“But Mommy said—”
“Your mommy has the best replacement in the world,” Robert said. “And I’m not firing anyone. I promise.”
Amy wrapped her arms around him, burying her tear-streaked face into his shoulder.
Robert held her, realizing this was a responsibility no board had ever prepared him for.
What he didn’t know was that the real storm was just beginning.
Pamela’s illness was serious.
And outside those glass walls, rumors about “the janitor’s child” were already spreading—reaching people with far less compassion than Robert had just discovered.
Robert personally drove Amy to the hospital. When they entered the room, Pamela lay pale, hooked to IV lines.
Her fear turned to panic when she saw her daughter holding hands with the CEO.
“Amy?” she whispered. “Mr. Whitmore? Oh my God—what happened? What did she do? I’m so sorry—”
“She did nothing wrong,” Robert said gently. “She saved my day.”
Over the next hour, Robert learned the truth.
Pamela wasn’t just a cleaner—she was brilliant. A former computer science student forced to drop out when her partner abandoned her and her conservative family cut her off. She had sacrificed everything for her daughter.