Who Owns These Kids?

Mallory managed to fix her hair just before she got into the cab with the kids. She dropped them off at school, then proceeded to the company. The whole time, it had taken her a lot of effort not to shed a tear.

She hated Isla for her words that morning. But she wondered if she was feeling so bad because most of them were true. Maybe she really was badluck to the family. Her parents died because of her.

For years, Mallory had tried to bury the painful memory of how unfortunate her life had been. How difficult it had been.

When she got to the company, she had to force back the tears that rimmed her eyes. She got to her floor and hurried pass their Chloe's station, not being in the mood to laugh with any of them.

On her desk, she rested her head and remained that way until she heard footsteps. She lifted her head to find Wilder coming forth, with a man behind him holding his briefcase.

In that fleeting moment, the chaos within her stilled. A sense of serenity washed over her, suffus