Chapter 4

At that moment, my heart froze, skipping a beat. I was about to witness a suicide if I didn't act. Instinct took over—I had to stop that man from doing something tragic.

"Sir!" I shouted so he could hear me. "Please, don't do it!"

Just then, I saw him turn his head toward me.

Everything was dark, and the rain was still falling, though lightly now. Even so, I could only make out the silhouette of his body every now and then, since he had a hood on.

"Who are you?" His voice was so loud and sharp it made me shiver.

"I'm no one, but I know that no matter what you're going through, this isn't the answer!"

"And how can you be so sure?" he yelled, furious.

"I'm not!" I yelled back. I honestly had no idea what to say. "But I do know that even you realize this won't fix anything."

"Dammit! Where the hell did you come from?"

He suddenly stepped down from the edge and started walking toward me. I was so terrified in that moment, it felt like I was the one about to jump off the bridge.

He came so close I could feel his breath. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might leap out of my chest if I said another word.

He was tall, and his clothes were soaked—he must've been out there for hours. I couldn't see his face, but he was inches away from mine.

He didn't say anything at first. I couldn't speak either. All I could hear was our heavy breathing in the thick fog. I didn't know if he was trying to process what had just happened, like me, or figuring out how to kill me.

"Never stick your nose in things that aren't your business."

This time, his voice came out low and rough.

With that, he walked away, got into the car, started it, and drove off. I was left there—shaken, but relieved that he hadn't done anything to himself… or to me.

I kept walking for a few more kilometers until I saw a sign at an intersection. One arrow pointed toward the village, and another toward the estate. Since I was looking for work, I followed the one leading to the estate.

I walked a long way until I saw a huge mansion in the middle of nowhere. It was around 3:30 in the morning—way too early to knock on the door. But I spotted a big barn near the house and decided to sleep there. I'd ask for a job at sunrise.

The barn smelled of hay, and I realized it was used for storage. I took off my wet clothes and hung them up to dry, then lay down on the hay. Exhaustion hit fast. The rain picked up again, and that's the last thing I remember before falling asleep.

-

I woke up to the sound of footsteps coming closer. I quickly threw on my clothes, which were still damp. Morning had come, and the rain had stopped.

I hid in the hay and peeked out to see a man checking his phone. He was pacing, well-dressed, and kept running his hand through his hair like he was stressed.

I tried not to make a sound—but out of nowhere, I sneezed. I couldn't hold it in.

The man, who had his back turned, spun around and started walking toward me.

"Who are you? And what are you doing on my property?" he demanded. I was so scared I couldn't even speak.

"If you don't answer me, I'm calling the police."

That snapped me out of it. I stood up right away. The police showing up would be the end for me. They'd contact my mom, and that bastard Xander would know where I was. So I started talking.

"Please, don't call the police. My name's Aurora. I'm not a thief or anything. I just ended up sleeping here because I came looking for a job."

"A job?" he said, tense. "You think you'll get hired by trespassing on someone's land?"

"I wasn't trespassing!" I said, trying to defend myself. "I arrived really early and didn't want to bother anyone."

He fell silent, staring at me for a few moments.

"Aurora…" he muttered, thinking. "What can you do, Aurora?"

"I can cook, clean, do laundry, take care of kids… but I'm also open to any kind of physical work. I just need someone to teach me—I learn fast."

"Take care of kids?" he asked, curious.

"Yeah. I looked after my little sister since she was a newborn until she turned two. I know all about kids, no matter their age."

He seemed to think for a moment before speaking.

"Come with me."

I followed him quickly toward the big house. He went inside, and I followed.

Suddenly, I started hearing a baby crying. The closer we got, the louder and clearer the wails became. We walked into a room, and I saw a tiny baby lying on the bed.

Poor thing—he was crying so hard he looked like he didn't have the strength to keep going. The man looked at me and said,

"Make him stop crying."

Still in disbelief, I walked over to the tiny child, picked him up, and realized he was soaked and starving.

"He's hungry… and probably has a dirty diaper."

"Follow me," the man said, turning around.

I followed him, holding the baby. We reached the kitchen, and I started preparing a bottle of milk to feed the little one.

Right away, I realized the baby badly needed a bath.

"Where can I bathe him?" I asked firmly.

He led me to a room with a large sink and hot water. He handed me a bag with two diapers and a piece of clothing. I filled the sink with warm water, found a towel, and went back to the room. I undressed the baby and took off his diaper—poor thing hadn't been changed in over a day. He was a newborn, his umbilical stump still hadn't fallen off. I carried him carefully and gave him a gentle bath, all under the watchful gaze of the man.

Once I dressed the baby, he fell asleep. I laid him down on the bed and stood in front of the man, who was staring at me with an unreadable expression, like he was trying to read my mind.

"How old are you?" he asked bluntly.

"Eighteen, sir," I said. Not entirely a lie—I was two months away.

"You said you were looking for work… Alright," he said, thinking for a moment. "I need someone to take care of this baby. Interested?"

"Absolutely!" I answered without hesitation.

"But it's not that simple. It's a full-time job, no days off. If you need to go out, you take the baby with you. You'll also live here—food and housing included."

"I'll take it!" I said instantly.

Sure, not having any days off was tough, but I had no other choice right now. Plus, with no expenses, I could save up and move on in a year.

"So quick? I haven't even told you the pay or the conditions. Just how desperate are you for a job?" he asked, eyeing me.

"Well…" I hesitated. "I really need this, that's all."

"What's your name again?"

"Aurora."

"And where are you from, Aurora?"

"From the capital," I lied again. Maybe I'd tell him the truth later—first, I had to earn his trust.

He studied me like he could see straight through me.

"Aurora. Eighteen. From the capital," he murmured. "If you really want the job, it's yours. I'll pay you 2,500 dollars plus a night bonus. You start now and will sleep in this room with the baby." He started giving instructions.

"You'll be monitored at all times until I trust you. I want a list of everything the baby needs. He only has what's in that bag. In an hour, we're heading to the capital to buy everything. Don't hold back on anything. Since we're going, you can stop by your house to pick up your things."

"Yes, sir."

After giving the orders, he left the room. That's when it hit me—I had a job, doing something I liked, with good pay and a place to live and eat for free.

'Too good to be true,' I thought.

I stayed in that huge room… well, not alone. That little angel was sleeping peacefully.

I looked around: a luxurious bedroom, a giant bed that made the baby look like an ant, two armchairs, a coffee table, and a massive wardrobe. The bathroom had a bathtub and was almost as big as my old bedroom.

I checked the baby's bag: one diaper left and a small blanket. That was it.

It was strange—a newborn, practically abandoned, in a luxurious house with a man who didn't seem to be the father. There was no sign of anyone else. No mother.

My mind started spinning with a thousand theories, but I put it aside and began making a list on my phone—clothes, diapers, crib, toys… everything.

An hour later, the man came back.

"Is everything ready?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Let's go."

"Sir, are we bringing the baby?" I asked.

"Of course. Did you forget you're starting today? From now on, wherever you go, he goes with you."

With that, he turned and left the room. I picked up the baby and followed him. We reached a dark garage with two cars—one of them covered with a black tarp.

He got into the car and waited for me. I noticed there was no car seat.

"The baby needs a car seat," I said, concerned.

"He only has what's in the bag. I hope you put one on the list. Sit in the back and hold him."

I did as I was told.

He started the engine, and we drove toward the capital.

As I watched the road, it didn't even look like the same one I'd taken the night before. When we passed the bridge, I remembered the man from last night. I wondered how he was doing.

Suddenly, I noticed I was being watched—the driver was looking at me through the rearview mirror.

"Everything okay?" he asked, curious.

"Yeah," I replied quickly. No way was I telling him what had happened there last night.

I looked down at the baby—he was beautiful, with smooth, dark hair.

"What's the baby's name?" I asked.

"I haven't decided yet. I'm registering him today."

That caught me off guard. 'He's registering him?' So… was he the father? How could he not know what to name his own child? And where was the mother?

I had so many questions—but this wasn't the time. I only asked one more.

"And you? What's your name?" I realized I didn't even know the name of my new boss.

"My name is Oliver."