Chapter 4 - A Tycoon on His Knees
I didn't hand Alistair a free pass. He had to earn every single inch of ground he wanted to cover in Sebastian's life, and he had to do it on my terms, in my territory.
I stayed in London for an extra two weeks to finalize a new, highly lucrative contract with a different aerospace manufacturer, and I allowed Alistair to visit us at my hotel suite. The first few days were agonizing to watch. The ruthless aviation tycoon, a man who commanded thousands of employees across the globe, was absolutely terrified of breaking his toddler. He sat on the floor of my hotel suite in his expensive trousers, awkwardly rolling a plastic airplane back and forth.
But Sebastian, with the beautiful, forgiving innocence of a child, didn't care about Alistair's billions or his past mistakes. He just saw a tall man who was willing to play airplanes with him.
By the end of the first week, Sebastian had fallen asleep on Alistair's broad chest. I watched from the doorway of the bedroom as Alistair gently stroked our son's dark curls, silent tears streaming steadily down his face, completely undone by the weight of the profound love he had almost thrown away forever.
Alistair didn't just change his behavior around us; he systematically dismantled the toxic empire that had cost him his soul. He called an emergency shareholder meeting and ruthlessly ousted his own father from the board of directors, citing gross mismanagement and the unethical alloy changes. He personally absorbed the massive financial hit of Genevieve's father pulling his capital. He restructured Sterling Aviation from the ground up, prioritizing ethical development and stepping back from the aggressive, hostile takeovers that had defined his early career.
When it was time for me to fly back to Geneva, Alistair walked us to the private terminal at Heathrow. He didn't ask me to stay in London. He knew I had built a life I loved in Switzerland, and he respected the boundaries I had drawn.
"I bought a flat in Geneva," Alistair said quietly, handing me Sebastian's diaper bag as the pilots prepped my jet. "I'm stepping down as primary CEO of Sterling. I'll remain as Chairman of the Board, but I'm delegating the day-to-day operations to my executive team. I am going to split my time. I want to be there for his football games. I want to be there for his parent-teacher conferences. I want to earn the right to be his father."
I looked at the man standing in front of me. The arrogance was entirely gone. The cold, corporate armor was completely stripped away, leaving only a deeply remorseful, fiercely determined man who was finally ready to grow up.
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"He likes blueberries in his oatmeal," I said softly, adjusting Sebastian on my hip. "And he is terrified of thunderstorms, so you'll need to buy a nightlight for the new flat."
Alistair's breath hitched in his throat. He nodded frantically, a brilliant, watery smile breaking across his handsome face. "Blueberries. Nightlight. I promise, Clara. I won't let him down. I won't let you down."
