Chapter 13 - MARCUS RETURNS HOME
Later that afternoon, Marcus’s private jet touched down safely on the tarmac of the Thorne estate private airfield.
He walked up the stone pathway into the grand mansion, shedding his suit jacket as he loosened his maroon button-down collar.
Martha met him in the foyer, offering a quiet nod of reassurance regarding the young girl upstairs.
"She ate a full breakfast, Mr. Thorne, and she's currently drawing pictures in the sunroom with new colored pencils," Martha reported.
Marcus exhaled a breath he didn't realize he had been holding, feeling a strange warmth settle into his chest.
He walked down the sunlit corridor toward the glass-enclosed conservatory overlooking the manicured rose gardens.
Rory sat at a small mahogany table, carefully drawing with colored pencils on a brand-new pad of white paper.
Marcus stepped inside quietly, pausing to watch her long, slightly wavy light brown hair sway as she concentrated.
She looked up, seeing him standing in the doorway, and a shy, beautiful smile bloomed across her innocent face.
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"Hello, Mr. Thorne. I drew a new picture for you today," Rory announced softly, holding up her notepad.
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