Chapter 8 - Grace's Return
At that exact moment, the nursery door swung open, and Grace Carter rushed into the room, breathless and wild-eyed with panic. Her apron was slightly stained with laundry detergent, and her hair had come loose from its bun.
"Lily! Oh, sweet Jesus—Lily!" Grace dropped to her knees, scooping her daughter into her arms and burying her face in the child's neck. "What happened? The guards said... they said you were in the executive wing—"
"Mommy," Lily said cheerfully, patting her mother's back. "I showed Mr. Russo my bear. We found a needle."
Grace froze, lifting her head slowly to look at Dominic Russo standing above them. Fear, raw and absolute, washed over her features. She pulled Lily protectively behind her, bowing her head. "Mr. Russo, I am so sorry. She didn't mean to wander. Please, don't fire me—don't send us away. I'll pack our things right now."
Dominic raised a hand, stopping her words. He looked at the woman who had worked honestly in his estate for three years, whose hands smelled of laundry soap and comfort, and realized how close he had come to losing everything because he had trusted the wrong adults.
"Grace," Dominic said, his tone firm but remarkably kind. "Stand up."
Grace hesitated, rising slowly to her feet while keeping Lily clutched safely against her hip.
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"Your daughter is the sharpest soul in this entire mansion," Dominic said, picking up the ruined teddy bear from the table and handing it back to Lily with gentle care. "Starting tomorrow, you are no longer working the laundry detail. I am appointing you as the head of executive household administration. And Lily... Lily will want for nothing in this house for as long as she lives."
Grace stared at him, dumbfounded, unable to process the sudden shift in their lives.
