The Billionaire's Nanny Clause

~ CHLOE POV ~The Cole penthouse didn't look like a home. It looked like an art gallery where nobody was allowed to touch the exhibits. I stepped out of the private elevator at exactly eight in the morning, carrying my two duffel bags. Thomas stood waiting for me in the foyer, holding a clipboard and looking just as exhausted as he had yesterday. "Welcome to the residence," Thomas said, keeping his voice carefully hushed. I looked around. The living room stretched out in a massive expanse of white marble, floor to ceiling windows, and sharp, slate-colored furniture. There were no family photographs on the walls. There were no stray shoes by the door, no coloring books on the glass coffee table, and no toys. It was a sterile, perfectly calculated environment designed for a billionaire who wanted to forget he had a family the moment he walked through the door. "The children are in the east wing," Thomas explained, handing me a folded stack of fabric. "This is the standard uniform. M

~ HARRISON POV ~Vanessa Thorne slid her tablet across the boardroom table, her manicured fingers deliberately brushing the cuff of my suit jacket."We can discuss the final equity split over dinner," Vanessa said, keeping her voice pitched just under the drone of the legal team debating at the far end of the room. "My place. We should celebrate."I looked at her hand, then up at her expertly painted smile. Three years ago, Vanessa and I had merged two corporate subsidiaries. Since then, she had made it her secondary career goal to merge our personal lives, treating my widower status as a temporary vacancy on a board of directors. "My schedule is full, Vanessa," I said, pulling my arm back. She offered a knowing, sympathetic smile that didn't reach her eyes. "The children. Of course."She didn't care about my children. Neither did I, at this exact moment. I cared about the fact that for the first time in my professional life, I could not focus on a multi-billion dollar acquisition.