Chapter 1

Kyra

The light rain tapped against the car window as I stared at the iron gates in front of me. I should be grateful for having gotten a job, or I’d be completely out of options. But I also admit I’m terrified of starting over again and having it turn out just like last time.

Those gates. Enormous. Black. Imposing.

I checked the address one last time. This was it.

Blackthorne Estate. The mansion that looked more like a maximum-security prison. The kind you walk into without knowing if you’ll ever walk out.

The name sounded like something out of a dark romance novel—one of those I used to read in secret before life took away even my ability to dream.

I tightened my fingers around the strap of my bag. I couldn’t mess this up. This was my chance to start over, even if it wouldn’t be comfortable at first. To erase everything that came before I almost lost myself. A new city. A new name. A new job. And all I had to do was… take care of a child.

A simple nanny. Nothing more. But why does this still feel so hard? Is starting over really this difficult?

Isabelle no longer exists. Only Kyra.

I took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. An electronic intercom awaited my approach. As if it had been placed there on purpose, though I knew it hadn’t. I pressed the button, and a female voice responded rigidly. No delay. No welcome.

— Name?

— Kyra Lystem. I’m here for an interview with Mr. Blackthorne. — I tried to speak calmly, but the truth was I was more nervous than I wanted to be. It felt like I might fall apart right there.

There was silence. Too long. Then a click, and the gates slowly opened. The garden was meticulously symmetrical, silent like a rich cemetery. The mansion was even more imposing up close—tall windows, old architecture, doors far too large, and a perfectly maintained garden. Two dogs were confined behind a fence, but they didn’t bark, only watched. They must be like their owner. Quiet and tense.

A middle-aged man opened the door before I could knock. Everything there felt strange.

— Follow me. — His posture was rigid and severe. — Miss Lystem.

There was no “good evening.” Not even a direct look. Just silence and footsteps. Mine were quicker than his. I felt small, fragile. Invisible in the face of everything being revealed to me.

— I will inform Mr. Blackthorne that you have arrived. Please wait here. — I nodded and stood there, motionless in front of that dark-tinted glass door that revealed nothing of what was inside.

But when I entered the office, everything changed.

He was there. Sitting behind a wide black marble desk, a glass of whiskey in hand and a gaze that cut deeper than any blade that had ever touched me. He looked like a warning.

Liam Blackthorne.

He was younger than I had imagined. Maybe 35. Maybe less. But he looked like he carried millennia of control beneath that pale skin and those eyes that didn’t smile. Then, my sentence was about to begin. And I was terrible at defending myself.

— Miss Kyra — he said, without emotion. — Sit down, please.

I didn’t hesitate, I just did as he told me. I didn’t want to make any mistakes, I just wanted to be hired. I have bills. Far too overdue.

Liam

She looked afraid. Nervous and with nowhere to go.

And that, for some reason, pleased me more than I should admit. Not the hysterical, loud kind of fear. But the quiet kind. The respectful kind. The kind that kept her spine straight and her chin almost firm, even as her eyes hesitated—she gave everything away without even realizing it. She was the perfect sight. She was exactly what I was looking for, because even though she was afraid, she still stayed.

Discretion. That was all I demanded. And it seemed she knew exactly what to say.

— Experience with children, Miss? — I asked, bluntly. — How long?

— Yes. With three families in the past five years. All… private. I have six years of experience, Mr. Blackthorne.

She hesitated at the end. Ah, there was something there. An untold story. I recognized that kind of silence. It was the same one I heard in myself whenever Julie asked why her mother wasn’t coming back. Every time she asked me to call her mom and I had to make up a bad lie.

— Why did you leave your last job? — She searched for the right words, but that’s when I realized Kyra wasn’t being herself.

— The family moved. Abroad — she lied. — I couldn’t follow them, sir. So I had to look for a job. And here I am.

She wasn’t good at lying. But there was something useful about that. Bad liars are easy to predict. And predictability, in my house, was comfort—especially coming from my daughter’s nanny. I don’t want just anyone here, I’m only doing this madness of hiring a nanny until I finish closing some deals.

— And why do you want to work here?

She lifted her gaze. For the first time, directly into mine. Defiant. For a moment.

— Because I need to — she answered simply. — And I believe I’m qualified. I read the requirements and I fit what you were looking for. And I’m dedicated, I love children, and I’m not invasive. Once I walk out that door, I forget everything.

Honest. Raw. Almost… beautiful.

Not in that artificial way. But with the beauty of a woman who has fallen to the ground and had to get up on her own. It was the kind of beauty that hurt to look at, to speak to, even to breathe around.

— Julie has nightmares — I informed. — She doesn’t sleep well. She hates physical contact. And she doesn’t like change. Would you be able to handle that partially? Without panicking or needing help to deal with her?

She took a deep breath.

— I know how to respect boundaries. I don’t force closeness. And I can wait for her time. However, I will do my best to build a good relationship. I won’t force her, I’ll convince her it’s worth it.

I looked at her for long seconds. Firm mouth, tense chin, hands folded in her lap with a control that caught my attention.

Kyra wasn’t sweet. Nor submissive. But there was something in her posture that screamed restrained surrender. Obedience with swallowed fury and a damn need to be protected.

— Last question — I said, lowering my tone. — Do you know how to keep secrets?

— I know how to survive them. Other people’s lives don’t interest me, Mr. Blackthorne.

I leaned forward slightly. The air between us seemed to heat up, even in the coldness of the room.

She didn’t look away. I lowered my gaze to the résumé. I didn’t even care about it. But it gave me time. Time to absorb what she caused just by being there. Her simple answers that left me with no more questions.

— The nanny’s room is next to Julie’s. To be closer when she needs you. I hope you don’t have a problem with that.

She hesitated, surprised.

— Am I hired?

— I don’t like wasting time, Kyra. If you want the job, it’s yours. With some clear rules.

She nodded, lifting her chin slightly.

— You can tell me.

I stood up slowly. Walked around the desk and approached until I was close enough for her to feel my presence as an unspoken threat. I spoke low. Almost a whisper. Even with just the two of us in that room.

— No questions about my personal life.

No bringing anyone into this house.

No invading my daughter’s space… or mine.

She swallowed hard. But didn’t step back.

— Understood, sir. I’m not interested in other people’s lives. As for bringing someone here, I believe that would be something only a disturbed person would do. Which is not my case.

I smiled slightly. Just enough to leave her wondering whether that was approval… or a warning. Even though she was sincere. Too sincere.

— Welcome to the Blackthorne house. I hope you adapt well here.

Kyra

When he left, my heart pounded like a runaway drum. I had the job in the house of an arrogant and controlling man. And then I think, how does he deal with his daughter? But it wasn’t just that.

There was something about that man that stirred something in me in a way that put me on alert. Not just because of how he spoke. But because of what he didn’t say.

Liam Blackthorne was dangerous.

And deep down, a perverse part of me knew: if I wasn’t careful, he might not only invade my thoughts.

But break everything I tried to rebuild in a matter of seconds. And I would surrender easily. Without resistance.