Chapter 1

The banquet hall of the five-star hotel blazed with light, glasses clinking on every side. It was Delgado Group's annual gala, and everyone had come in their finest, polished smiles fixed on their faces.

Renata Fox had meant only to tuck herself into a corner, eat her meal quietly, and take her son home.

But that son of hers, Jackson Fox, who had just turned twenty and was handsome as a movie star, drew the whole room's eyes simply by standing there.

Just as all the women from the office had gathered around to praise how good-looking the boy was, Keith Delgado, the chairman who almost never showed his face, pushed through the crowd. His hand trembled as he carried his glass over to them.

The old man's gaze locked hard on Jackson's brow and eyes. After a long moment, he said the words that dropped Renata straight into an ice pit: "Your son... looks a great deal like someone I once knew."

Renata Fox was an ordinary veteran employee in Delgado Group's admin department.

She'd been in this line of work for nearly fifteen years, and she was like a brick in the company, hauled wherever she was needed, quiet and all but invisible day to day.

She had a gentle face, but she always wore a pair of black-framed glasses and work clothes washed pale yet neatly pressed. She never joined the office gossip, never fought over power or position.

In her coworkers' eyes, Renata was a shy, maybe even dull single mother.

Only Renata herself knew how carefully she had lived these fifteen years. All she wanted was a steady paycheck, to raise her son to adulthood, to cause no trouble, and above all to draw no important person's notice.

That afternoon, Paul Whitney, the admin department manager, came in beaming. He clapped his hands and announced loudly, "Everybody stop what you're doing! I've got good news! For this year's company gala, Chairman Delgado has personally approved bringing family members. And here's the thing, Chairman Delgado said business was good this year, so every family member who shows up gets a big red envelope, and there'll be a parent-and-child prize drawing on site. Grand prize is a brand-new car!"

The office erupted at once.

"Wow! Long live Chairman Delgado! I've been wanting to bring my husband out to see how the other half lives!" "I'm bringing my daughter, she just learned to dance, she can show it off!" "The grand prize is a car? My God, I'm definitely bringing my mom to draw for me, she's got the best luck!"

Amid all the cheering, only Renata's face went slightly pale, the folder in her hands tightening in her grip.

She didn't want to go.

Especially once she heard the chairman would attend in person, she wanted to go even less.

For all these years she had steered clear of every event involving company leadership. She skipped the gala whenever she could take leave, and when there was no getting out of it, she hid alone in a corner.

"Renata, why the long face?" Maud Chavez, the young intern across from her, leaned in. "Isn't your son home for winter break? I heard he's at a top university, and he's supposed to be really good-looking. Bring him so we can get a look!"

That one call brought Kate Lambert over from the next table.

Kate was the deputy supervisor of the admin department, a few years younger than Renata, decked out flashy and gaudy. She had always looked down on plodding workhorses like Renata.

"Oh, Maud, don't go talking nonsense." Kate's nails were painted bright red, and her voice slid into that mocking singsong. "Renata keeps herself so hidden away, who even knows what her son's like? Besides, a gala at a five-star hotel like this is a high-society occasion. Bringing along some half-grown kid who's never seen the world, and he goes running around bumping into things, breaks a glass or a plate, well, a salary like Renata's can't cover that."

The office went quiet for a beat, everyone a little uncomfortable.

Renata lowered her head, pushed up her glasses, and said softly, "I wasn't planning to bring him. He... he doesn't like crowds."

"Doesn't like crowds, or isn't fit to be shown off?" Kate laughed behind her hand. "Renata, I'm only saying this for your own good. Kids from single-parent homes turn out withdrawn as it is, so all the more reason to bring him out to see the world. Look at my husband, busy as he is, he's definitely bringing our son to something like this. You've got to carry yourself with some pride."

Renata bit her lip and didn't argue back. She had long grown used to Kate's sneering, and to keep this job she had learned to swallow it.

"Who said my mom has no pride?"

A clear, crisp voice rang out at the doorway.

Everyone turned as one.

There in the admin department entrance stood a slender young man in a white down jacket, a backpack over his shoulders and an insulated lunch box in his hand.

The boy had sharply defined features, a high straight nose, and dark bright eyes like cold stars in a night sky. Simply and plainly dressed as he was, the composure and quiet nobility that ran through him seemed to brighten the whole office.

It was Jackson Fox, come to bring Renata her lunch.

Jackson strode over to Renata's side, set the lunch box on the desk, then turned and looked at Kate, his eyes cold. "Ma'am, my mom just keeps a low profile. That isn't the same as having no pride. And this is only a five-star hotel, not some den of tigers. I'm going to keep my mom company, not to see the world."

Kate was thrown by the force coming off this young kid. Her mouth opened, but for a moment nothing came out.

Renata quickly caught her son's hand. "Jackson, watch what you say. This is Supervisor Lambert."

Jackson drew back the edge in his eyes and gave Renata a warm smile. "Mom, if the company's handing out perks, then we'll go. I'd like to see just how grand this company of yours is, grand enough to make this lady feel so superior."

Renata looked at the firmness in her son's eyes, and it felt as if a corner of the ice in her chest had thawed.

She wanted to refuse, but looking at that face of his, so like... like that face, an ache rose in her again.

She had hidden all these years. Was she going to hide her whole life?

Her son had grown up. He was a man now, and he wanted to protect his mother. How could she keep on being a coward with her head tucked down?

"All right." Renata drew a deep breath and nodded. "Then we'll go."