were other leaders from different charity groups, as well as other professionals and fellow CEOs representing their companies. It was an annual event that usually attracts a lot of people, but that night it was fully packed compared to the previous years.

I was anxious that evening as I walked through the elegant venue. Brinnah was quick to help me with my handbag and led me to my reserved seat, but as we walked towards the VIP section, my eyes caught a glimpse of Mark among the crowd. My heart stopped for a few seconds, then I urged Brinnah to let me check up on a friend of mine. I quickly followed him outside the hall, but I couldn't see him anywhere. I checked everywhere, hoping that my eyes were playing a trick on me, and when I couldn't see him, I walked back into the room relieved.

I brushed off the idea that Mark could be present at the event and quickly walked to find my seat. I was confused about what I had just seen, and I even thought I was running crazy, but before I could fully process my emotions; I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Is this seat taken?" A rich, velvety, and captivating deep voice brought me back t planet Earth, as I had completely zoned out.