Chapter 3

The Bentley merged smoothly into the chaotic flow of New York traffic. Inside, the silence was thick, suffocating. Ashlie sat rigidly in the back seat, Keenen a warm, unsettling weight on her lap. She stared straight ahead, refusing to look at the man sitting next to her.

She could feel Ellsworth's eyes on her. He was studying her like a bug under a microscope, assessing her discomfort.

Keenen shifted in her arms. "I'm hungry," he mumbled, his voice small.

Ashlie panicked. She didn't know the first thing about kids, let alone this kid. She looked up at Ellsworth, a silent plea for help.

He just stared back, his face blank. He didn't move, didn't speak. He was going to let her drown.

Fine. She had to figure this out herself. She fumbled with her clutch, her fingers clumsy. She dug past her phone and wallet, finding only a small packet of almonds she kept for emergencies.

She looked at the boy. "Do you... do you want some nuts?"

Keenen shook his head, his lower lip jutting out.

Ashlie felt a flush of frustration. She was failing test number one.

Ellsworth's phone rang, breaking the tension. He answered it, and suddenly the car was filled with the sound of rapid, fluent French. It wasn't a casual chat; it was a barrage of business terms, sharp commands, and clipped tones. He was closing a deal or destroying a competitor, and he was doing it with the same cold efficiency he used to order her around.

Ashlie understood maybe one word in ten. The language barrier felt like another wall, a reminder of the vast, unbridgeable gap between her old life and this new world. He was a shark; she was just chum.

But the phone call was a perfect distraction. His focus was absolute, his gaze directed out the front window as he argued a point. This was her chance.

She looked down at Keenen, who was now quietly tracing the patterns on her dress. He seemed so small and lost.

"My name is Ashlie," she whispered, leaning close so only he could hear. "What's yours?"

"Keenen," he whispered back.

"That's a nice name," she said, her voice soft. The boy looked up at her, his big eyes uncertain. An innocent comment slipped out of him. "Uncle Ellsworth says I have to be good for you."

Ashlie froze. Uncle?

The word sent a jolt through her. She glanced quickly at Ellsworth, who was still deep in his call, oblivious. Her heart hammered. She had to be sure.

"Uncle Ellsworth?" she repeated, her voice barely a breath.

"Yeah," Keenen said, nodding. "He's my uncle."

The information hit her like a physical blow. Uncle. Not father. Which meant she wasn't the stepmother from hell. She was the... aunt? The knot in her stomach loosened just a fraction. It was still a forced marriage, still a nightmare, but the label mattered. "Aunt" was a distant relative; "stepmother" was a life sentence.

"So... where is your mommy?" she asked, the words tasting like ash. She had to know.

Keenen's face fell. The light in his eyes dimmed. He shook his head slowly. "I don't know. Uncle says she is sick. She lives far away."

Ashlie's heart ached. This child had a story, a sad, complicated one.

"Stop prying into Marshall family matters."

Ellsworth's voice was a whip crack, slicing through the hum of the French conversation. He had hung up the phone without her noticing.

Ashlie clamped her mouth shut. She looked away, staring out the window, but her mind was spinning. If this was just about revenge, why involve the boy? Why force her into the role of caretaker for his nephew? It didn't make sense.

The car slowed, pulling up to the curb in front of a brick building in SoHo. Her building. Her studio.

"Take him upstairs," Ellsworth said, not bothering to turn around. "Your first task is to take care of him for the rest of the day. I'll send someone to pick you up tonight."

Before Ashlie could respond, the driver opened her door. The noise and smell of the city rushed in, a stark contrast to the sterile bubble of the Bentley.

She scrambled out, holding Keenen's hand. The car pulled away the second her feet hit the pavement, disappearing into the traffic.

She stood there on the sidewalk, a married woman with a child she barely knew, staring up at the sanctuary of her studio. It felt like a lifetime ago that she had been just a designer with a dream.

Now, she was a nanny for the enemy.