He spoke to Grace’s mother, whose name was Elena, as one adult speaking to another. He offered her work at the mansion if she wanted it, not as a handout but as employment with dignity. He offered them a home there as well, somewhere warm and safe, somewhere neither hunger nor cold would follow them.
Elena hesitated. Pride and fear and long habit all held her back. People with money often helped in ways that humiliated more than they healed.
But when she looked at Victor, she did not see only the billionaire. She saw the father who had wept in the dirt. She saw sincerity. She saw gratitude that had gone beyond words.
So she said yes.
When Grace and her mother walked through the iron gates of the Montrose estate, the household staff fell silent. And then Sofia saw her.
The little girl dropped everything she was holding and ran toward Grace with all the speed her small body had, then threw herself into her arms.
“Now we’re sisters,” Sofia said, her words still a little uneven, but clear enough to leave no doubt.
Elena covered her face and cried.