Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 118(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 118(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
"What is it this time?"
"He's acting...as if he needs a mother."
Olsen mentally calculated the boy's age. "Theo should be about seven now, isn't he?"
Garion's nod was clipped, but there was something in the man's hazel eyes...
"Is there something else you'd like to say?" Olsen asked patiently.
"I need a favor."
"Of course." Olsen assumed Garion would ask his firm's help for screening applicants for a nanny to provide Theo with motherly care and affection, but what the billionaire asked for instead nearly had him choking.
"That is a very unconventional thing to ask for."
"But not impossible."
"I...suppose not."
"And not illegal."
Olsen's expression turned wry. "Is that why you sought for my assistance, instead of someone whose, er, skills were more suitable for your requirements?"
"I don't want to take any risks where Theo's concerned," the billionaire said flatly. "Money won't be an issue, but if things do go sideways - I want to make sure that my son's custody remains with me."
Olsen rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I can make that work, and as for the rest...let me get back to you in a couple of days." He already had someone in mind, actually, but he wanted to play it safe for now. He was a lawyer, after all.
Garion left soon after, and the lawyer wasted no time in having Daisy Rae called up to his office.
A woman in her early twenties came knocking in minutes, her face nondescript but her figure pleasantly rounded. Her hair, a natural silvery shade of blond, was her most arresting feature, but most days this was sadly unnoticeable, with Daisy Rae preferring to pin her hair up and tuck everything under an ugly hair net when working.
"Good morning, Mr. Calder." Her voice was soothing to the ears, and the bright smile that played over her lips instantly made her face enchanting.
"Good morning, Daisy Rae."
He nodded at the pair of high-backed chairs across his desk, and the younger woman gingerly took a seat. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No, no, not at all," the lawyer hastened to assure her. "On the contrary, you might be the one offering me assistance instead."
"I can't imagine what that is, but if there is something I can help you with, I'd be glad to do so."
And that had always been the case with her, Olsen thought, which was why everyone at the office privately thought of her as 'poor little Daisy Rae'.
The girl was only seven when her parents died, and she had gone on to live with her maternal aunt. The older woman had been one of Olsen's clients, and while he did see that Helana genuinely cared for her niece, the same couldn't be said about her husband or daughter.
Both Nolan and Hilda had acted as if Daisy Rae was a burden to be tolerated, and their attitude towards the girl only worsened when Helena passed a few years later in a car accident. Olsen had been called in to discuss Helena's will, and he had seen how Daisy Rae's family had already started acting like she was their slave to order around.
The lawyer didn't typically keep in touch with his clients once his work was done, but Daisy Rae turned out to be his sole exception to the rule, and his wife Julie had just been as adamant that he kept in contact with the girl. 'She's just so nice and cheerful even when her uncle obviously doesn't want her,' Julie had lamented. 'We need to do something to help her.'
After much discussion with his wife, Olsen had attempted to ask Nolan if he was willing to have them adopt Daisy Rae instead, to which Nolan had reacted with unexpected outrage, and the other man had even convinced himself that Olsen's offer was a result of his niece making up lies about him.
Years would pass before Olsen and Julie were to see Daisy Rae again, and only when she was already eighteen and no longer under Nolan's guardianship. She had come to his office, shyly asking if he had any full-time openings for someone like her, who only had a high school diploma to her name.
Money was apparently tight, according to her Uncle Nolan, and it was understandable that her Uncle could only spare the money for his own daughter's tuition.
'I also want to help with the expenses,' Daisy Rae had added earnestly, 'so I can't afford to be burdened by school loans.'
That was three years ago, and Daisy Rae had been with the firm since then. In her first year, he had constantly badgered her to let him and Julie pay for her tuition, but Daisy Rae had been just as consistent with her refusal.
'You've already done so much for me, Mr. Calder. Being able to work in your firm is a huge blessing as it is.'
Since their law firm had strict rules regarding employment, Olsen had only been able to offer Daisy Rae a job that would fit her educational qualifications, and that was to clean and restock the pantry from eight to five.