Then Victoria asked, "Why did you never try to become an executive?" Daniel thought for a moment. "Because I already have something more important." "What?" "My daughter."
Victoria looked down. "You really love her." "She is everything." Victoria's expression softened. "My father never said things like that to me."
Daniel looked at her. "Maybe he didn't know how." Victoria smiled sadly. "Maybe." Suddenly, Daniel's phone rang.
It was Lily. Daniel immediately answered. "Dad!" "Hey, sweetheart." "Are you—"
"I'm on my way home. Promise." Daniel smiled. "Promise." After hanging up, Daniel stood.
"I should go." Victoria nodded. At the door, she suddenly said, "Daniel?" "Yes?" "Thank you."
"What for?" "For treating me like a person tonight." Daniel smiled. "You are a person." Victoria laughed.
"I know." The next morning, Daniel arrived at Sterling Global expecting another ordinary day. But when he reached his desk, everyone was staring at him. His manager approached.
"Daniel, you need to go upstairs. The CEO requested you." Daniel frowned. He entered Victoria's office. She was standing beside the window.
On her desk was a file. "Sit." Daniel sat. Victoria pushed the file toward him. Daniel opened it.
His eyes widened. "What is this?" "Your promotion." He looked up. "Vice President of Operations?"
"Yes." Daniel immediately closed the file. "I can't accept this." Victoria frowned. "Why?"
"Because I drove you home." "You think this is because of last night?" "Yes." Victoria shook her head. "No."
She pointed at the file. "This contains six years of your performance reports." Daniel stared at her. "You've been one of the highest-performing employees in this company for years." "Then why now?"
"Because I finally looked." Daniel remained silent. Victoria stepped closer. "You don't need to prove yourself to me." Daniel smiled.
"I do." "No," she said, shaking her head. "You need to prove something to yourself." Daniel looked at the promotion again.
Then his phone buzzed. A message from Lily read, "Dad, I'm proud of you." Daniel smiled. Victoria saw it. "Lily?"
"Yes." "What did she say?" Daniel showed her the message. Victoria smiled. "She's right."
Daniel looked at Victoria. "About what?" Victoria pointed at the file. "You deserve it." Months later, Daniel stood on the top floor of Sterling Global.
His new office overlooked Manhattan. But the first thing he placed on his desk wasn't an expensive decoration. It was Lily's old drawing. Victoria walked into the room. "You still have that?"
Daniel smiled. "It's priceless." Victoria looked at the drawing. It showed three people holding hands: Daniel, Lily, and Victoria. Victoria's eyes softened.
"She drew that last week," Daniel said. Victoria smiled. "What did she say?" Daniel looked at her. "She said you should stop drinking alone."
Victoria laughed. "Smart girl." Daniel picked up his coat. "Come on." "Where?"
"Home." Victoria looked surprised. "Your home?" Daniel nodded. "Lily made dinner."
Victoria smiled. "You're inviting the CEO to dinner?" Daniel opened the door. "No," he said with a smile. "I'm inviting Victoria."
She stood quietly for a moment, then followed him. And as they walked through the hallway together, Daniel realized something. That rainy night had started with a simple ride home. A billionaire CEO had entered his old car as his boss, but she had stepped out of it as someone who finally felt seen.
And Victoria had learned that night that the greatest luxury in life wasn't a penthouse, a fortune, or a company worth billions. Sometimes, it was simply having someone beside you who didn't care what you owned. Someone who would look at you and say, "You're not alone."