“Please, sir,” the boy pleaded, eyes wide with fear. “We just need food. My sisters are freezing.”
Daniel crouched down despite the water running into his shoes. “Where are your parents?”
The boy swallowed hard. “They’re gone. It’s just me now. Please… don’t let anyone take them.”
The words hit harder than any business loss ever had. Daniel had negotiated billion-dollar mergers without blinking, but this—this was different. He slipped off his coat and wrapped it around the infants.
In that moment, something shifted. Money suddenly felt small.
“Get in the car,” Daniel said firmly.
The boy hesitated, then climbed in. Daniel carefully cradled one of the babies as the vehicle pulled back into traffic. He knew this wasn’t a passing act of charity. Something in his life had just changed direction.
Inside the warmth of the car, the contrast to the storm outside was stark. Daniel listened to the fragile breathing of the baby in his arms. Across from him, the boy held the other child protectively.
“What’s your name?” Daniel asked gently.
“Jacob,” the boy replied.
“And your sisters?”
“Olivia and Grace. They’re two months old.”
Daniel nodded. “Where do you live, Jacob?”