ISABELLE CAMPBELL
I blinked, and somehow Hanna was gone—lost somewhere in that endless maze people call a mansion. And this after I’d explicitly told her not to leave my side.
I stopped what I was doing and went looking for her. Oh, she was in for it when I found her—no doubt about that.
I searched the entire house, but there was no sign of her. Panic started to creep in for one simple reason...
If Hanna hadn’t left the mansion, there was only one place she could be.
Oh, no.
“Please don’t do this to Mommy…” I muttered, looking up, already preparing the excuse I’d have to give Colin if he found her there.
I hesitated—should I go into the forbidden area to look for her or not? I stood there debating for a few minutes before finally deciding to go, but by then it was too late. Just as I turned toward those halls, I saw Hanna walking toward me, holding hands with Colin.
I was screwed.
As soon as they let go, Hanna ran back to me, and I couldn’t help but take a closer look at Colin. He looked... different somehow. Not that it was any of my business, but I had to ask.
“Are you okay?”
“Why are you asking?” His voice was as deep and gruff as ever.
“Your face, it looks…” I stopped myself—no point in making this worse. “Never mind. Forget I said anything.”
“Good. It better be nothing.”
I noticed he was still holding that same photo in his hand.
“I’m sorry you found Hanna where she wasn’t supposed to be. Really, I am. It won’t happen again.”
Colin didn’t say a word. He just turned and walked back down those hallways, leaving me hanging—like always.
“What did I tell you about going to that part of the house?!” I snapped, my voice sharper than I intended, angry that my daughter had disobeyed me.
The lecture came fast. Hanna needed to understand that she had to behave in someone else’s home—especially a stranger’s.
“I’m sorry, Mommy. I got lost and really had to pee.”
“Next time, ask someone for help. Don’t just wander around, got it?”
“Okay.”
I took Hanna somewhere I could keep an eye on her and made a mental note not to let her out of my sight again. She’d caused enough trouble for one day.
“I met Mr. Colin’s daughter,” she said suddenly.
My stomach dropped.
“W-what did you just say?”
“He was holding her picture when he came out of a room.”
My brain started connecting dots fast. Colin… the photo… coming out of that room, his awkward expression, his slightly swollen face—
Oh my God.
He’d been crying in his late daughter’s room.
“Wonderful, Hanna,” I muttered, sarcasm slipping out before I could stop it.
“Huh?”
“Nothing… it’s nothing.”
Honestly, I was amazed I still had a job after everything that had happened.
I did my best to keep an eye on my little troublemaker for the rest of the afternoon. I still couldn’t believe she’d caught Colin off guard—and I didn’t like that one bit.
“Hanna!” I called, and she came running toward me.
Today, I needed to get out of that mansion as fast as possible. My daughter had probably already pushed Colin to his limit just by stepping into a place he’d explicitly forbidden anyone to enter.
“Ready to go?”
“Aww, but I wanted to stay.”
I smiled and shook my head. My daughter… always something new.
“Wanting isn’t the same as getting. Let’s go—now.”
“Fine,” she muttered, giving me those puppy-dog eyes but nodding anyway.
We were heading for the exit when I saw Colin standing right by the front door. Great. Judging by his look, he wanted to talk. Maybe even fire me—at this point, nothing would surprise me.
“Do you need—”
“Don’t you think it’s exhausting for your mother to bring Hanna to work most days?” he cut me off, leaving me blinking in confusion.
“Yes, very. But I don’t have much of a choice, and—”
“I’ll give you one,” he interrupted again.
Of course. Colin Adams could probably set a world record for cutting people off mid-sentence. I had no doubt this would keep happening for as long as we worked under the same roof.
“What exactly do you mean by that?”
I tensed. The voice in my head immediately chimed in: ‘You’ll have all the time in the world to take care of your daughter—you’re fired.’
Yeah, that’s exactly what I heard loud and clear.
“Your daughter can stay here every day. If she wants to, of course.”
“Really?” Hanna looked up at Colin and smiled. He… smiled back.
What the hell?
In what alternate universe was I living? The man who never showed affection to anyone was suddenly smiling at my daughter. Sure, he ignored me completely when he did it, but still…
“I don’t see any problem with it,” Colin said, his gaze fixed on mine.
“I thought you’d be upset since… you know. She invaded your privacy. And that’s kind of on me.”
“Oh, there’s no doubt it’s on you.”
There it was—the Colin I knew.
“Hanna talked to me,” he continued, “and she was just looking for a bathroom. I’d rather she come with you.”
I’d have to adjust her preschool hours, but luckily she was on break this month. Colin offering this arrangement actually lifted a huge weight off my shoulders—though it also made me nervous. The man wasn’t exactly known for being generous, and Hanna wasn’t exactly known for staying still.
“Fine by me,” I said carefully.
“Good.” There was a faint hint of warmth in his voice, which immediately put me on edge. Why was nice Colin suddenly making an appearance?
“Does that mean I can play here every day, mister?” Hanna asked.
“What did I tell you about calling him ‘mister,’ Hanna?” I chided gently.
“Sorry, Mommy.”
“You can call me whatever you want, sweetheart,” Colin said, kneeling down to her level. “I like my name, but if you forget it, you can call me whatever’s easier.”
Call him rude, cold, adorable, sweetheart—or bipolar. There goes my brain, mocking Colin again.
“We’re late. Good night, Colin, and… thank you.”
I swore he wouldn’t say a word—but to my absolute surprise, a voice actually came out of his mouth.
“See you tomorrow, Isabelle. Good night, Hanna.” He smiled again when their eyes met.
“Bye… Colin.”
He turned to leave but stopped just long enough to say, “Tito’s waiting for you. He’ll drive you home. Every day from now on.”
“But—”
“I don’t take no for an answer,” he called over his shoulder, walking away.
What the hell just happened?
“Uncle Colin’s really nice, huh?”
Perfect. She’s officially added uncle to his name. I’m sure Colin’s going to love that.
Then again, he never complains about anything she does—unlike with me.
“He’s a sweetheart with you,” I muttered as we ate popcorn, watching The Lion King for what felt like the hundredth time.
“Uh-huh.”
“So tell me, why do you like staying at the mansion so much?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“Well, there’s a playground, and I get to run around.”
“I see.”
“And Uncle Colin’s nice.”
“He’s not!” I said, teasing.
“He is too!” Hanna shot back, a little offended.
Makes total sense, right?
“If you say so…”
We finished the movie, and I could feel exhaustion weighing down every part of me.
At Colin’s mansion, I’m constantly on the move.
He’s got exactly twenty-five employees working for him, and I’m responsible for all of them.
From problems to reports—they all come to me.
And every single day, something new pops up.
Surprisingly, I’m holding up pretty well working for Colin Adams.
I woke up earlier than usual. Since Hanna was coming with me, I had to get my little one out of bed and organize a few things to take to the mansion.
Once everything was packed and ready, we headed for the door—and the moment I opened it…
I noticed a black Audi parked right outside my house. I hadn’t caught the license plate yet, but it looked exactly like one of the cars Colin’s drivers used for errands.
As I walked closer, the window rolled down, and there was Tito, grinning at me.
“Morning, Isabelle. Colin sent me to pick you two up.”
“He didn’t tell me anything about that.”
“Between us, I think this might start happening every day.” He winked, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Right… okay.”
Still, I couldn’t help replaying that in my head. Colin wasn’t exactly known for his goodwill, and he’d been acting strange lately. I mean, with me he was still the same cold brute as always—but something felt… different.
When we arrived at the mansion, Colin was sitting on the couch, reading a magazine.
That wasn’t typical. I let it go.
“Hi, Uncle Colin!”
Hanna greeted him first, and I was grateful she did—gave me a chance to really look at his face. It was odd… how do I even explain it?
It was like he froze for a second, then “came back” to himself.
“Hey there, sweetheart. I’ve got a surprise for you!”
“What is it?” Her whole face lit up.
“It’s in the kitchen. Helen will show you.”
Helen immediately took her by the hand, and the two disappeared down the hall.
“Didn’t forget anything, did you, kiddo?”
“Oh! Thank you, Uncle Colin!”
“You’re welcome.”
Colin and I stayed in the living room. He watched me for a few seconds but said nothing.
“I didn’t know Tito was coming to get us.”
“That’s my way of preventing you from being late. I made the decision last minute.”
Of course he did.
“I’ve got a lot of work today. I hope you don’t interrupt me.”
Tell that to your new best friend, Uncle Colin.
“Got it.”
Was it possible I was… jealous? Probably not. My issue was more about understanding why he was like this with my daughter—because I’d never seen him show that kind of affection even toward Joshua, his own son.
“Can I ask you something?”
“No. But knowing you, you’ll ask me anyway some other time, and I won’t realize it’s the same question.”
“Does Hanna remind you of your late daughter?”
I braced for the worst. Colin was blunt and impatient even with harmless questions—so how was he going to react to one that personal?
“Actually, no. Maddison was more reserved, very attached to her mother. But when she was with me, we had a lot of fun together.”
I… was… stunned.
The calm, almost gentle way he said it threw me off completely. It was—dare I say—kind of sweet.
“What?” he asked when he caught me staring at him for a bit too long. I was trying to figure out why he’d been so open, so willing to talk. In my opinion, he missed talking about his daughter—but knowing him, he’d never admit that out loud.
“I just thought you’d bite my head off for asking.”
“That’s exactly what you deserved for asking something that personal. But, like I said, you would’ve asked it anyway at another time.”
“I can—”
“You can’t,” he cut me off. “The Q&A session’s over. Like I told you, I’ve got work to do, and I don’t want to be interrupted. Was I clear?”
“Yes. Got it.”
It would’ve been wishful thinking to expect him to open up any further. I know I tend to expect too much from people—but hearing Colin talk, even a little, about his family… gave me hope for something I couldn’t quite name.