Damon: Lily... where did you get this locket?
Lily: My mom gave it to me. She told me never to take it off.
Victoria: Oh, please! Her mother probably stole it off someone's porch! Look at her clothes, Damon!
Damon: Keep your mouth shut, Victoria!
Victoria: How dare you speak to me like that in front of our donors?
Damon: I said be quiet!
Damon gently held the small oval pendant between his fingers, his thumb brushing away a smear of dirt from the engraved initials on the back.
Lily: Mister? Are you okay? You look sad...
Damon: Who is your mother, Lily?
Lily: Her name is Clara. She’s waiting outside near the gate. She told me to stay by her, but I was so hungry...
Damon: Clara...
Damon felt his breath catch in his throat, seven years of buried memories crashing back into his mind in a single instant.
Victoria: Clara? You mean that former secretary who was fired for embezzlement? That Clara?
Damon: She wasn't fired for embezzlement, Victoria. She disappeared.
Victoria: Well, her child is a nuisance! This gala costs fifty thousand dollars to host, and I will not have dirty street kids ruining the photo ops for our charity foundation!
Lily: I'm sorry... I didn't mean to make anyone angry... I just wanted sweet food...
Damon: Don't apologize, Lily. You didn't do anything wrong.
Damon stood up slowly, taking Lily's small, dirt-streaked hand firmly in his own.
Victoria: What are you doing? Let go of her! Security is on their way to remove her!
Damon: THIS GALA WAS CREATED FOR CHILDREN LIKE HER!
The entire outdoor lawn went dead silent. Donors stopped mid-conversation, turnings heads toward the head table.
Victoria: Damon, you're making a spectacle of yourself! Think about the board!
Damon: Cancel her foundation membership! Call 911 if she touches her again!
Victoria: You can't cancel my membership! I funded thirty percent of this event!
Damon: I fund seventy percent, Victoria. And as of this second, you are permanently removed from the board of directors.
Victoria: You're insane! Over a homeless kid?
Damon: She isn't just a kid.
Damon looked down at Lily, who was holding her plate of cake, her large eyes wide with awe and fear.
Damon: You can have whatever you want tonight, Lily. Come with me.
Leave a Comment