Four

Chase Denver ran a hand through his dark spiky hair tousling it for the fifth time today. He was restless and he knew the reason for his anger. He wasn't prepared for the responsibility his grandfather handed over to him.

He knew he promised them he would do anything to save the family business but then…

His thoughts were interrupted by a shrieking female. She strutted into his office, her green eyes blazing with fire, her lips pouted in a frown.

Her red hair fluttered around her waist and she glared at him ready to breathe fire and brimstone.

“Before you say anything, I was just about to call you,” he lied smoothly.

“Bullshit!” she snapped, “I called you four hours ago!!”

He nodded. “I've been in a meeting since then.”

She rolled her eyes. “Save your lies to someone who doesn't know you.”

He raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, you got me. I didn't feel like returning your calls, happy now?”

She smirked. “I will be after I tell my grandfather that you want our union to fall apart.”

Chase sighed. He didn't need her gloating over him seeing as he already had a lot to do.

“I’m sorry, Natalie. It's just that there's a lot of work to be done before the wedding.”

She arched a perfectly carved brow at him. “There’s also a lot of things to do for this wedding to happen!”

Chase nodded. “I’m doing my best to wrap things up at the office.”

“Cake testing is in thirty minutes,” she pointed out.

“I can't come for it. I have a meeting with an international investor,” he replied.

“I’m trying to sell this deal to the public but if you are sure you want to convince them and not have a scandal then you need to put in more effort,” Natalie said with a scathing look.

He nodded. “I’m trying my best, Nat but I don't want to lose focus on why I'm doing this in the first place.”

She blinked and swallowed hard. “That's what I thought.”

“No, Nat. I didn't mean it like that,” he apologized immediately but she waved him off and left.

So maybe he wasn't being completely honest. Maybe that was exactly what he meant but still, he couldn't acknowledge that to her not without her grandfather bailing on him.

He glanced at his wristwatch and shook his head. He didn't want to arrive home early tonight especially if Leo had succeeded in hiring a stalker who was posing as his daughter’s nanny.

He would rather prefer to sneak in at midnight. He sent a quick text to Natalie apologizing then he got back to work.

He didn't want anything to distract him from his main goal—his family’s company.

***

Daddy stealer?!

Hailey replayed those words in her ears over and over again as she glanced at the little girl glaring at her.

“Hailey, this is Dawn. Dawn your nanny, Hailey,” Leo introduced them quickly.

Dawn barely glanced at her before going back to her iPad screen.

“Shush, Leo. I'm still researching,” she waved the butler off.

Hailey arched a brow at Leo but he told her to remain calm.

After waiting for almost fifteen minutes she squinted at her and frowned.

“Weird. You’re an internet ghost,” she finally said.

Hailey was so happy she didn't find anything even though she was just a six-year-old.

“Is that weird good or?” she questioned.

The little girl glared at her. “You’re on probation till I decide that I need a nanny like you.”

With those words, Hailey watched her as she stomped upstairs.

“She can be a handful sometimes but she's really a sweet child,” Leo stated.

Hailey gave him a small smile. “Oh no! She's not a handful. I can handle her.”

Translation: She’s a little devil who wants me to quit but I’ll make sure she falls for my charms.

The man’s smile widened. “I believe I was about to give you a tour of the property.”

She nodded. Thank God he had forgotten about his suspicions from earlier at least Dawn helped her in that area.

Leo took her around the compound and she fell in love with the pool and the library. The mansion was really big but he only showed her the necessary places like the washing machine room, the kitchen, Dawn’s room, and now her room.

“Please rest and come out for dinner,” he informed her, “Your bags are already here.”

Then he left her alone in the big room that was big enough to contain ten people. The balcony overlooked the house and it helped her see the sunset.

Her phone rang and she saw it was her best friend face-timing her.

She answered the call happily and showed her the beautiful room she was in.

“I’m glad it worked,” Ciara said with a twinkle in her eyes.

Hailey nodded giggling. She hadn't known that she would be able to pull it off.

“I would like to take a little rest to calm my nerves and prepare for my meeting with the boss,” she stated.

Ciara wished her well and hung up.

Hailey bounced on the super fluffy bed and she didn't know when she dozed off.

The next time she opened her eyes, everywhere was pitch dark outside. She located her cellphone and turned on the flashlight.

She stepped out of her room and wondered why everywhere was pitch dark. Her phone clock showed it was 2 am in the midnight.

She went to Dawn’s room and saw her fast asleep. Then she figured the power was out in her room so she headed downstairs to find Leo.

Suddenly she heard a sound when she neared the sitting room and she quickly turned off her phone torchlight entering the kitchen and picking up a frying pan.

She had lived in the slums for a while to know when someone was sneaking into a house and the footsteps were like someone was sneaking in.

She knew her way in the dark and she wasn't surprised when she saw the silhouette of someone standing in the doorway.

She acted on instinct when the silhouette came closer to enter the main house. Her hands tightened on the frying pan and she bashed the head.

She heard a manly groan followed by the loud thud of a body dropping to the floor. She turned on the lights quickly as she saw a man lying face down on the floor in the sitting room.

“Leo!” she screamed in excitement and shock, “Hurry up I caught a burglar!!”

The front door flew open and the butler came in his face pale as he had just seen a ghost. Dawn came running down the stairs and stopped, shell-shocked.

“What is the matter?” she asked them, surprised at their actions.

“I saw this man trying to sneak into the house.”

“Hailey, that's not a burglar but my father your boss,” Dawn pointed out with a straight face.

Hailey ignored her and turned towards Leo, she wasn’t in the mood for Dawn’s teasing. She saw Leo’s face was still pale and he was gulping like a fish out of water.

“Leo?” she called unsurely.

“Will someone please call security?!” the deep voice of the man on the floor boomed throughout the sitting room.

Hailey gulped in fear.

“Right away, boss,” Leo replied.

The domineering aura of the man filled the house as he stood up holding his head. He glared at her with intense dislike.

“Hello, Sir. I'm your new worker,” she smiled sheepishly at him.

First impressions matter after all. But she had a feeling he already had the first impression of her. The impression of her trying to murder him with a frying pan.

Oh dear, she might as well kiss her job goodbye!