Chapter 4
The heavy oak doors of Nolan’s private study clicked shut, instantly muting the chaotic murmurs of the reception. The room was a sanctuary of dark leather, towering bookshelves, and a massive stone fireplace where a fire crackled fiercely. Nolan guided Elise to a plush leather armchair near the hearth, waiting until she sank into the cushions before he exhaled a heavy, ragged breath.
Noah immediately climbed onto the thick rug by the fire, holding his plush rabbit by its one good ear, blissfully oblivious to the tectonic plates shifting in his father's criminal empire.
Nolan walked over to his desk, setting the velvet case containing the broken hearing aid down as if it were a piece of damning evidence. He poured two fingers of amber liquid from a crystal decanter, downed it in a single swallow, and then turned to face Elise. He crossed the room and knelt directly in front of her chair, his tailored trousers brushing the floor.
He waited until her clear, expressive eyes met his, ensuring she could read his lips perfectly.
"I am so sorry, Elise," Nolan began, his voice a low, raspy whisper. "How long has she been treating you this way?"
Elise looked down at her hands, her fingers nervously pleating the fabric of her rumpled white apron. "It started a few months ago. Small things at first. Deliberately speaking when my back was turned so I would miss instructions. Hiding my spare batteries. But today... Noah had a nightmare during his nap. I went to him. He was crying, and he just... he called me Mommy. Daphne was standing in the doorway."
Nolan’s jaw clenched so hard a muscle feathered beneath his short stubble. The artistic tattoos on his hands stood out starkly as his fists clenched with white-knuckled rage.
"She waited until I was out of the room, and she took the device from my ear," Elise continued, a single tear spilling over her rosy cheek. "She threw it on the floor and stepped on it. I couldn't hear anything after that. I was terrified."
"Why didn't you come to me?" Nolan demanded, his dark eyes burning with a fierce, protective intensity. "Why did you suffer in silence?"
"Because she was going to be your wife," Elise whispered, her voice cracking. "I am just a maid, Mr. Ashford. If I accused her without proof, she would have had me fired. Or worse. And then who would have looked out for Noah?"
Nolan closed his eyes, his head dropping as a violent curse escaped his lips. He reached out, his large hands gently enveloping hers. His thumbs brushed over her knuckles in a deeply intimate, comforting gesture.
"You are not a maid anymore, Elise," Nolan said, opening his eyes to look fiercely into hers. "You are the only person in this house who put my son's well-being above their own fear. You protected him."
"Mr. Ashford, the Voss family won't accept what happened out there," Elise said, her brow furrowing with worry. "Daphne’s father looked ready to kill you. I don't want to be the reason your empire falls."
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"Let them come," Nolan said, his jaw setting into a rigid, dangerous line. "I built this empire, and I will defend it. You and Noah are my priority now. You will stay in the secure wing tonight. Tomorrow, I am bringing the best audiologist in the state to this house. You will never be left in the dark again."
Elise looked at his signet ring, then up into his unwavering gaze, feeling a strange, terrifying flutter in her chest. The ruthless mafia boss was offering her the one thing she had never had in this brutal world: absolute protection.
