All Chapters of The Nanny Affair : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I stared at my laptop screen, my fingers hovering over the keyboard like they couldn’t quite make up their minds. A nanny position. One child. Milan. The salary was astronomical, far more than I’d ever imagined but so was the cost of leaving everything behind, stepping into a world I knew nothing about.I had spent months scraping by, juggling two jobs, paying bills late, barely keeping the lights on. I couldn’t afford mistakes anymore. Every decision had to count, every opportunity had to be seized. And now, this one was staring me in the face.I swallowed and clicked send on my application. I am a responsible, experienced caregiver who treats children like family.The next morning, my phone buzzed. The email subject made my heart skip a beat: Interview Invitation…Rinaldi Residence.I barely slept that night. My mind raced with questions. Would I be good enough? Could I handle living in someone else’s mansion, taking care of a child I’d never met, and being under the watchful eyes of

I stared at my phone for a long time after the message appeared on my screen. My fingers trembled as I read it again. And again. And again. My chest felt tight, like the air had been sucked out of the room. I glanced at the door that connected my room to Sofia’s, half expecting someone to be standing there. Watching. Listening. I locked my phone and set it face down on the nightstand, then immediately picked it back up. My thumb hovered over the screen. Delete. Block. Ignore. I didn’t do any of it. Instead, I slid the phone under my pillow like it could somehow protect me there. Sleep did not come easily that night. Every sound made my heart jump. Every creak of the mansion felt louder than it should have been. I kept thinking about Stacy’s eyes when she left. The venom in her voice. The way she looked at me like I was something she needed to destroy. Before she left the way she looked at me frightened me, and I wasn't one to make enemies. Plus, it wasn't a coincid

Emily's PovI stepped out into the late afternoon light, my purse swinging lightly over my shoulder as I raised my hand for a cab. Milan buzzed around me, alive and restless. Scooters zipped past, tourists clustered on sidewalks, locals moved with purpose. The city never paused, never softened, yet my thoughts were nowhere near the present.The past few days had drained me in ways I did not have words for. Matteo’s house. Sophia’s constant need for reassurance. Stacy’s shadow lingering even when she was nowhere to be seen. My nerves felt stretched thin, like one wrong move would snap them completely. As the cab pulled into traffic, I leaned back and let myself breathe, letting the sounds of the city fade into a distant hum.I had not seen Andrew in almost a week.That alone felt wrong. Andrew had always been my anchor, my constant. Before the live in nanny job. Before the mansion. Before Matteo Rinaldi and the complicated gravity of his world. I needed him. I needed a conversation tha

Emily’s POVThe mall smelled of polished floors and expensive perfumes, the hum of chatter and music mixing with the click of heels against marble. Mira bounced ahead of me, her energy infectious as she dragged me from one boutique to the next. I couldn’t help but smile, the tension in my chest easing slightly with each step. For the first time in days, I felt like I could breathe.“Look at this,” Mira said, holding up a silk dress that shimmered under the bright lights. “This would look amazing on you. Try it!”I laughed softly, shaking my head. “You’re trying to make me spend a fortune on myself.”She winked. “Exactly. You deserve it, Piccola donna.”I blushed, shaking my head, but I let her lead me toward the changing rooms anyway. The sunlight streaming through the glass ceiling made the entire space feel alive, and for a moment, I allowed myself to forget Matteo, Sophia, and even Stacy.As I held the dress up to my chest in the mirror, Mira leaned against the doorframe, her expre

Emily’s POVI was not even done settling in when the door burst open.“Emilyyy!” Sophia squealed, her tiny feet pounding against the floor as she ran straight into my room. “I’m back!”Before I could react, she threw herself into my arms, wrapping herself around me like she had been gone for months instead of a few hours.“Hey there, princess,” I said softly, hugging her back, inhaling the faint scent of crayons and baby shampoo that clung to her. “How are you? How was school?”“School was alright,” she said, climbing onto my bed and kicking her legs happily. “But I missed papa.”Something tugged painfully in my chest.“Aww,” I murmured, brushing her hair back gently. “I’m sure papa missed you too. But he has to work so he can buy you lots of dolls and princess clothes.”Her eyes lit up instantly. “And a castle?”I laughed. “Especially a castle.”That seemed to satisfy her.I led her downstairs so she could have her lunch, keeping my tone light even though my thoughts felt anything bu