Chapter 4 - The Golden Cage
By the end of the first week, the third-floor nursery had transformed from a sterile hospital ward into a lived-in sanctuary. Dr. Halloran returned for a follow-up examination, and his clinical arrogance was replaced by utter bewilderment as he reviewed Leo's charts.
"His weight is up six ounces," Dr. Halloran said, lowering his stethoscope and staring at Hunter with wide eyes. "His sodium levels are normal, his reflexes are sharp, and whatever immunological properties your milk is passing to him are performing miracles his genetics shouldn't even allow. Mr. Rossi, this is... unprecedented."
"I don't pay you for medical poetry, Doctor," Lorenzo said, standing by the window with his arms crossed. "I pay you for facts. Is he going to live?"
"Yes," Halloran nodded quickly. "Barring any unforeseen complications, Leo is going to thrive. But... the arrangement. How long will the wet nurse—"
"Her name is Miss Higgins," Lorenzo corrected, his voice cutting through the room like a razor. "And she stays as long as my son requires her."
Hunter, sitting in the corner rocking chair while Leo napped against her shoulder, looked up sharply. "Wait, Mr. Rossi. We didn't discuss a permanent arrangement. I was hired to clean brass, not to—"
"Your employment contract has been amended," Lorenzo interrupted, turning to face her. "You are now Leo's exclusive guardian-nurse. Your salary has been multiplied by ten. You will have a suite on the second floor, adjoining the nursery. And you will not leave this estate without my explicit permission."
"That sounds like a prison sentence," Hunter said, her voice rising with sudden, pent-up frustration.
"It's a fortress," Lorenzo countered, stepping closer. "Outside these gates, people are looking for ways to hurt me. They know I have a son. If word gets out that a maid is the only reason he’s alive, you become a target. Here, behind these walls, no one touches you. No ex-boyfriend, no creditors, no enemies."
Hunter opened her mouth to argue, but the reality of her situation hit her like a cold wave. In the real world, Tommy’s debt collectors were circling her old apartment in Queens, her landlord was evicting her, and she had nowhere else to go. Here, she had safety, a comfortable bed, and, most importantly, a tiny, breathing human being who anchored her shattered heart to the earth.
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"Fine," Hunter whispered, looking down at Leo's sleeping face. "I'll stay. But I want a phone. I want to order my own books. And I want to walk in the estate gardens when the sun is out."
Lorenzo stared at her for a beat, then gave a slow, deliberate nod. "Done."
