“Not the children, Miss Vanessa,” Maria said quietly, her voice steady despite her racing heart. “You can shout at me. You can fire me. But you will not hit them.”
Vanessa laughed harshly. “You think you have authority here? You’re nothing. I’ll be Mrs. Daniel Brooks in a month. And when I am, I’ll throw you out first.”
At that moment, Daniel Brooks had just stepped out of his car. He froze at what he saw: his fiancée’s raised hand, the nanny shielding his sons, the terror in his children’s faces.
He stayed still—long enough to understand.
“They’re useless!” Vanessa snapped, gesturing at the boys. “They can’t even walk. They ruin everything.”
The word hit harder than a slap. Noah lowered his head. Ethan’s lip quivered.
Maria widened her stance. “They are children,” she said firmly. “They are your future husband’s sons.”
Vanessa stepped closer, voice low and venomous. “When I move in, I’ll send them away. A boarding school far enough that I won’t have to see those broken legs every day.”
Tears filled Maria’s eyes—not for herself, but for the cruelty pouring onto innocent hearts.
“You may have money,” Maria said softly, “but you have no kindness. And that makes you poorer than me.”