Chapter 3 - Shadows of the Past
Over the next two weeks, an uneasy peace settled over the Ashcombe estate in Belgravia.
While the high-society circles of London gossiped about Nathaniel’s sudden defiance of his formidable mother, inside the walls of the nursery, a quiet transformation was taking place. Wren was stepping out of her walker for longer intervals every day. Nora, ever the shadow, held her sister's hand gently, offering words of encouragement in the secret language twin toddlers share.
Nathaniel found himself spending less time at the corporate headquarters in Canary Wharf and more time in his home office. He began taking his morning coffee in the glass atrium overlooking the garden, watching Willow work with the twins.
He noticed the small things. He noticed how she never raised her voice, how her patience seemed bottomless, and how she carried a worn silver locket around her neck that she subconsciously touched whenever she thought no one was looking. He also noticed that she was fiercely protective of her six-year-old son, Leo, who stayed with her sister during the week while Willow worked her residential shifts.
One rainy Tuesday afternoon, while Willow was guiding Wren through a series of balance exercises on a soft mat, Nathaniel stepped into the nursery carrying two mugs of tea.
"You look tired," he said, handing her a mug as she sat back on her heels.
"Leo had a fever last night," Willow confessed, taking the warm mug gratefully. "My sister stayed up with him, but I couldn't stop worrying."
"Why don't you bring him here?" Nathaniel asked casually.
Willow looked up in surprise. "Here? To Belgravia? Mr. Ashcombe, your mother would—"
"My mother doesn't live here," Nathaniel interrupted smoothly. "This is my home. There are eight unused bedrooms on the third floor. Leo should be with his mother."
Willow stared at him, her gray eyes shining with an emotion she tried hard to conceal. "That's... extraordinarily generous, Nathaniel. But I don't want to overstep."
"It's not generosity, Willow. It's common sense," Nathaniel said, stepping closer. "A mother who isn't worrying about her sick child is a better nanny for mine. It's a purely business decision."
A faint, knowing smile played at the corner of Willow's lips. "Right. Purely business."
Before Nathaniel could reply, his phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a encrypted message from his head of private security, a former MI6 operative named Marcus whom Nathaniel had secretly tasked with looking into the "glitch" in the security system on the night of the gala.
Boss, the message read. The deleted footage from the corridor camera wasn't erased. It was overridden from an internal IP address. And there's something else you need to see regarding Willow Hart's past employment in Surrey.
Nathaniel felt his heart drop into his stomach. He looked at Willow, who was now laughing as Nora tried to place a toy crown on her head. Her warmth was undeniable, yet he couldn't ignore the chill of uncertainty that suddenly rushed through him.
"I have to take this," Nathaniel said quietly, stepping out of the room.
He walked down to his private study and opened the secure file Marcus had sent to his desktop.
The first document was a medical board incident report from four years ago.
Target: Willow Hart, Physical Therapist Assistant.
Incident: Unauthorized administration of experimental physical therapy techniques resulting in severe injury to a minor.
Outcome: License suspended indefinitely. Criminal charges dismissed due to lack of physical evidence, though civil suit settled out of court by private donor.
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Nathaniel stared at the screen, his chest tightening. The victim of the alleged malpractice was a young boy.
And the private donor who had paid off the court settlement was none other than Desmond Kerr.
