by Shay Violet
“She looks like she just came off the street, does she have any formal training with children?” Estelle speaks in a muffled tone as if she wants to pretend I can’t hear her. It’s ridiculous.
“She’s great with Nadia,” Jai huffs.
He doesn’t need to speak for me, but he redeems himself and his earlier remarks by standing up for me.
I stare at the woman, furious over her rude comments about me. She doesn’t even know me. She stepped into the room five minutes ago. She can’t get away with this.
“Nadia needs proper care—”
“And she’s getting it,” Jai states, grinding his teeth. He gently takes Estelle by the elbow and hooks his fingers around her arm. “It’s probably better if we talk… in private.”
“Whatever for?” Estelle gives him a puzzled look.
I look away. I’m so mortified that I don’t even know how to react to this fiasco. This woman is talking about me, blatantly rude and directly to my face with impunity. I can’t even imagine the opinions she would undoubtably spout out if she had known about the naughty behavior that I engaged in with her son-in-law the night before.
I internally cringe, praying that day never comes. Meanwhile, Jai is seething beside me. He balls his fists and casts Estelle a glowering look.
“Why don’t I take Nadia upstairs to play?” I suggest, aiming to appear both compliant and appeasing to all involved parties, even though I’m secretly fantasizing about ripping this woman’s head off.
“Come on sweetie,” I whisper, tossing Nadia a reassuring smile as I take her tiny hand in mine and attempt to exit the room.
“Where is she taking her?” Estelle gasps, pretending to panic, but it’s all for show, and she’s a horrible actress to boot.
“She’s just taking her upstairs to play,” Jai states with condescension flaring in his voice.
Estelle purses her lips disapprovingly but doesn’t stop me from leading her innocent granddaughter out of the room and away from this disturbing adult conversation. She’s already vulnerable enough as it is.
I exchange a disdainful look with Jai, hoping that Estelle won’t catch onto it and swiftly breeze Nadia from the room, all the while, my heart is in my throat.
17
Jai
“You cannot talk to my nanny like that in my home,” I hiss at Estelle, livid on the inside, and trying to keep my temper from spinning out of control on the outside.
“I don’t approve of the nanny,” Estelle counters with a bark of her own. “How could you even think of bringing a woman like that into your home? She looks like she just finished working tricks under a bridge.”
I gasp. “How dare you say something like that?” Fury threatens to engulf my psyche in flames.
“I call what I see,” Estelle shrugs indifferently. I see right through her passive aggressive bullshit.
“You don’t even know her,” I counter. “How could you possibly say something as derogatory as that about her? Besides, she has a name, it’s Aurora.”
“It’s… she wasn’t dressed appropriately,” Estelle states as if she’s grasping at straws for excuses. “I didn’t get a good first impression from her.”
“You barely gave her a chance to say anything at all,” I argue.
“Her words don't matter, she’s the help,” Estelle states with an airy wave of her arms.
“Either way, you absolutely cannot talk like that in front of my daughter,” I command.
Estelle scoffs as if my opinions bear no weight and don’t matter to the big picture inside of that delusional head of hers.
“I said nothing inappropriate in front of Nadia.” Estelle plants on an innocuous expression but I see right through her shenanigans. She’s not as harmless as she looks.
“You were blatantly rude to her new nanny,” I counter. “You didn’t have to say those hurtful things.”
Estelle looks appalled that I would have the audacity to speak to her in such a disrespectful way. Her eyes enlarge and she’s horrified. This conversation is taking a quick plunging nosedive.
“Aurora is amazing,” I continue before she has the chance to hash out another complaint. “She is the very reason Nadia is opening up more than she has since her mother’s death. It’s important for Nadia to have a female presence in the house—”
“I was thinking more of someone who would provide a good example,” Estelle interjects.
I tighten my jaw. There is no arguing with this woman. She is the queen of bickering and family turmoil.
“If you can’t treat Aurora with the dignity and respect she deserves, I will find you a suitable hotel,” I offer quietly, all the while staring at Estelle through narrowed eyes.
I’m not bluffing, and I wait for Estelle to realize that I’m dead serious. I will not play games with her. I’m not in the mood for this shit, and the sooner she realizes that her antics aren’t welcome here, the better.
“What about Nadia?” There’s a slightly wounded twinge in her voice.
“I’ll arrange that she sees you every day during your visit,” I state practically.
“Why are you proposing this out of nowhere?” Now it is Estelle’s turn to narrow her eyes in suspicion.
“I can’t in good conscience allow you to stay in my home with hostile behavior like this. It creates an unfavorable environment for my daughter,” I declare.
“This is preposterous.” Estelle’s voice rings high pitched, squeaky with opposition. I’m backing her into a corner, something she doesn’t expect.
“In addition, you have been very disrespectful to my nanny, and I can’t have that in my house.” I stand my ground, firmly.
Estelle’s eyes enlarge as if she’s experiencing a defining moment in her mind. “You are very protective of this nanny…” she trails off contemplatively.
I square my shoulders and keep my gaze locked with her. She doesn’t scare me, and I reveal nothing.
When I don’t take her bait, she comes right out and says the words I already know are ready to slip off her snaky tongue.
“Are you sleeping with this ‘nanny?’” She practically squawks, using air quotes for the word nanny and hissing it as if it’s a derogatory word you can’t speak in public.
“That’s none of your business,” I advise her sternly.
It’s as if Estelle can read the emotions on my face, even though I’m struggling to keep my poker face intact.
“Oh, my… God. I can’t believe you are sleeping with your nanny.” Her lips twist in soured disgust as she jumps straight to conclusions.
“Watch your tongue,” I bite back.
She gives me a look of moral contempt. “Have you no respect for your deceased wife, mind you, my daughter? She would roll in her grave if she knew the deviant antics going on between you and the help.”
“You can’t speak like that,” I bark. “This is my home.” I gently pushed her wagging, accusatory finger out of my face.
Who does this woman think she is? She seems eager to stain my reputation and doesn't care who hears.
She gives me a wounded look, but it’s brief and then she resumes pretending to be unphased. Maybe it isn’t an act, anyway. She’s as delusional as they come.
How did she even guess about my private rendezvous with Aurora? Could she read it on my face? I did my best to keep my emotions under lock and key, but this woman had the scent of a bloodhound and she could sniff out any secret.
“I haven’t admitted to anything,” I say, desperately attempting to keep my voice down. “You are accusing me of something—”
“It’s written all over your face,” she contests. “It’s like you are not even trying to hide it.”
“You need to calm down,” I tell her. “You are blowing things out of proportion.”
She should know better. She may be my late wife’s mother, but she’s still in my home, and I am a sheikh. She knows I am due a proper amount of respect.
“I am calm,” she shouts, proving to
both of us that she’s anything but calm, bordering on hysterics instead.
“Do you want Nadia to hear you yelling at me like this?” I ask. “My relationship with Aurora is none of your damn business.”
I regret saying it before the words escape my mouth. Estelle sees the window of opportunity. She arches one cynical eyebrow.
“So, you do admit to being in a relationship with your nanny?”
“She has a name, and it’s Aurora,” I clarify a second time through clenched teeth.
“You aren’t answering the question.” She shots me a smug smirk that lights up my insides with fresh fury, but I take a deep breath and will myself to harbor self-control.
“I don’t have to answer any of your questions, because you haven’t earned the right to ask them in the first place,” I protest. She thinks she has me locked under checkmate, but I don’t cave that easily.
As our argument continues to escalate, Harold, Estelle’s butler waltzes into the room like he owns the place. Estelle has him wrapped around her middle finger. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wipes her ass for her too.
Estelle doesn’t go anywhere without Harold. It’s as if she doesn’t even need a husband which she has. Howard is at her constant beck and call, a slave to her every whim. The man seriously doesn’t have a single shred of self-respect or backbone to speak of.
He swiftly takes her by the hand and gives her an encouraging smile with an urgent nod of his gray and balding head.
“It’s time to go, Madame,” he states in a French accent.
“Go where?” Estelle gestures around. “I’m perfectly content here.”
“That may be true, but unfortunately for you, you have reared your ugly opinions in my home and are no longer welcome. I will own up to my promise of hospitality by putting you up in one of the most luxurious downtown hotels,” I declare in a stern tone because there is no room for debate.
If she doesn’t like it, she can sleep in the backyard for all I care, but she will not disrespect me and Aurora in my home and get away with it. I’m trying to keep my temper even, but I’m steaming mad and nearly exploding. Harold came in just in time before I lost my composure with this woman.
However, I notice him shoot me a contrite glance. “We were just leaving,” he states coolly.
“Wonderful,” I chime sardonically. “Please, allow me to walk you to the door.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Harold huffs with a glower in my direction.
He quickly spins on a heel, tenderly edging Estelle along, attempting to bustle and steer her toward the front exit of the house.
“I’ll see you at the ball,” Estelle shouts disruptively over her shoulder.
Harold diligently attempts to tug her toward the door quickly, but she squirms in his grasp. She makes a last ditched effort to cast me a leer on her way out.
“I’ll see you,” I call out behind her. “As Aurora will be my date.”
I note with pleasure how my comment unnerves Estelle, and for the moment renders her speechless. I am gratified, not because I’m an asshole, but because Estelle started the argument first.
If she wants to dig her nose into my business where it doesn’t belong, I’ll dish until her ears bleed. Whatever makes her more uncomfortable, the better. She has no right to overstep boundaries with me.
Just then my phone buzzes in my pocket. I begrudgingly pluck it out and groan, rolling my eyes. Who wants to bother me now? I’m too stressed out with my mother-in-law to deal with this now.
When I unlock my screen and scroll over the recently received a text message, my blood goes icy in my veins. I feel the color draining from my face.
I read each word of the text repeatedly, and each time I do, a fresh horror pours over my senses.
Have you no respect for the dead?
18
Aurora
I’m standing in the bathroom at Jai’s house, which now I suppose I can call my house too, even if I’m only living here because I’m in his daughter's nanny. I fixate my gaze on my elegant ball gown. It’s lavender, and compliments the cherry highlights to my curls and dark skin.
“You look gorgeous,” Nadia says with a bright beaming smile.
“Do you think so?” I’m grinning from ear to ear because I can’t help myself.
The excitement overpowers me in the most phenomenal way possible. Isn’t this every girl’s dream, a fantasy come to life to go to an elegant ball?
“Yes.” Nadia hops up on the counter and fervently nods her head.
She looks precious in her own accord. She’s wearing a pink pajama dress. She’s already had her shower, and she has once again allowed me to comb through her hair to brush out all the tangles.
We make a game of the routine now. I do my best to brush it tenderly, to enhance her pleasure and make it a bonding experience rather than one that frightens her or pops up unwanted memories.
I’m here to invest as much time and energy into this little girl as possible, and when I look into her beautiful, impressionable eyes, I know that the hard work is worth the effort.
Nadia crosses her legs on the counter by my sink and vanity. She gives me a look as if she’s in awe of me. She leans forward, and her eyes sparkle with earnest delight.
“All that’s missing is the accessories,” Claire, the house maid states in a bubbly tone, springing over to the dresser right outside of the bathroom to retrieve the simple diamond necklace and matching earring set I will wear tonight.
“This is the only expensive jewelry I own,” I mention to both her and Nadia as Claire helps me clasp the back of the necklace from behind.
“It is?” Nadia cranes her head to the side and gives me a curious peer through the casting of an intrigued expression.
“Yes.” I nod and smile at her. “It's a family heirloom my mother handed down to me.”
“She gave it to you?” Nadia’s voice squeaks, high pitched and interested.
“After my grandmother passed away,” I admit. “This jewelry set belonged to her.”
“To your grandma?” Nadia asks, sitting up straighter now.
“That’s right.” I shoot her a warm smile.
“Your grandmother sounds nicer than mine,” Nadia states bleakly. She frowns and her eyes trail downcast.
I exchange a glance with Claire, who now seems visibly troubled by Nadia’s revealing comment about her grandmother.
“That’s enough Nadia, why don’t you climb down from there now before you hurt yourself?” Claire suggests and gently attempts to pluck the begrudged child from the top of the counter.
Nadia protests and squirms slightly, but relents, stops her wiggling and plants two feet back on the solid marbled floor.
“What?” She behaves defensively as she shrugs. “My grandmother has never given me a nice present like that.”
I chuckle, because the remark is so adorable and not to mock her. “Give it time.”
“What does that mean?” Nadia’s eyebrows knit together.
“It means you are still young, and there is still time for your grandmother to give you a lavish present like that.”
Nadia seems to ponder my statement and much to my relief she drops the subject.
I exchange another glance with Claire who seems a little emotionally wary, but sighs with relief.
I square my shoulders and strike a pose, giving myself another glance in the mirror.
“Does my makeup look pretty?” I ask them both, glancing from one to the other while holding my breath for positive opinions.
“It does.” Claire clasps her hands together. Her eyes are bright with excitement, her smile is warm and sincere. “You look absolutely stunning.”
“You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen,” Nadia adds in a voice like a baby angel.
“Thank you, sweetheart.” I plant a kiss on her forehead, and she beams radiantly.
“You will be the most beautiful woman at the ball,” Claire adds.
“You are too
kind, but I hardly believe that will be the case—”
“No, it’s true!” Nadia shouts and jumps up and down, clapping her hands with excitement.
“Please.” I scoff jokingly. “I could never have made myself look like this on my own. I owe you both most of the credit.”
“Well, we had a magnificent canvas to work with.” Claire’s eyes shimmer fondly.
I’m overcome with emotion. I can’t believe that I’m getting ready for a fantastic ball, and a sheikh prince is taking me as his date. Maybe he’ll sweep me off my feet. I roll my eyes to myself. Yeah right. I already slept with him, and we hadn’t even had a real or official date yet.
I shouldn’t have had sex with him. However, in my defense, I had willingly allowed him to seduce me. I got lost in the moment. All my inhibitions were consumed by the sultry flame of attraction in his handsome amber eyes.
“My daddy is going to fall in love with you and make you a princess too!” Nadia points and bounces on her heels, smiling with glee.
I instantly feel heated. I stammer. My eyes dart left and right, and I instinctively look everywhere besides Claire and Nadia.
“What are you talking about?” I scoff nervously, smoothing out the imaginary creases in my lavender dress.
“I can just tell,” Nadia says. “I bet my daddy is going to think you are really pretty too.”
“Oh, well… thanks.” I manage a meager smile, but now I’m desperate to change the subject.
I’m shocked that Nadia would even say something like that and secretly wonder where she would have the mindset to even make an assumption like that. I try to brush it off and dismiss it altogether because I don’t want even more ideas imprinting in that savvy little brain of hers.
I desperately try to remember if Jai and I might have done or said something inappropriate in front of Nadia, but nothing comes to mind.
There’s no telling what Nadia knows or has figured out on her own. Either way, I’m not in a position to question her about it. Not now, and not ten minutes before I’m set to leave with her father, the real prince here, to attend a lavish ball in the center of town.