And that night, as fireworks exploded over Manhattan and thousands of people prepared to welcome a new year, Clara Bennett was running out of everything: money, food, time, and hope.
She had no idea that the message she had just sent would reach one of the wealthiest men in America.
She had even less idea that he would be standing outside her apartment less than an hour later.
And she certainly couldn’t have imagined what he would discover when he learned why she had lost her job.
Chapter One: The Wrong Number
Ethan Mercer was sitting alone in the back of his black Mercedes when his phone vibrated.
He had just left a New Year’s Eve charity gala at the Plaza Hotel. Inside, business leaders had toasted record profits, politicians had exchanged promises, and wealthy guests had pledged money to causes they would probably forget by Monday.
Ethan had smiled for the cameras, shaken the appropriate hands, and donated more money than most people would earn in a lifetime.
