جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

Chapter 2: (The $40,000 Nanny) “Since you can’t give me what I really want,” Mia said, her voice small but oddly calculated, “can I at least have a new nanny?” Ace froze, the silver spoon halfway to his mouth. “A new nanny?” “Yep.” Mia didn’t look up. She focused on her breakfast with surprising concentration, carefully separating a lump from her full bowl of cereal. Ace slowly leaned back in his high-backed leather chair, studying his daughter. “Why the sudden interest in a nanny, Mia?” “My classmates all have them. They have nannies and… and mums.” She paused, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “Since I don’t have a mummy, I should at least have a nanny. I want to be able to brag about mine too.” The words hung in the air like a quiet accusation. Ace’s expression softened for a brief moment, guilt flickering through the cold control he usually wore like armour. “Mia,” he said gently, “you shouldn’t feel pressured to do what your friends are doing… but—” He sighed.

Chapter 4: (Two Masters) Pearl had nearly drifted off on the plush velvet sofa when a small, cool hand gently pressed against hers. “Dad is back,” a soft voice whispered. “You need to meet him. Now.” Pearl’s eyes snapped open. Mia stood in front of her, pigtails perfectly neat, wearing a polite little smile that didn’t quite hide the calculating glint in her eyes. Pearl sat up immediately, forcing herself awake. Right. The father. The man who was paying forty thousand dollars a month for a nanny. Mia reached for her hand and began leading her toward the grand staircase. “Do you want me to carry you, Mia?” Pearl asked instinctively. “Those stairs look a little steep.” Mia stopped walking. Her small hand turned cold in Pearl’s grasp. “There is no need for that,” she said sharply. Pearl blinked. The response was colder than she expected from a seven-year-old. “I was only trying to help,” Pearl replied calmly. “That sounded a little harsh, don’t you think?” Mia turned slow

Chapter 6: (Lonely in the Mansion) Pearl let out a ragged sigh as the taillights of the limousine faded down the driveway. Mia was gone, but the silence she left behind pressed down like a physical weight. Pearl’s hands moved automatically, tidying the breakfast nook, stacking bowls and wiping crumbs, as if every surface could be polished enough to erase her anxiety. She had barely registered the soft tread of Italian leather on marble before a wall of charcoal wool was inches from her face. The bowls slipped from her hands, clattering across the floor with a deafening ring. Her heart jumped into her throat. “Good morning… Mr Ace,” she stammered, voice trembling. “Morning.” His eyes didn’t flicker, but the air around him thickened, taut and predatory. He bypassed her, moving toward the chrome coffee machine with a predator’s grace. Pearl froze in place, realizing she’d overstepped… again. “I just wanted to get everything in order before you left,” she added, breath catching i

Chapter 8 (Temporary Mask) The crisp, recycled air of the office struck Amari’s flushed skin with a forceful impact. The sound of Ace’s belt buckle snapping into place interrupted the silence—the unspoken conclusion to a tense moment she was not prepared to confront. She lingered at the desk for a moment longer than necessary, her fingers trembling as they gripped the polished mahogany. Amari Sam—she was a woman whose face appeared on billboards from Paris to Tokyo, whose presence commanded attention. Yet, in the dark reflections of the glass windows, she perceived a young woman frantically attempting to adjust her designer skirt, her movements hurried and lacking grace. Ace had already seated himself in his chair. He did not look at her; instead, he simply adjusted his cuffs and reached for his fountain pen. The transition from primal hunger to cold professionalism was so seamless that it caused a visceral reaction. “Fix your hair, Amari,” he stated flatly, with a tone as emotion

Chapter 10(Amusement Park)The amusement park was a multicoloured blur of neon pinks, electric blues, and the buttery scent of popcorn that seemed to hang in the evening air like a cloud. Mia’s eyes were wide, reflecting the spinning lights of the Ferris wheel as she skipped alongside Pearl, her small hand firmly clasped in the nanny's steady grip.The Giant Slide stood before them, tall and vibrant. Mia was walking towards the ticket booth when she suddenly stopped. Her cheerful little skip slowed, and she squeezed Pearl’s hand so tightly that her knuckles whitened.Standing right at the entrance to the slide, clutching a massive stick of blue cotton candy, was Momo. She was surrounded by two other girls from St. Jude’s, her loud, boisterous laughter piercing through the carnival music."Oh, look," Momo piped up, her voice dropping into that familiar, sharp edge as she spotted Mia. "It’s the baby. Did your daddy send your nanny to make sure you don't trip on the stairs?"The girls b