Page 13 of Beneficial Misfortune

“This is Ms. Kat. She’s my teacher!” Addison says with a smile that the woman returns before she turns to smile at me as well.

“Shh, don’t tell, but I think she could be my new mommy too!” she says in what I think is meant to be a whisper but isn’t even close, and her words catch me off guard.

From the look on the receptionist's face, I don’t think she was expecting that either. I’m shocked, unsure what to say, but thankfully, she recovers faster than I do.

“How about you come pick a sucker before you go up to see your dad, honey?”

Addison drops my hand and is around the desk in a second, happily going through the small bowl of suckers to pick one.

“Emily,” the receptionist says, reaching out to me to shake my hand.

“Kat,” I say, taking her hand and trying to plaster a smile on my face, but it feels forced.

She steals another peek at Addison, who is still picking through the suckers as if this might be the most important decision she’ll ever make.

“Don’t mind her. She’s had a lot of nannies she’s not very fond of. All the dear wants is a mother, so I’m sure she’s just excited to have someone around she can look up to,” she tells me and actually manages to keep her voice down, unlike Addison.

I know she’s trying to make me feel better, and while it makes me less anxious, it also makes me sad.

“This one!” Addison yells, holding up her chosen sucker in the air like a trophy. She’s so happy I can’t help but smile, watching her hug Emily before she rushes back around the desk and once again takes my hand, pulling me further into the building and into the swarm of people.

“It was nice to meet you,” I shout back to Emily with a wave, and she waves back before returning to work.

My head is on a swivel as we make our way deeper and deeper into the building, and oh my god…they really have a fountain in the lobby.

Wow.

It’s kind of funny to watch grown men and women in some of the fanciest clothes I’ve ever seen quickly make room for a little girl, but they do. Some nod or say hello, and she politely responds, but she doesn’t stop until we reach a set of doors.

An elevator.

The whole wall is elevator after elevator, but this one is just a little different. Instead of having silver doors, they are black with a plaque above them that reads Lawson.

They have their own elevator. I know I shouldn’t be surprised, considering it’s their building and their business, but seeing the divide between what I’ve always thought was rich and powerful and what they have is jarring.

I scan the room while we wait, and beyond all the people and shiny surfaces, I also notice the security, though they seem to have no issue letting Addison barrel her way through. They’re probably used to her.

The elevator dings, and the door barely opens all the way before Addison pulls me in, clicking the very top button labeled ‘office.’ Somehow, I don’t think that means the average office where people work—no cubicles or little desks here.

When the elevator doors open, I’m left picking my jaw up off the ground.

Yeah, not at all cubicles and desks. Every wall is glass. The outside walls let the sun in while also giving a beautiful view of the city. The bright sun reflects off the dark floors, almost blinding me. There’s a long hall that leads down the center of the floor straight across from the elevator, with what I assume are offices on either side, though I can’t be sure. Unlike the glass that lines the outside of the building, the glass down the hall is frosted and dark, making it impossible to see in.

The only desk I see is the large one against the far left wall, not far from the elevator, with a beautiful blonde seated behind it.

Holy shit. Is one of the requirements for working here to look like a damn model because I haven’t seen one person who isn’t insanely attractive.

“Addison,” the woman at the desk calls to her, but the tiny girl ignores her and pulls me forward, right past the desk and down the hall.

“Addison!” she calls again, and I hear her get up, no doubt to follow us. But Addison is on a mission, and based on the click of her heels on the floor, I don't think she’s going to be fast enough.

I could probably stop her, but honestly, I’m not sure why she wants her to stop, and I don’t really love the tone she has when calling her name. Instead, I take in more of my surroundings. We pass two doors, one on each side of the hall and then another two a few feet later, and it would seem the one at the end of the hall is her destination.

Conference room.

“Stop, Addison. Your father is in a very important meeting and doesn’t need you disturbing it!” The woman hisses, and I hear the click of her heels get faster as she picks up her pace.

Oh no.

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