Elegant. Impeccable. Unyielding.
She was waiting.
The moment Adrian stepped inside, her sharp gaze landed on Emma.
Her lips tightened.
“Adrian,” she said coolly, setting her teacup down. “I thought I made myself clear.”
“Why did you fire her?” Adrian asked directly.
No greeting. No hesitation.
Eleanor’s expression hardened.
“Because she’s overstepping,” she replied. “She’s just a nanny, yet she behaves as if she belongs here. I won’t tolerate that. She has no background, no refinement, no place in this family.”
Emma lowered her eyes, her hands trembling slightly.
Noah clung to her leg.
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
“You’re wrong,” he said.
Eleanor scoffed. “Am I? Look at her. Look at us. She doesn’t belong.”
The truth hung silently between them.
Two years ago, Adrian’s wife had died shortly after Noah was born. Complications. Sudden. Final.
Adrian had buried himself in work, unable to face the emptiness left behind.
And in that void, Emma had stepped in.
Not as a replacement.
But as a presence.
She had been the one who stayed up through the nights, soothing Noah when he cried. The one who kissed his scraped knees. The one who taught him to speak, to laugh, to feel safe again.
To Noah, she wasn’t an employee.