Chapter 3 Determination

Elara

I acted like I was exactly where I belonged.

"Mr. Sterling?" I said, my voice calm and steady. "-And Julian. Fancy meeting you somewhere so... quiet."

Julian didn't wait for his father's permission. He trotted over to me, dark curls brushing over his wide blue eyes that were locked on my reading glasses.

"The blanket?" he asked softly

I smiled. "Right here." Handing him the glasses. "Take a look. It's a whole city down there."

Arthur stepped forward, his presence looming over us like a shadow. He looked down at me, his blue eyes searching my outfit, a stark difference from the escort look I had on at the gala.

"What are you doing here, Miss Vance?" he asked. He didn't sound friendly.

He remembered my name...

"Taking the air." I said, standing up gracefully.

I didn't offer my hand this time. I knew better. "The gala was a bit... loud for my taste. I prefer the company of trees... And your son."

That was a truthful statement.

Arthur looked at Julian, who was currently mesmerized by the moss, calmly observing it in awe.

"I don't believe in coincidences." Arthur said, his eyes narrowing as he took a step into my personal space. He was so tall I had to tilt my head back, my pulse spiked but I didn't flinch.

"Neither do I." I replied, my voice a soft challenge. "I believe in results. And right now, Julian is smiling. When was the last time that happened in public?"

The hit landed. I saw the slight clench his jaw. He was a man of logic, and the logic was undeniable, his son liked me.

The silence between us was heavy, with only the distant sound of a jogger's footsteps on the gravel path. Arthur was towering over me, his presence a physical weight.

He didn't just look down at me, he looked through me, searching for a crack. "You're a professional, I saw you with Caspian Beaumont. You're an escort." He said bluntly.

A sly smile cracked on my lips, though my pulse was screaming. "I'm a woman who knows how to play a role, Mr. Sterling." I said, stepping closer.

My nostrils were invaded by the crisp scent of his laundry detergent and the underneath musk of his cologne. Not too harsh, not too soft either. It was a scent that made my lower belly clench with desire.

"But more importantly." I continued, my voice low and steady, "I'm someone who sees what others miss. Like the fact that you look like you haven't slept in forty-eight hours because you're trying to calculate how to survive a merger."

Arthur's jaw tightened. "You know too much about things that don't concern you."

"I make it my business to be concerned." I spoke softly.

"You've tried the best nannies money can buy. You've tried the high-end agencies. They all give you 'perfection' by the book, but they don't understand that your world, and Julian's."

My speech took me by surprise, I had such a way with words...

I took a half-step back, giving him his space and waited, letting everything I just said, settle.

His brows furrowed in thought before his eyes snapped to mine. "I'm not looking for another employee, Miss Vance."

Arthur didn't just reject the idea, he dismantled it. He looked at Julian, who was still crouched by the moss, then back at me with a look of profound distrust.

"Employees are liabilities. They talk. They break. And I certainly don't hire 'solutions' from the arms of men like Caspian Beaumont."

He reached down and gripped Julian's hand. Not roughly, but with a suddenness that shattered the boy's concentration.

Julian shrieked, his voice hitting a high frequency. He tried to pull back toward the tree, his small face twisting in frantic distress. "I wasn't done! miss Elara said-"

"Julian, enough. We're leaving." Arthur commanded.

His face was pale, his jaw clenching as he tried to manage the boy's escalating screams. The 'proper' tycoon was resurfacing, and he looked humiliated by the scene.

"No! No! No!" Julian began to kick at the air, a full-blown meltdown in the middle of the quiet park.

I took a step forward, my hand instinctively reaching out. "Arthur, he just needs a second to-"

"Do not." Arthur snapped, his eyes flashing with a warning so sharp it felt like a physical blow. "Do not use his name. And stay away from my son."

He hauled a sobbing, thrashing Julian into his arms.

The boy was wailing now, reaching his small hands back toward me, but Arthur didn't look back. He marched toward his waiting black SUV with the purpose of ending the humiliation.

I stood there in silence, feeling the sting of the morning mist and defeat.

The next four days were brutal...

My 'expert' plan had blown up in my face. I had miscalculated Arthur Sterling's pride. He didn't just want order, he wanted total, isolated control. By showing him that I saw his weakness, I hadn't made myself a solution, I'd made myself a threat.

"He's not biting, Sof..." I groaned, dropping my head onto the kitchen table.

Sofia walked by, tossing a stack of mail in front of me. On top was a plain white envelope. No return address. I knew what it was before opening with trembling fingers.

It was a photo of my mother sitting at a bus stop, a red circle drawn around her head in permanent marker.

"The loan sharks are getting bored, Elara."

She leaned against the counter, her curls wild from sleep. "-And bored men start breaking things. You need a win tonight, at least to send them some money to stall..."

My mind was a mess. "I can't get to him. He blocked my number from the agency list. I'm also blacklisted from the Sterling tower."

"Then stop trying to be a nanny and start being the one thing you know how to be." Sofia said, her eyes glinting.

"There's a soft opening tonight. The Gilded Cage. It's a new high-end club in the Seaport. The owner is a friend of a friend. The guest list is... heavy. All the big fish."

"I don't have the energy to hunt tonight, Sof."

Truthfully, I was tired of the same old routine of dressing sexy for the male gaze, only to stroke their ego or their small cocks, just to earn whatever they're willing to give.

"You don't have a choice." she countered, sliding a shimmering, skin-tight silver dress across the table. "Get up. We're going to let loose, get a drink, and find you a client with a large pocket."

The Gilded Cage was exactly what the name implied.

It was a masterpiece of gold-leafed bars, velvet booths, where a single bottle of champagne cost more than my monthly rent.

I was on my third drink, leaning against the bar while Sofia worked a group of tech investors across the room. I felt numb, every man who looked at me felt like a shadow compared to the cold, sharp image of Arthur Sterling in my head.

"Hey, El." Sofia whispered, appearing at my elbow, her face flushed with excitement. "Look at the VIP lounge. The owner's table."

I followed her gaze to the elevated platform overlooking the dance floor. It was barricaded by thick gold ropes and guarded by two massive security guards.

My heart stopped, breath seizing.

There, in the center of a semi-circle of boisterous, laughing businessmen, sat Arthur Sterling.

He was dressed in a dark suit, his tie removed and his top button undone, peeking what seemed to be a chest tattoo. My brows raised in surprise, interest piquing.

As usual, he was as rigid as ever. He wasn't drinking nor talking. He sat with his hands folded across his chest, eyes fixed on the condensation of a glass of water in front of him.

"What is he doing here?" I breathed.

Sofia smirked. "The owner, Leo Marcovicci seems to be Arthur's only friend." She shrugged. "He probably came here to celebrate with his friend for opening a new club."

Bullshit.

It was like I was being pulled to him.

"Elara, don't." Sofia warned as I started to move. "He told you to stay away."

"Wrong. he told the 'nanny' to stay away." I said, smoothing down the silver fabric of my dress, which left very little to the imagination.

And with a new spark of determination, I marched forward.