Chapter 2

The entire restaurant fell into stunned silence.

Before Valerius could say anything else, the restaurant manager suddenly rushed toward her, looking horrified.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” he snapped. “Do you have any idea who you just slapped?”

​The middle-aged investor, Henderson, pointed at Valerius furiously while wiping wine from his expensive suit. “She assaulted me in front of everyone!”

​“You grabbed me first,” Valerius shot back coldly.

​Henderson’s face darkened immediately. “I barely touched you!”

​“You touched my ass.”

​Several nearby guests immediately looked away awkwardly. The manager lowered his voice, clearly trying to stop the situation from getting worse. “Just apologize,” he snapped at Valerius. “Right now.”

​Valerius stared at him in disbelief. “You want me to apologize to him?”

​“Do you want to lose your job on your first day?!”

​Valerius laughed bitterly. So that was how this place worked too. Rich men misbehaved, and everyone else cleaned up after them.

Henderson wiped at the stains on his suit before glaring at Valerius. “I want her fired.”

​The manager hesitated for less than a second. “You’re fired,” he said coldly to Valerius.

​Silence settled heavily inside her chest. One day. She had only lasted one day. Rent was overdue. Osias was drowning in debt. And now the only decent job she had managed to find was gone.

​Something inside her snapped. Without warning, Valerius grabbed the untouched glass sitting on Henderson’s table and splashed the alcohol directly into his face. Gasps immediately exploded throughout the restaurant.

​Henderson jumped backward in shock. “You insane bitch!”

​Valerius stepped away calmly. “You should be grateful it was only a drink.”

​“You—!”

​“Enough.” Gideon Vance’s voice cut cleanly through the chaos. Instant silence followed. Even Henderson stopped talking.

​Gideon slowly rose from his seat and walked toward them. Every employee nearby immediately stiffened as he approached. 

Valerius instinctively frowned. This man had been staring at her since earlier, and something about it made her uncomfortable.

​Gideon stopped directly in front of her. Up close, he looked even more intimidating. Tall. Calm. Expensive. But his eyes looked strange. Like he was trying to figure something out. 

For a few seconds, Gideon said nothing. He simply studied her face carefully while Valerius looked back at him, confused by the strange way he was staring at her.

​Finally, the manager forced an awkward laugh. “Mr. Vance, I deeply apologize for this disturbance. She’s new here. We’ll remove her immediately.”

​Gideon ignored him. Instead, his eyes stayed on Valerius. “What’s your name?” he asked calmly.

​“Valerius.”

​“Full name.”

​“I don’t have one.”

​That answer made Gideon’s expression shift slightly. Just for a second. Then it disappeared.

​Henderson looked furious that the attention was no longer on him. “Mr. Vance, this woman assaulted me!”

​Gideon finally glanced toward him. “And why exactly did she slap you?”

​Henderson froze briefly. The manager quickly stepped in again. “It was only a misunderstanding—”

​“I asked him,” Gideon interrupted calmly.

​For the first time, Henderson looked uncomfortable. “She overreacted,” he muttered. “I was joking around.”

​Valerius immediately scoffed. “You grabbed my body in public.”

​Henderson pointed at her angrily. “Look at her attitude!”

​Gideon’s gaze shifted between the two of them before finally returning to Valerius again. 

“You really don’t know who I am?” he asked suddenly.

Valerius frowned slightly. “Should I?

​Several employees quietly sucked in nervous breaths. Nobody spoke to Gideon Vance that way. But strangely, Gideon didn’t look offended. If anything, he looked even more focused on her.

​Then, after a long silence, Gideon spoke again. “My daughter needs a new nanny.”

​Valerius blinked. “…What?”

​“Our previous nanny quit this morning.”

​“And what does that have to do with me?”

​“I’m offering you the job.”

​Valerius stared at him like he had completely lost his mind. “You just watched me throw alcohol in someone’s face.”

​“You also slapped a man for touching you.”

​“That still doesn’t make me qualified to take care of children.”

​Gideon slipped one hand into his pocket. “You need money.”

​Valerius’s expression immediately hardened. “That’s none of your business.”

​“Maybe,” Gideon said calmly. “But after tonight, finding another job in Manhattan won’t be easy for you.”

The room suddenly felt quieter.

Valerius glanced at Henderson and the manager, but both of them avoided looking at her.

Deep down, she already knew Gideon was right. Men like Henderson had money, connections, and too much pride. One complaint from someone like him was enough to make finding another job almost impossible.

Still, the unfairness of it made her chest burn with frustration.

​“So I’m supposed to accept charity now?”

​“It’s not charity,” Gideon said flatly. “It’s work.”

​Valerius let out a humorless laugh. “I don’t even like children.”

​“My daughter probably won’t like you either,” Gideon replied.

​For some reason, that answer almost caught her off guard. Gideon looked at her quietly for another moment before speaking again. “The pay is five times higher than what you’d earn here,” Gideon said calmly. “And if that’s still not enough, I can make it ten.”

​Valerius’s jaw tightened. Osias. The apartment. The debt collectors. Everything hit her at once. She hated that she was actually considering this. “I barely survived one shift in this place,” she muttered. “What makes you think I can handle a child?”

​Gideon’s expression remained unreadable. “I think you know how to survive difficult situations.”

​The answer irritated her even more because somehow, it didn’t sound mocking. It sounded honest. Valerius looked away first. She hated this entire situation. Hated how trapped she suddenly felt.

​Then Gideon stepped aside slightly. “My car is already waiting outside,” he said calmly. Valerius looked back at him. “You have five minutes to decide.”

​The restaurant fell quiet again. Then Gideon added one last sentence. “After that, I’ll assume you’d rather deal with Henderson on your own.”