Chapter 2 - The Unorthodox Arrangement
By noon the next day, the entire Vance estate was buzzing with scandalous whispers.
The new head of the nursery was not a licensed child psychologist.
She was not a British governess with a degree from Oxford.
She was the girl who had been hired to scrub the baseboards just twenty-four hours ago.
Mr. Thorne, the estate manager, stood in Julian’s study with a look of profound disapproval.
“Sir, this is highly irregular,” Thorne protested, adjusting his glasses.
“Ms. Rostova has no formal training in early childhood development.”
“She doesn't need formal training, Thorne,” Julian replied, signing a contract without looking up.
“She has a two-year-old who speaks whatever language my sons are currently speaking.”
“But sir, the optics—” Thorne started.
“The optics are that I slept for eight uninterrupted hours last night,” Julian snapped, his eyes flashing with warning.
“My sons ate an entire bowl of oatmeal this morning without weaponizing it.”
“Elena Rostova and her son are to be given the master guest suite.”
Thorne swallowed hard, realizing the debate was over.
“Yes, Mr. Vance.”
Upstairs, Elena was standing in the middle of a bedroom larger than her entire previous apartment.
Toby was happily bouncing on a king-sized mattress, entirely oblivious to their sudden change in status.
Elena looked at her reflection in the gilded mirror.
She was terrified.
She knew men like Julian Vance did not hand out favors without expecting total perfection.
If Toby somehow lost his magic touch with the twins, she would be out on the street faster than she could blink.
Suddenly, a soft knock echoed through the room.
Julian stood in the doorway, looking entirely out of place in the lavish, floral-decorated guest suite.
“Is the room to your liking?” he asked, his tone professional but surprisingly gentle.
“It’s beautiful, Mr. Vance,” Elena said.
“Call me Julian.”
Elena blinked, shocked by the casual request from a man known for his icy demeanor.
“Julian, I need to be honest,” she said, gripping the edge of the dresser.
“I don't know what I'm doing.”
“Toby is just a normal toddler, and I’m just a mom trying to survive.”
Julian walked into the room, stopping a few feet away from her.
“Elena, for a year and a half, I have paid the smartest people in the world to fix my family.”
“They all failed.”
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“Your son walked in and gave me my children back.”
“Just keep them laughing, and I will give you anything you want.”
