Chapter 4 - THE FLIGHT FROM THE ESTATE
Back in the converted staff suite at the Bedford estate, the air smelled of cardboard boxes and packing tape.
Elena was furiously folding Lily’s small clothes into two worn suitcases. Tears blurred her vision, but she kept moving, driven by a frantic need to shield Nathaniel from the mess her daughter’s innocent mistake had caused.
She had seen the morning news on her phone. She knew Richard Hale was trying to destroy Nathaniel’s business. She knew the socialites were calling Nathaniel crazy for defending a maid.
“Mommy, why are we putting my stuffed rabbit in the box?” Lily asked, sitting on the bare mattress, her small hands clutching her legs. “Are we going away from the house with the big trees?”
“Yes, sweetie,” Elena said, her voice shaking as she zipped up a bag. “We’re going to stay in a new place. Somewhere smaller.”
“Is Mr. Nathaniel coming with us?”
Elena stopped, a sob escaping her throat before she could catch it. She wiped her eyes quickly with the sleeve of her sweater. “No, baby. Mr. Nathaniel belongs here. We... we belong somewhere else.”
“He doesn't want us to go,” Lily whispered softly. “He gave me the colored pencils so I could draw the roof.”
Before Elena could reply, the heavy wooden door of the staff suite swung wide open.
Nathaniel stood in the doorway, his tie loosened, his hair slightly unkempt from rushing out of the city, breathing heavily as if he had run up the stairs.
“What are you doing, Elena?” he demanded, stepping into the small room, his gaze sweeping over the packed boxes.
“Mr. Cross,” Elena said, standing up tall and trying to keep her posture professional despite her red eyes. “I’m resigning. I’ve already left a note for the head housekeeper. My cousin in White Plains has a spare room. We’ll be out of your way before the press arrives.”
Nathaniel walked across the room until he was standing less than a foot away from her. The aura of the terrifying billionaire vanished, leaving only a man desperate not to lose the only warmth he had found in years.
“Do you really think I care about the press?” Nathaniel asked quietly, his eyes searching hers with intense vulnerability. “Do you think I care about Richard Hale’s pathetic threats?”
“You should care!” Elena cried out, her composure finally snapping. “Your reputation is everything! You built a billion-dollar company! And now people are laughing at you because you got into a fight with New York high society over us! We’re nobody, Nathaniel! I clean your rooms!”
“Stop calling yourself nobody!” Nathaniel roared softly, taking her by the shoulders. His hands were firm, protective, and warm.
Elena froze, her chest heaving as she stared into his eyes.
“I spent twenty years building an empire, Elena,” Nathaniel whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. “I bought houses, ships, companies, and land. And do you know what I found when I came home every night? An empty mansion filled with people who only cared about my money.”
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He glanced down at Lily, who was watching them quietly from the bed, and then back at Elena.
“The only time this cold house felt like a home was when I heard your laughter in the hallways. The only time I looked forward to coming back from Manhattan was knowing I’d find you and Lily in the kitchen. You are not my staff, Elena. You are the only thing in this world that makes me feel human.”
