The reporters corner me the moment I step out of the car. “Mr. Stevens, is it true you’ve never had a girlfriend? Do you even like women?
” Another one shouts, “What made you build the Stevens Group so fast in just ten years? ”
I keep my face blank, but inside, the old wound twists. “Because I want to find someone,” I say. The cameras flash, but I don’t see them.
I see headlights on a rainy night, the phone call that shattered my world. When my parents died in that crash, I couldn’t handle the shock. I pushed everyone away—my friends, my relatives, even the girl I loved. I thought if I grew the company big enough, fast enough, I’d run into her again.
Ten years later, I still haven’t found her. I built an empire just so I’d have a reason to search every face in every crowd. But she’s gone. So I just missed home, and I’ve made enough money.
There’s no time left to wait. Later, I make a call to someone I trust. “Can you do me a favor? ” I ask.
“Let’s get married. ”
The next day, I bring the engagement to the Moss family. We’re heading there to propose right now. But the moment I walk in, I see her—the woman who works for them, the one everyone treats like dirt.
I don’t know why, but my eyes stay on her. The Moss family’s daughter, Elsie, is all smiles. My soon-to-be fiancée. But I can’t stop watching the other woman—the one who’s cleaning tables, the one they mock for not going to college.
“Unlike some people, all that glitters isn’t gold,” she mutters, and I feel the sting hit home. “I’ve never seen such a simple proposal in my life,” Elsie says, but I barely hear her. I’m looking at the paper crane the other woman slips into her pocket after I drop it—a small, stupid thing. I find myself saying, “My wife gave me a paper crane, so I should return the gesture.
” And I point at her. “She’ll do. ”
The room freezes. Elsie’s face crumbles.
But I don’t care. I hand that woman a ring. “Keep it,” I say. “We’ll start fresh.
”
That night, I learn her name: Jenna George. She works as housekeeping at the Stevens Group hotel. And she’s married. Or she says she is.
But I don’t care what her papers say. I feel like I’ve known her my whole life. The next morning, I walk into the presidential suite, and there she is—cleaning, looking fragile, trying not to meet my eyes. But Elsie storms in behind me, screaming that Jenna stole a ring.
“She’s a thief! ” Elsie yells. “Call the police! ”
Jenna doesn’t flinch.
She shows them the ring I gave her. “I didn’t steal anything,” she says. “Mr. Stevens gave this to me.
”
“You liar! ” Elsie slaps her face. “You sneaked in here to seduce him! ”
I step forward and grab Elsie’s wrist.
“Do you see? ” I say, holding up the security footage from my phone. “You slapped exactly who I meant to slap. ”
Elsie’s face goes white.
“You—you knew? You planned all this? ”
“I knew,” I say. “And I know you tried to frame her for theft because you’re desperate.
”
Jenna just stares at me, her hand touching her cheek. “Why? ” she whispers. Before I can answer, the door bursts open.
A man storms in—her husband, maybe. He shouts, “Jenna! What are you doing with him? ”
I don’t back down.
I turn to Jenna. “You asked why I want to marry you. Because I remember you. Ten years ago, in a small town, you gave a boy a paper crane when his parents died.
You told him he wasn’t alone. ”
Her eyes widen. “You’re… you’re that boy? ” Her voice shakes.
“The one who ran away? ”
“The same,” I say. “I built all of this to find you. And I’m not letting you go again.
”
She looks at me, tears streaming down her face. But then she looks at the man behind me—her husband. “I… I don’t know what to say,” she whispers. “I’ll give you time,” I say.
“But know this—I’m not taking no for an answer. Not after ten years. ”
She lowers her head, silent. And I know the fight isn’t over.
Her husband is still standing there, furious. Elsie is still crying in the corner. And I’m standing in the middle of it all, wondering if I’ve just won the only battle that ever mattered—or if I’ve lost it before it even began.
