Chapter 3 A House Without Warmth

The Pierce Estate was stunning, a sprawling architectural beauty that could have been plucked directly from the pages of an upscale magazine. And yet, as magnificent as it was, Sienna had never entered a home that looked so utterly lifeless.

She walked along the long, silent corridors, her footsteps being eaten by thick Persian rugs. The chandeliers sparkled overhead, shedding golden, warm light across marbled floors, but the light did nothing to warm the air. Everything was spotless, carefully chosen, and impersonal. It was a house to look at, not live in.

The absence of warmth wasn't just in the decor-it was in the ambiance, in the silence that rested over every corner like a refusal to leave. There was no laughter, no buzz of residual life, no warmth that turns a house into a home. It was a shrine to riches, chill and unwelcoming.

Sienna breathed softly. She had worked for rich families before, but this was different. There was something unsettlingly lonely about the Pierce estate, a loneliness that was echoed in the petite, reserved figure of Lily Pierce.

She found the little girl where she had been the day before-seated beside the large window of her bedroom, staring out at the expansive gardens with empty eyes. She didn't make a peep, no movement to acknowledge Sienna's presence.

"Good morning, Lily," Sienna whispered as she set down her bag on the floor. No reply.

She knelt on the floor at a respectful distance. "You know," she continued, "I just saw a butterfly outside. A blue one. Have you ever seen a blue butterfly like that?"

Lily blinked slowly but did not turn her head.

Sienna waited for the silence between them to fall. She had worked with slow-to-trust kids before, but this was different. It wasn't shyness-it was isolation.

Her gaze roamed around the room. It was beautiful, just like the rest of the mansion was-intricate furniture, expensive toys, and bookshelves. But it was all immaculate, as if they were ornaments and not things to be utilized.

There were no marks on the walls from crayons, no dolls lying around, no sign that a child actually **lived** here.

Sienna's chest hurt. This wasn't just a house without heart-it was a **childhood without heart**.

She glanced over at Lily once more, her voice quiet this time. "Would you like to go out with me today?"

There was no answer.

Sienna wasn't discouraged. She recognized that trust wasn't easily granted-it had to be earned. And she was happy to wait.

Behind her, she sensed the motion at the door. Turning her head, she saw Grayson Pierce standing, his face its typical inscrutable mask.

Standing there, he was a shift in the atmosphere-insistent, overwhelming.

"She doesn't say much," he replied, voice low, even.

Sienna stood to confront him, her eyes flashing. "She doesn't say **anything** at all."

Grayson's jaw worked. "She said once.".

The weight of his words hung between them. Sienna searched his face, hoping to see cracks in the frozen mask, but he had already shut himself down, his features carved from stone.

Whatever had stolen Lily's voice had left its mark on him as well.

Sienna steeled herself. "Well, she'll talk again. When she's ready."

Grayson's eyes darkened. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Miss Carter."

"I don't." She turned away from Lily, her voice laced with quiet determination. "I meant what I said."

Lily said nothing, but this time Sienna could have sworn she saw a flash of something in her large, sad eyes.

Hope.

Grayson let out a sharp breath, shattering the thick silence. "I take it Dawson's explained the rules of the house to you?"

Sienna nodded. "Yes. And they're... interesting."

His brow rose. "Interesting?"

"Well," she said, tilting her head, "first of all, I find it odd that there's no time for Lily to just be a kid."

Grayson's face darkened. "Structure is required."

"So is freedom," Sienna said, her voice stern. "Children are not business ventures, Mr. Pierce. They don't thrive on strict schedules alone."

His jaw clenched. "I hired you to take orders, not argue them."

Sienna smiled, but defiance danced in her eyes. "And you hired me to care for your daughter, and that means I will do what is best for her."

Tense silence clung to the air.

Grayson simply regarded her for a moment, his gray eyes hard and calculating. It was clear he wasn't used to being questioned, and certainly not by an employee.

Finally, he exhaled. "Do whatever you must," he growled. "Just don't expect results to materialize over night."

Sienna fired a look back at Lily, still sitting stiffly, staring out the window. No, over night results. But no, she wasn't about to lose on her either.

Grayson started to turn away and Sienna followed after him, "Mr. Pierce."

He paused but didn't turn to speak to her.

"Lily doesn't need just a nanny. She needs her father."

His shoulders tensed, but he said nothing. A moment later, he disappeared down the hallway, leaving Sienna alone with Lily once more.

She sighed and settled back onto the floor beside the little girl, offering a warm smile. "You don't have to talk, Lily. But I'll be here when you're ready."

For the briefest second, Lily's fingers twitched against her sleeve. A subtle, almost imperceptible reaction, but Sienna noticed.

And so did Grayson-standing just outside the doorway, listening.

For a man who had his finger in everything, this-his daughter's suffering-was the one thing beyond his reach.

And for the first time, Grayson Pierce regarded Sienna Carter as if she were something more than an employee. **She was a problem he hadn't yet solved.**