Chapter 17: A Ghost in the Lobby
As the Toby Initiative gained widespread media attention, Richard and Sarah’s faces frequently appeared in newspapers and on television screens. They were celebrated as a powerhouse team, revolutionizing pediatric care. But visibility came with a price.
One brisk November morning, Sarah was walking through the expansive marble lobby of Sterling Global Enterprises when she heard a voice that made her blood run cold.
"Sarah! Sarah, wait!"
She turned around and saw a man arguing with the security guards near the revolving doors. He looked older, wearing a cheap, wrinkled suit, but the deceit in his eyes was exactly the same. It was Marcus. Maya and Toby’s biological father.
Marcus had walked out on them the week Toby received his terminal diagnosis. He had taken their meager savings, claimed he couldn't handle the stress, and vanished, leaving Sarah to face the medical debt and the grief entirely alone.
"Let him go, Frank," Sarah said to the security guard, her voice remarkably steady.
Marcus smoothed his jacket and offered a slick, manipulative smile. "Sarah, you look incredible. I've been seeing you all over the news. I... I realized I made a terrible mistake. I want to be a family again. I want to see my daughter."
Sarah felt a surge of pure disgust. "You don't have a daughter, Marcus. You abandoned us when Toby was dying. You left us to freeze on the streets."
"I panicked!" Marcus pleaded, taking a step closer. "But I'm here now. I’m her father. I have rights, Sarah. If you don't let me back into Maya’s life, I'll go to the press. I'll tell them the great director of the Toby Initiative is keeping a father from his child."
It was a blatant, pathetic extortion attempt. He had seen the billionaire she worked for, the penthouse she lived in, and he wanted a piece of the pie. A year ago, Sarah would have been terrified by his threats. Now, she simply stared at him with absolute pity.
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"You can try, Marcus," Sarah said coldly.
"Is there a problem here?" Richard’s booming voice echoed across the lobby. He walked over, flanked by two corporate attorneys, his eyes locked onto Marcus with the intensity of a predator defending its pack.
