CHAPTER 7: SORRY

Lauren gently closed the door to Casper's spacious bedroom, her eyes flickering over the sleeping form of the little boy in his bed. She let out a small sigh of relief, glad that he had finally fallen asleep after being so fussy earlier. She glanced at the clock on the wall and realized that it was almost time for her to leave her shift as a nanny.

A nagging worry tugged at her, however. She knew that she needed to speak to Casper's father, Damien Burlington, about something important. She had already tried to reach him earlier in the day, but he had been in the middle of an important meeting and hadn't answered her call.

Lauren was nervous about going to Damien's office in the mansion, but she knew that it was important to speak to him. She made her way down the hallway, past the opulent decor and crystal chandeliers, until she finally found herself standing outside Damien's door.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked lightly on the door. There was no response, so she knocked again, this time a bit louder. Finally, the door swung open to reveal Damien sitting behind his massive desk, his eyes flickering with annoyance.

"What is it, Lauren?" he asked coldly.

Lauren swallowed hard, feeling her nervousness rise. "I...I'm sorry to disturb you again, sir. I just needed to speak with you about something important."

Damien raised an eyebrow, his expression skeptical. "Important? What could be so important that it couldn't wait until after my meeting was over? You even ruined my meeting earlier."

"That's why I'm here to ask for forgiveness sir. I'm just worried about Casper that's why I'd call you right away," Lauren said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Because there was a strange man watching him earlier when I took him to the park to bought him some ice cream. I tried to call you, but you didn't answer so I did call you again without knowing you're in the middle of a meeting."

Damien chuckled humorlessly. "And what do you want me to do about it, Lauren? Isn't that what you're paid to do? To protect my children at all costs?"

Lauren's cheeks flushed with anger as she shook her head. "Yes, sir. But I just thought that maybe as his father, you should know about it. You should know that there are people out there who might want to harm him."

"Oh please," Damien scoffed. "I highly doubt that anyone would be foolish enough to try and mess with the son of Damien Burlington."

Lauren felt her temper flare, but she tried to remain calm. "With all due respect, sir, that's not the point. I just wanted to make sure that Casper is safe."

Damien leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. "I appreciate your concern, Lauren. But next time, please don't interrupt me during an important meeting unless it's a real emergency. Understand?"

Lauren nodded, her eyes downcast. She felt frustrated and angry, but she knew that Damien was her employer and she had to follow his rules. She turned to leave, but Damien's voice stopped her.

"Oh, and Lauren?" he said, his voice low and smooth. "I suggest you be more careful in the future. Making false claims and wasting my time is not something I take lightly."

Lauren's heart dropped as she realized that Damien didn't believe her. She bit her lip, feeling a lump form in her throat. She knew that she had to keep a careful eye on Casper, no matter what Damien thought. She walked out of the office, her head held high but her heart heavy.

Lauren entered the headquarter and couldn't shake off the disturbing thoughts that kept haunting her mind. How could Damien Burlington just ignore Casper's well-being like that? What kind of a father reacts that way? These questions continued to trouble her until she met Ms. Rosales, the head maid.

"Ms. Rosales, can we talk? I have something weighing heavily on my mind," Lauren spoke in a low tone.

"Sure, Lauren. What is it that's troubling you?" Ms. Rosales inquired.

Lauren took a deep breath and began, "I don't understand why Mr. Burlington doesn't care about his own children. I mean, when I told him about the danger to Casper, he just brushed it off like it was nothing. How could he be so heartless?"

Ms. Rosales sighed deeply and spoke sternly, "Lauren, I know you care about the children. But you must remember that you are an employee here. It is not your place to question Mr. Burlington's parenting style. You have to know your boundary. If you keep on like this, you will find yourself without a job here."

Lauren's eyes widened as she heard the warning. She never thought that her concern would cause her to lose her job. However, she nodded in agreement.

"I understand, Ms. Rosales. It won't happen again," Lauren said solemnly.

Ms. Rosales nodded approvingly, "Good. Remember, our job is to ensure that the house is running smoothly and that the children are taken care of. We must not involve ourselves in the affairs of the family that employs us. Please keep that in mind, Lauren."

Lauren left the room feeling frustrated and helpless. She knew that she couldn't change Damien's behavior towards his children. But the thought of Casper being in danger and no one caring for him only added to her misery. She knew that she had to focus on her job and do it to the best of her ability, and now she couldn't shake off the feeling that there's something was not right in the Burlington household and her guts were right that their busy CEO father didn't even care about his children.