Sophia, the quiet one, stepped forward. She tilted her head, looking at Marcus.
“You have our eyes,” she whispered.
Marcus felt a tear roll down his cheek. He crouched down, opening his arms, but not daring to move forward.
“I do,” he choked out. “And I am so, so sorry I was lost for so long.”
It wasn’t like the movies. They didn’t run to him immediately. There was hesitation. There was fear. These were children who had learned that the world was a hard place.
But then, Ava, the youngest and most innocent, let go of her mother’s hand. She walked over to Marcus and touched the lapel of his coat.
“Are you rich?” she asked innocently.
Marcus let out a wet, startled laugh. “Yes. I am.”
“Can you buy Emma medicine? She still coughs.”
“I can buy the whole pharmacy, sweetheart,” Marcus promised. “I can buy the hospital.”
“Okay,” Ava decided. And she hugged him.
It broke the dam. Slowly, the others joined in. It was awkward, and it was tentative, but it was a start. Marcus Blackwood held his four daughters, and for the first time in his life, he understood the true value of a net worth.
PART 5: The Real Inheritance
Ten Years Later.
