Chapter 4
I'm at the park in my workout clothes, having just finished my morning run.
Despite the cold, the sun feels nice—it finally decided to show up.
I'm sitting on a bench at the far end of the park, watching kids play around me, when I glance over and see a man running toward me with a child in his arms. In the distance, a man in a suit and a woman dressed in pink.
I don't think twice and head straight for the guy with the child.
He doesn't seem to have noticed me. As he gets closer, I lift my leg as high as I can—partly to avoid hitting the child, partly because I'm so short—and manage to knock him down.
He hits the ground and stares up at me, eyes wide.
I grab the child from his arms, and she's crying hard.
While I'm focused on the little girl, the jerk takes off into the nearby woods.
I try to soothe her, and she hugs me tight. My heart breaks for the poor thing.
“That bastard got away.”
“Oh my God, what's the boss going to say?”
“I always tell you to pay more attention when we're out, Matilda. There are so many kids around.”
“But Marcus, I was watching her! She just ran off, and by the time I noticed, it was too late.”
“You can explain that to Mr. Blake later.”
I stand there watching their heated argument, thinking that finally, I've hit my target. Then this Marcus guy turns to me and says:
“How did you do that?”
“Muay Thai. I've been doing it for a few years now. You never know when you'll need it, right?”
Then I see more people running toward us.
I squint to make out who it is, and a jolt of electricity shoots through me when I see him.
Online, he's handsome, but in person? He's gorgeous.
I shake my head—what are you thinking, you idiot?
He's the man who put your father in jail. But then he walks up and says:
“Matilda, you're fired. And you, Marcus—where were you when they grabbed Ellie? You're both irresponsible.”
“I'm sorry, sir. I went to the car to get little Ellie's bag, so I didn't see it happen. It was careless of me, and it won't happen again.”
“If my head of security is this careless, I don't even want to imagine the rest of them. I can't even work in peace anymore. Don't let this happen again, or you're all out on the street,” he shouts at the end.
I'm still holding little Ellie, who's calmer now but clinging to my neck.
I watch the whole scene unfold, wondering what this child must go through.
From what I can tell, she spends most of her time with the nanny and the security guard, so her father probably doesn't give her much attention.
And I'm right—when he touches her back, she doesn't even react.
“I'm sorry, miss, I didn't even ask your name.”
“Amélie, sir.”
“Thank you so much for saving my daughter. If it weren't for you, I don't know what would have happened. Ellie, come with Daddy. Let's go home.”
“Nooooo, I wanna stay with the lady,” she says, still clinging to my neck.
“Hey, sweetheart, it's Daddy. Come on, let's go home.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” I offer, and he gives me a sideways look, probably finding my offer strange. “It's no problem. I came to the park to run and I don't have anything else to do. It's no trouble to tag along.”
“Are you sure? I don't want to put you out.”
“Not at all. I only have classes at night, so I'm free all day. Ready?”
“Sure, let's go. And thank you again.”
He eyes me carefully. This man is cautious. I'll need to be even more careful around him than I already am.
“So, Miss Amélie, my security guard said you managed to take down the kidnapper.”
“Oh, yes, I've been doing Muay Thai for a few years. Actually, I never needed to use it until today.”
“And what do you do for work?”
“I don't work, sir. I live with my grandmother and have a scholarship at law school.”
“And do you like children?”
“Well, I've never really spent time with one. I've always been on my own. I lost my parents years ago, and I've lived with my grandmother ever since.”
“I see. Well, we're here. Could I ask you to come in and take her to her room? My security guard can take you home afterward.”
“No need—it's close to the park. I'll just walk. And of course, I'll take her up.”
Ellie stays glued to my neck and only lets go when we reach her room, but then she grabs my hand and pulls me over to show me her doll.
“Look, ‘Li’ is my favorite doll.” I smile at the nickname she gave me—she really is a beautiful, sweet girl.
“Oh, how sweet—just like you, Ellie. But ‘Li’ has to go now, sweetheart. I’ll come visit you another day, I promise, okay?”
“Don’t go, please. Ellie likes you.”
“Ellie is a wonderful girl, and I like you very much too.” I glance sideways at Mr. Blake, who’s standing in the bedroom doorway. He nods at me, so I say, “Alright, ‘Li’ will stay a little longer with you.”
The girl smiles at me and hugs me again.
We stay there, her sitting on my lap on the bedroom floor while we play.
When she starts getting sleepy, I notice several books on a shelf.
I grab one, lay her down in her Montessori-style bed, and start reading her the story.
She falls asleep almost immediately. I cover her up, kiss her forehead, and get up to leave—but I’m startled when I see Owen standing there in the doorway.
“Can you come with me, please?”
Shit, did he figure me out? No, definitely not. But even so, I follow him.
“Come in, please. Have a seat.”
I sit in the chair in front of his desk. He settles in and begins.
“How much do you want to look after my daughter? Name your price and I’ll accept it.”
“Sir, I can’t accept. I’ve never taken care of a child—I wouldn’t know what to do.”
“I saw exactly how you treated Ellie, and she really liked you—not to mention you stood up for my daughter. I appreciated that. So name your price, and I’ll pay it.”
I got what I wanted. But I have to hold back at first and not accept right away, so I say:
“But you don’t know anything about me. You don’t have my résumé…”
“I can find all that out in five minutes. But I’m just trying to find a nanny for my daughter, since I fired the last one.”
“Let’s do this—I’ll take care of Ellie until you find someone more experienced. How does that sound?”
“You’ll have to live here in the meantime. And if I don’t find anyone, you keep the job.”
“Alright, I accept.”
I got what I wanted. Now I just have to finish everything I planned without him finding out. It’s going to be difficult—the man is very smart. But so am I, and I’ll see this through to the end.