Chapter 2
Grace and Lily waited near the end of the line. The moment Lily saw Adrian, she ran.
“Uncle Adrian!”
Grace’s heart stopped. Every staff member turned.
Adrian lowered himself carefully onto one knee despite the pain in his abdomen and caught Lily in his arms. He held her for a long moment.
Vanessa’s smile remained in place, but her eyes hardened.
Adrian rose and faced the household. “From today forward, Lily Miller is not to be treated as an employee’s child. She is my guest, under my protection, and free to enter any room in this house except areas that would be unsafe for her.”
A stunned silence followed.
“No one dismisses her,” he continued. “No one ignores her. If she says something is wrong, you listen.”
Vanessa gave a light laugh. “Of course we will. She’s our little hero.” But when her gaze dropped to Lily, there was no warmth in it.
Over the next month, the Vale estate changed. A child’s cup appeared beside Adrian’s coffee every morning. A wooden swing was installed in the rose garden. Adrian began leaving business meetings early because Lily expected him to read to her before bed.
Grace repeatedly tried to apologize. “You have important responsibilities, sir.”
“So does she,” Adrian replied.
“What responsibilities could a three-year-old possibly have?”
“She reminds me I’m still human.”
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Grace did not know what to say to that. She also did not know how to name the feeling that grew when she watched him cut Lily’s pancakes into stars or kneel in an expensive suit to repair the wheel on a toy wagon. It was not simply gratitude. That frightened her.
Vanessa noticed everything. Within days, Grace’s work assignments began changing without warning. Rooms were declared improperly cleaned. Silverware disappeared and reappeared in Grace’s supply cart. Then Vanessa’s emerald brooch was found beneath a stack of Grace’s folded uniforms. Adrian did not believe the accusation, but the whispers spread among the staff.
