Three Jobs for Me, Millions for Her? Fine, I Quit This Family Chapter 08
Before they could react, a strong hand gently pulled me back.
A tall, broad–shouldered man in an impeccably tailored charcoal suit stepped in front of me, shielding me from my biological parents.
Daniel Sterling stared at Richard and Victoria, his eyes cold and commanding.
“What do you think You’re doing with my daughter?”
Richard and Victoria exchanged stunned glances.
Victoria stepped forward, her voice rising in panic.
Your daughter? Claire is my daughter!”
I carried her for nine months!”
“She is my flesh and blood!”
She tried to push past him to reach me, but Daniel blocked her path with a solid, unyielding arm.
“Step back,” Daniel said, his deep voice carrying an absolute authority that made Victoria freeze. “Are you planning to harass a young girl in a public hallway?”
The loud confrontation caused several apartment doors along the corridor to click open.
Neighbors began peering out, whispering to one another.
Those are the two who have been loitering around the
building all week,” an older woman called out. “They look like kidnappers.”
“Don’t worry, honey, I already called the police,” another
neighbor shouted. “They’ll be here in five minutes!”
Get out of here, creeps!”
An old lady at the end of the hall threw a carton of eggs,
hitting the wall right next to Richard’s head.
With the neighbors turning hostile, Richard and Victoria had
no choice but to retreat down the stairwell.
Once they were gone, Eleanor Sterling turned to me. She grabbed my shoulders, checking me over with deep concern.
Oh, sweetheart!”
“Why on earth are you staying in a place like this when we have a perfectly good home in Greenwich?”
“Daniel and I told you that you don’t need to worry about money.”
“We adopted you because we wanted to care for you like our own daughter!”
smiled, throwing my arms around Eleanor’s neck.
‘Don’t be mad, Mom. Look.”
I pulled a small velvet box from my apron pocket.
Inside was a delicate vintage brooch I had bought with my savings.
“This is for you. I wanted to buy you a proper gift with the
money I earned myself.”
Eleanor stared at the brooch, her eyes softening.
The lecture she had prepared vanished.
She turned to Daniel, trying to look stern.
“Look at the daughter you raised. She is completely stubborn.”
Daniel and I shared a smile, and the three of us shared a warm hug.
Meeting Daniel and Eleanor had been a complete accident.
The night I withdrew from the university, I was sitting on the edge of the Hudson River pier, feeling entirely lost.
Daniel, who was out for a walk with Eleanor, saw me sitting too close to the edge.
Thinking I was about to jump, Eleanor had rushed over and pulled me back, giving me a fierce, emotional lecture about the value of life.
When they realized I was just clearing my head, they still refused to leave me alone.
They took me to a quiet diner and bought me a bowl of warm clam chowder while they waited for the police to assist me.
As the warmth of the food settled in, and looking at Eleanor’s
kind, motherly face. I ended up telling them everything.
Eleanor had wept openly, holding me tight, while Daniel sat in silent, controlled fury, asking about my plans.
I had shook my head.
I had run away on pure survival instinct, with no backup plan.
The only certainty was that I would never go back to the Bennetts.
Daniel and Eleanor had stepped aside to talk.
When they returned, they asked me if I wanted to join their family.
Eleanor had been unable to have children due to a medical
condition when she was younger.
Now, in their fifties, they had given up on having a family.
Seeing my hesitation, Daniel had laid out his credentials on the table:
his driver’s license, his property deeds, his clean background
check, his medical records, and even his psychological evaluation.
Once I agreed, they immediately had their legal team process the adult adoption.
The paperwork had taken some time to clear, which was why
they had traveled back to their estate to finalize the records.
I had used that week to work at the bakery to buy them a thank–you gift.
I didn’t expect my biological parents to track me down first.