Chapter One

Crash!

Crash!

Crash!

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD! TELL ME WHO THAT BITCH IS NOW! WHAT, YOU DIDN'T THINK I SAW YOU FLIRTING WITH HER?" Amelia's voice yelled from the next room.

I let out a sigh as I hugged a shuddering Brie to my chest tightly. Her short arms wrapped around my torso and I winced a bit when her hand touched the bruise on my back.

"It's gonna be alright honey, you shouldn't stress those beautiful eyes of yours." I pulled her back a little to wipe the tears off her face. Her big blue eyes were red and puffy from crying, her lips were curled downward and they shook from fear. Seeing her sad and scared broke my heart.

"Why do my mommy and daddy quarrel every time?." The four-year-old asked, her innocent big blue staring up at me. They used to look so lively and bubbly but now, they were just as dull as dishwater. I would do everything to make them sparkle brightly again, even if it meant taking her out of her room to mine where she wouldn't have to hear her parents fight.

"Brie, that is something—"

Crash!

"YOU WILL NOT IGNORE ME LIKE I'M NOTHING DYLAN." The screech from the next room came again making Brie whimper and crawl into my arms.

"My mommy is gonna hurt my daddy." She cried out.

"TELL ME, DID YOU FUCK THAT BITCH?." I immediately covered Brie's ears with both hands. She shouldn't be hearing vulgar words like that. I just wished Amelia would be more cautious about her language and remember that she has a child in the house.

"Yup, let's get you out of here." I said and lifted her into my arm, settling her on my hips.

"DYLAN! DYLAN! COME BACK HERE! YOU WILL NOT WALK OUT ON ME WHEN I'M STILL TALKING TO YOU! YOU SON OF A BITCH!!"

Brie buried her face in the crook of my neck, sobbing quietly into it. I placed a comforting hand on her back assuring her that everything was gonna be back to normal the next day.

I placed my free hand on the doorknob, ready to pull the door open but before I could do that, the door was pushed from outside.

I let out a soft gasp as Dylan appeared in the doorway.

"Mr. Marshall." Just as his name rolled off my lips involuntarily, Brie lifted her head from my shoulder as her dad walked into the room, locking the door behind him. I know he did that because he didn't want his wife coming in.

"Daddy!" She cried and stretched her arms out to him so he would carry her. I released my hold on her as she settled in her father's arms.

"I'm sorry Princess. That must have startled you." He said as he wiped the tears on her face with the back of her hand.

Brie nodded. "I was sleeping and then I heard it...I thought it was a nightmare and I was scared but then Hera came and...Daddy can you and mommy not quarrel any more. It scares me that she will hurt you like she hurts Hera." Brie said and my eyes widened a bit.

What does she mean by that?

Dylan's eyes met mine momentarily and then they were back on his daughter's.

"I promise I won't have any more fights with you mommy again."

"Pinky promise?." Brie said stretching forward her right pinky finger. Dylan nodded with a smile on his face before wrapping his pinky finger around his daughter's and then stamping their promise with their thumbs. I couldn't help but smile at them. Dylan was such a good dad to Brie, it was obvious that he loved her. Amelia on the other hand was different. She was far too obsessed with her husband and had never really cared much for her daughter.

"Er Brie, what do you mean when you said your mom hurts Hera." Dylan asked and I think I stopped breathing.

Why was he bringing that up again?

How did Brie find out?

"Um, Mr. Marshall I'm sure Brie didn't mean much by it." I chuckled nervously. "It was just this play we had been talking about. It was a joke."

Brie shook her head and then turned her head to look at me.

"You always tell me to say the truth Hera, so why are you lying now?." She said leaving me dumbfounded for a moment. "Don't you know that lying is bad?"

"Of course I do. I'm not...l-lying." My eyes darted from Brie's to Dylan's.

"Yes, you are! You always stutter when you lie." She pointed out and I cursed under my breath for being the worse liar on the planet. I didn't even know that I stutter when I lie and I was shocked that the four-year-old realized that fact about me. I mean I've always known that she was smart for her age, I just didn't know she was that observant too. "And my mommy does hurt you. I know you think I don't know it but I do. I'm a kid not stupid. I saw when she hit you with that baseball bat because you slept in my bed with me. You probably thought I was asleep but I wasn't. I was just too scared to open my eyes and see you hurt."

My eyes widened a bit at her confession. I didn't even know what to say. I know I should be denying it as Amelia had warned me about not having Dylan find out about it but I couldn't. I didn't think there was anything I could say that would convince him that his daughter was wrong.

"It must hurt a lot if I can't even hug you properly. I'm sorry Hera, it's all my fault." She said just as she started bawling her eyes out. "You must hate me."

"Of course not! I would never hate you." I said, I was on the verge of freaking out. It was one thing for her to cry because she was sad about her parent's constant quarrel, it was another to see her cry because she thought I hated her. "I could never hate you, Brie, you are too adorable to be hated by anyone. And it's not your fault that happened to um, me. It's never going to be." I said with honesty. I had been her nanny since she was three months old, the girl was like a daughter to me, it was impossible to hate her.

"Promise?." She looked at me with tear-filled eyes, her pinky finger was pointed toward me. I smiled and wrapped my little finger around hers.

"Promise. Now you should go to bed. You don't want to be late for school tomorrow. Come, I will tuck you in." I said, stretching my hands to take her from her father's arms. I placed her gently in her bed and brushed a few strands of hair on her forehead back. Dylan helped with covering her body with her pink comforter.

I lowered my head to kiss her forehead just about the same time Dylan did the same. My heart almost jumped right out of my chest when I realized how close we were. His breath hit my lips and I staggered backward, startled by my proximity to him. If my complexion had been even two shades lighter, I would have been as red as a tomato. But thankfully I was Mexican, it wasn't ready noticeable when I blush unless you were like two feet close.

"Love you Dad, love you Hera." Brie said as a yawn escaped her lips.

"Love you too honey,"

"Love you baby Brie." I smiled at her and started to walk out of the room. I had just opened the door and was ready to walk out when I felt a warm large hand on my shoulder. I flinched as his touch suddenly made my body jolt alive, sending this wave of delicious spark down my spine.

"Can I, see you for a minute?." He asked, his icy blue eyes piercing into my soul. I swallowed and bobbed my head in approval as I was temporarily unable to form a correct sentence.

He led me to the room that was down the corridor and I found myself wondering why Amelia had suddenly gone quiet. Surely she hadn't left the house, right?

Dylan opened the door for me and my heart pounded in my chest as I wondered why he took me to that room of all the rooms in the building.

I remembered the last time I was in that room. It was the time Amelia had threatened to call immigration on me if I didn't seduce her husband. She had thought he was cheating on her with another woman (like she thought every time) and wanted to know if her husband was the kind that would cheat on her with any woman that came his way. She had cameras installed in every corner of the room while she was in her room, watching us. It was safe to say that things didn't go as she wanted them to. The mission failed terribly for a few reasons which were;

1) I sucked at seducing so I didn't know what I was supposed to do.

2) Dylan wasn't the unfaithful partner that she thought him to be hence she didn't get the result she wanted.

3) I had taken a few bottles of beer earlier to get some alcohol courage but I ended up puking all over his body at the end of the day.

4) I was supposed to do the seducing but instead, he seduced me without even having to try.

5) He found out his wife had set the whole thing up.

"Hera," He said jolting me out of my reverie.

"Yes, sir."

"I told you to call me Dylan. I'm not that much older than you are." He said and even though he was right 'cause he was twenty-two and I was twenty, I still couldn't. Amelia would go but if she ever heard me address her husband by his first name. She wouldn't hesitate to remind me of my background and how I didn't deserve to stay in the same space as he and her husband.

"I can't do that, sir," I said earnestly. He let out a sigh and then nodded. I wanted to thank him for understanding but he spoke before I could.

"Can I— er, Amelia, when did she er, do that to you?." His eyes couldn't meet mine and I thought I caught a glimpse of shame in them. I didn't understand why he was ashamed though, I mean it wasn't like he was the one who hit me.

"This afternoon." I said, staring down at my feet. I couldn't meet his eyes 'cause I didn't want him to think I was feeble.

He let out a frustrated sigh.

"Please can you not let her know about it? I don't want any more trouble." I said to him and he stared blankly into my eyes. "Please you can't tell Ms. Amelia, you can't."

He heaved a sigh and shook his head. I wondered if that meant he wouldn't tell her or not.

"Can I—see it? I mean if that's okay by you of course."

I nodded once and before I could think of what I was doing, I turned my back to him and raised my blouse, exposing my bruised back to him.

"Jesus Amelia!" He muttered under his breath rubbing down his face with one hand before running it through his hair. I was about to let go of my blouse so it would conceal my exposed back but I froze when I felt a featherlight touch on my back. I felt the pad of his fingers skim through my brush and I shivered as goosebumps started to rise on my skin. I immediately let go of my shirt and took several steps away from him. My heart thrashed hard in my chest as I thought of the possibility of there being hidden cameras in the room. I mean Dylan destroyed everything the last time but what if he had left one out and then Amelia happened to see us together?

She would kill me.

"I s-should go." I stuttered nervously. I doubt Dylan knew what he was doing to me. I couldn't even think straight. And although I know it was morally wrong, I couldn't stop myself from having indecent thoughts about him.

I just wish he would kiss me with those plump lips of his.

I wanted to slap myself in the face for having such impossible thoughts. Because that was what it was. Dylan would never see me the way I see him not when he had someone had rich and elegant as Amelia.

He cleared his throat before speaking again. "Have you applied any ointment to it?." He asked and I shook my head.

"I haven't had the chance to." I admitted bashfully, my eyes glued to my feet as I was too embarrassed to look into his eyes after having sinful thoughts about him.

"Wait here, I will go get you something." He said before walking out of the room. I walked over to the mirror to check out my complexion 'cause I was a hundred percent sure I was blushing. The first thing I noticed was my cheeks that were tinted pink. I had never been more flustered before. I let down my hair from the ponytail I usually have them in and ran my fingers through it to straighten it and make my hair serve as a curtain to cover my flustered cheeks. I noticed my pupils were dilated too and I was sincerely hoping Dylan didn't notice that as he would know I was having thoughts no employee should have towards her boss towards him.

The door swung open and I jump on my phone.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He said and the way his gaze lingered on my face a second longer than what was appropriate didn't go unnoticed by me. I found myself getting nervous again as my heart pounded even harder in my chest. I couldn't help but wonder what was going through his head at that moment. "Here." He said right after he cleared his throat.

I took the ointment tube from him and thanked him for his kindness.

"I'm sorry Amelia did that to you. I'm going to have a talk with her and no, I wouldn't be letting her know that I know about er, this. I would like to ask you for a favor if you wouldn't mind."

"Uh, what is it?." My voice came out weaker than I felt and I wanted to curse myself for having no self-control when Dylan was near.

"Can you promise to tell me when something like this happens again?." He asked and my eyes widened. I didn't think I could keep that promise. Amelia had always been against Dylan finding out about how she bullied me and the other employee. And now Dylan wanted me to tell him when it happens again? She would kill me if that happened.

"I-I don't think—I-"

"Please." He said with sincerity in his eyes as his hands found mine and held them. I almost thought I was going to have a panic attack. I stared down at our hands as I wondered just how possible it was for his hands to be that warm and smooth. I blinked twice as I continued to stare at our hands awkwardly. I wasn't trying to make the situation awkward but that couldn't be avoided as I was a naturally born awkward person. Not to talk of the fact that the man I had these sinful feelings for was holding my hands and begging me!

I think I could die a happy woman now.

"Do you promise to tell me?." He asked again and because I had temporarily lost my ability to form sentences, I nodded my head.

"Thank you." He said, giving me a heart-squeezing smile.

I swear Dylan was aware of what he was doing to me.