Part 5:

Daniel opened it. $200 in cash exactly as promised. He wanted to throw it back at her. Tell her he didn’t need her money. But he did need it. And Pride didn’t pay the rent. He took the money and left. The elevator ride down felt longer than the ride up. His reflection stared back at him from the polished walls. He looked tired.

He always looked tired these days. $90,000. He could pay off his debts. Buy Sophie new clothes that actually fit. Stop choosing between heat and groceries. Maybe even save something for her future. But it was blood money. Guilt money. Isabella Grant’s way of feeling better about being terrible. Except Except she’d apologized yesterday and she’d meant it.

He could tell. And she was right about the foundation. $50 million a year could actually help people if someone was paying attention to where it went. His phone buzzed. Marcus Morrison called. Need you Monday, too. Double shift. Daniel closed his eyes. He was already exhausted and the week hadn’t even started. I’ll be there. He texted back.

When he got home, Mrs. Chen was reading with Sophie on the couch. His neighbor was 73 and charged him almost nothing to babysit because, as she put it, Sophie was better company than cable TV. “How’d it go?” Mrs. Chen asked. “It was weird. Weird good or weird bad.” “I’m not sure yet.

That night, after Sophie was in bed, Daniel sat at the kitchen table with the beer he’d been saving for a special occasion. This didn’t qualify, but he needed it anyway. The envelope with $200 sat in front of him. He’d already mentally spent it three different ways. His laptop was open to the Grant Foundation website. He clicked through pages of smiling faces, ribbon cutings, press releases about donations.

It all looked good, professional, exactly what you’d expect. But Isabella was right. It probably didn’t actually help. Not really. This was PR, not charity. He thought about yesterday, about Arthur’s face when Isabella snapped at him, about the way the whole cafe had just watched it happen. People with power being cruel because they could.

People without power staying silent because they had to. He thought about Sophie, about the world she was growing up in. About the lessons he was teaching her, not with his words, but with his choices. His phone rang. Unknown number again. He almost didn’t answer, but something made him Hello. Daniel Brooks. A different voice this time. Male, older.

Who’s asking? My name is Arthur Chen. We met yesterday at the cafe. I hope you don’t mind. I got your number from Louise, the owner. I wanted to thank you. Daniel sat up straighter. You didn’t need to do that. Yes, I did. What you did standing up for me. That took courage. My daughter says I should have stood up for myself, but I don’t know.

When you get to be my age, you get tired of fighting. I get that. I heard Isabella Grant offered you a job. Daniel froze. How did you Louise told me she heard it from Jennifer Hastings. People talk. It’s a small world. Smaller than you think. I worked for Grant Industries for 30 years. Started when it was just Isabella’s father and five employees in a rented office. I retired 3 years ago.

What did you do there? I ran the legal department. That’s how I know Isabella. I watched her grow up. Daniel didn’t know what to say to that. She’s not evil. Arthur continued. She’s just lost. Her father died when she was 22. She took over the company too young and she’s been proving herself ever since. To the board, to the shareholders, to everyone except herself.

That doesn’t excuse how she treated you. No, it doesn’t. But it explains it. She sees weakness everywhere because she can’t afford to show any herself. It’s exhausting. I think that’s why she snapped at me. I reminded her of what she’s trying not to be. What’s that, human? Daniel took a long drink of beer. If you’re calling to convince me to take the job, I’m not.

I’m calling to tell you the truth so you can make an informed decision. The Grant Foundation is a mess. It’s run by people who care more about tax deductions than impact. But the money is real, and if someone actually tried to use it, right, it could change a lot of lives. Why doesn’t Isabella just fire the people running it and start over? Because she doesn’t know who to replace them with.

She doesn’t trust easily, and most people who want that kind of power want it for the wrong reasons, and she thinks I want it for the right reasons. I think she hopes you do. Hope is rare for her. After they hung up, Daniel sat in the dark kitchen for a long time. The next morning was Saturday. No work, just Sophie.

They went to the park even though it was freezing. She wanted to feed the ducks. And Daniel had learned that sometimes making your kid happy was more important than being warm. Sophie threw breadcrumbs while Daniel watched. She was wearing last year’s winter coat. The sleeves were too short. He’d noticed this morning, but hadn’t said anything.

Daddy, why don’t we ever go anywhere? What do you mean? We’re at the park. I mean, like Khloe’s family went to Disney World and Jake went to the beach. How come we never go places like that? Daniel’s chest tightened. Those things cost a lot of money, sweetheart. Oh. Sophie threw more bread. That’s okay. I like the park.

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