Chapter 16

"No!" I exclaimed quickly, feeling my face heating up. "I was just giving you an example!" I said in exasperation.

Lionel rolled his eyes at me. "Even if you did insist, it wouldn't have been included in the contract. That would be illegal."

I let out a huff, glaring at him. He took everything I said as flirtation or seduction, but he responded and I was supposed to understand he wasn't being serious. The double standard he was setting was frustrating.

After a moment of awkward silence, he cleared his throat, clearly trying to change the topic. "I was actually looking for you." He said.

"What do you need?" I asked taking in a deep breath as I gathered up my resumes and hed them close to my chest.

"As you know, the girls' birthday is coming up. It's a little outside of your duties as a nanny, but I was wondering if you'd be willing to plan a party for them?" He asked with a quirked brow.

I raised my brows in surprise as I looked up at him. "You want me to plan a party for them?" I asked, a small smile taking over my face as I tried to hold back my excitement.

"If you don't think you'll be able to do it, I can find someone else who would be willing to." He responded nonchalantly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No, no, I can do it." I said, nodding my head quickly. "Thank you."

Lionel nodded at me once. "Alright, good. Just let me know what you'll need for the party." He said before moving to leave the room.

I watched him leave, but for once my mind wasn't agonizing over our interaction or his words. I was just thinking about everything that needed to be done and everything I would do for the girls to make it the perfect party.

I started by talking to the girls for ideas, it was their party, after all. I wanted to talk to them about color schemes, themes games, desserts and foods.

"Alright girls." I said, sitting between the girls as they played together in their playroom. "What kind of party would you two want for your birthday?"

The girls exchanged a look with each other. It was almost like they were communicating telepathically.

"I want there to be dancing." Patti said, hesitantly.

"And I want to have some board games out." Vera said.

"And I think we should have purple and blue and pink balloons." Patti added, smiling at her sister.

"And I would like a chocolate cake with dinosaur and princess candles." Vera said, glancing over to Patti.

"That sounds perfect." Patti nodded in agreement,.

"Anything else?" I asked with a fond smile, encouraging the girls to tell me everything they wanted.

I also did research into the parties that were thrown for Vera's past birthdays, so that everything I set up for them would be acceptable for their status. I also got a guest list from Lionel to figure out seating arrangements and activities.

After that I started making plans. I made calls, drew some designs, figured out decorations and the floor plan for the party. Between taking care of the girls, and planning everything for their party, I was exhausted. But I was happier than I had been in a long time.

I felt like I was living out my dream. Like I was really alive.

Lionel was kind enough to offer me a small office in the servant's quarter,l while I was working on everything for the girls. This was very helpful, especially since I had to call different caterers and businesses. One night, I was working late, finalizing the floor plan for the party. It was not my first night working late in my little office space, but it was the first night I fell asleep there.

But the next morning I didn't wake up with a sore back in the office. I woke up back in my bed. I frowned thoughtfully as I stretched, trying to figure out how I got to my room. I couldn't remember waking up or going back to my room at all.

I tried to go about my morning routine, quickly going to get dressed so I could meet the girls for breakfast. After I was changed, I walked across the room to throw my pajamas in my hamper, but I stepped on something cold and sharp.

I practically jumped backwards as I looked down to the dark hardwood floors. I crouched down to pick up, whatever the offending object was. I paused.

It was a beautiful silver cufflink, intricate and beautiful. On the front of the cufflink was an engraved trio of wolfsbane flowers, on the back of the cufflink was Lionel's name.

I sat on the floor of my room, staring at the cufflink curiously. I didn't understand him at all. He must have carried me to bed last night, but why?

It seemed like his opinion of me changed every day and I couldn't figure out why. I also wondered how he found me in the office. It was far from his office, the dining room, or most of the main parts of the house.

Had he been trying to check up on me? Why?

He was kind to me in our few interactions around the girls, but I still felt conflicted towards him. He was often harsh and cold to me. He was suspicious of me to an almost paranoid extent.

And I still couldn't forgive him for the way he was taking my daughter from me.

It was the day before the party, so Lionel had a team of seamstresses and stylists come to create outfits for the girls for their birthday.

They set up in the girls' playroom, Patti and Vera both watching them excitedly. They had a series of dresses in the girls' favorite colors with different shapes, sleeves, and amounts of glitter.

"They're all so pretty!" Patti said, excitedly. Vera nodded in agreement.

"Which one do you want to try first?" Vera asked her sister with a smile.

"I don't know!" Patti grinned. "There are too many to pick from!"

The girls went through, trying on different dresses until at last they were both satisfied with their options. They had picked matching dresses, Vera's a dark blue sleeveless dress with a puffy tutu skirt and a purple ribbon, and Patti picking the same dress in a deep purple with a blue ribbon around the waist.

The team pinned the dresses in a few places where they needed to be adjusted and the girls changed back into their normal clothes. I walked over to the team with a smile. "Thank you for helping the girls. The dresses are beautiful."

"Oh just wait till you see what we brought for you." One of the stylists smiled brightly.

"What?" I blinked in surprise. "I don't need a dress. I'm not going to the party."

"Yes, you are." Lionel responded, from where he sat with the girls. "Pick out a dress for yourself, please."

I took in a deep breath, sensing that something had changed with Lionel again. I nodded. "Alright, show me the dresses then."

The stylists brought out a small selection of dresses, each one a deep red. They were beautiful. They all felt too beautiful for me.

I picked the one in the middle, a dress that was fitted up top with off the shoulder sleeves and a skirt that flowed down to the knees. I took the dress into a small room that they had turned into a fitting room they had set up for us.

I slipped the dress on, feeling it snug against my body. I reached for the zipper along the back of the dress, but it got stuck halfway up my back. I couldn't help the disappointment that filled me.

I had never been the most in shape, but I definitely had payed the most attention to my figure while I'd been taking care of Patti and working so many jobs. But it was disheartening to try to work up the zipper.

Suddenly, the lights went out in the room, startled me. I thought I heard something in the darkness and I screamed, falling backwards into something warm and solid.

"Nan, what's wrong?" Lionel asked, voice sounding almost like he was concerned.