Chapter 4 - The Boundaries of the Beast
"My office. Now," Victor said.
He didn't wait for my response. He turned on his heel and walked down the corridor, his long, powerful strides making it hard for me to keep up without running.
I followed him into his office, closing the heavy oak door behind me. The room felt even more intimidating today, with the bright afternoon sun cutting through the windows, highlighting the dust motes dancing in the air and the sharp, clean lines of his mahogany desk.
Victor didn't sit down. He stood by the window, his back to me, his hands clasped behind his back.
"I agreed to let your daughter stay here, Sarah, because the agency assured me it would keep you focused," he said, his voice cold and precise. "But I did not agree to turn my home into a playground for another child."
"She’s seven years old, Mr. Rinaldi," I said, my voice rising slightly before I forced myself to control it. "She isn't turning your home into a playground. She’s currently sitting on the floor showing your youngest son how to build a stable wall out of blocks. Which is more than any of your expensive tutors have done in three years."
Victor turned around. His face was a mask of cold, unyielding authority. "You do not talk to me about my tutors. And you do not talk to me about what my sons need."
"Then why did you hire me?" I asked, stepping closer. "You hired me because your sons were destroying this house and themselves. They don't need another drill sergeant in a suit. They don't need another nanny who is terrified of them. They need a family. And whether you like it or not, Lily is a part of that now."
Victor’s eyes narrowed, a dangerous, golden light flashing in their depths. He walked over to his desk, leaning his hands on the surface, bringing his face inches from mine.
"You are a nanny, Sarah," he whispered, his voice dangerously low. "You are an employee. Do not forget your place. If I see your daughter interfering with my sons' education, or if she becomes a distraction to your duties, I will have both of you out of this house before the sun sets."
"And if she helps them?" I challenged, refusing to back down. "If she is the reason Tommy starts talking more? If she’s the reason Mason stops throwing things? Will you still throw us out?"
Victor stared at me, his jaw clenching. He was a man who was used to people trembling when he raised his voice. He was used to judges, politicians, and rival bosses begging for his mercy.
Yet here I was, a single mother with thirty-six dollars in her bank account, staring him down in his own office.
"You have two weeks," Victor said, his voice dropping into a register that made my heart stop.
"Two weeks for what?"
"Two weeks to prove that your 'family' method works," he said. "The Capos are coming to the estate for a formal dinner in two weeks. If my sons behave, if they sit at that table and act like the heirs to the Rinaldi name, you keep your job. If they don't... you leave. And your daughter leaves with you."
The knot in my stomach tightened again, heavier and colder than before.
Two weeks.
The exact same amount of time I had left before my custody hearing.
If I lost this job in two weeks, I would have no income, no home, and no way to prove to the judge that I could provide a stable environment for Lily. Her father would take her, and I would lose her forever.
May you like
"Deal," I said, my voice barely a whisper.
"Good," Victor said, sitting down behind his desk and opening a file. "Now get out. I have work to do."
