Chapter 6 - THE POISONOUS VOW
"I should have told you," Grace sobbed softly. "But then you started dating Vanessa. Her family is so powerful. I overheard her talking to her friends one afternoon in the garden. She said if you ever had illegitimate children, she would pay to have them taken away and locked in boarding schools so they wouldn't threaten her future children's inheritance."
Nathaniel's head snapped up, his eyes flashing with a sudden, murderous rage. "She said what?"
"She hates children," Grace trembled. "I was terrified, Nathaniel. If Vanessa found out Lily was yours, she would have destroyed us. She would have taken my baby."
Nathaniel stood up. The shock had passed, replaced by a cold, calculating, and absolute fury. The protective instincts of a billionaire who had just discovered his only heir ignited like a wildfire in his blood.
He walked over to Grace and knelt in front of her again. He took her trembling hands in his. "Listen to me," he said, his voice vibrating with unwavering conviction. "Vanessa Caldwell is nothing. Her family is nothing. They are dust beneath my shoes. Nobody is taking Lily from you. Nobody is ever going to hurt either of you again."
He turned to look at Lily. "Lily, sweetheart. Come here."
Lily trotted over, clutching the globe. "Yes, Mr. Boss?"
Nathaniel let out a wet, genuine laugh—a sound that hadn't escaped his lips in years. "You don't have to call me boss, little one." He gently brushed a curl from her forehead. "Would you like to stay in the big house tonight? With your mommy?"
Lily's eyes widened. "In the big house? Not in the basement?"
The word basement felt like a dagger in Nathaniel's chest. "Never in the basement again," he vowed. "I'm going to set up the biggest, most beautiful room for you. With all the toys you could ever want."
Grace looked at him in panic. "Nathaniel, people will talk. The staff will notice. Vanessa is going to retaliate."
May you like
"Let them talk," Nathaniel growled, standing to his full, intimidating height. "I am Nathaniel Ashford. I do not hide my family in the shadows. As for Vanessa, if she wants a war, she will find out exactly why I am the most feared man in this city."
He picked up his desk phone and pressed a single button. "Marcus. Bring my legal team to the estate immediately. Wake them up. And prepare the master guest suite on the east wing. Ms. Carter and her daughter are moving out of the staff quarters tonight."
