3

"I'm full," Skylar said abruptly, getting up from his seat.

"Hey, aren't you going to hug your uncle first?" Theo opened his arms, and Skylar hugged him lazily, half-heartedly.

Skylar quickly walked out of the dining room, leaving Theo looking confused. Theo glanced between Shawn and me.

"Did you have another fight with Skylar, kiddo?" Theo asked, his tone non-threatening.

Shawn shook his head. "No. I think Skylar has his period."

"Skylar's a boy, silly," Theo chuckled.

"Well, he's just like Mom—always mad for no reason," Shawn shrugged and returned to eating.

"Please enjoy your meal, sir. I'm going to..." I paused, not sure what to say. "...I'm going to make sure Master Skylar is okay."

Let Theo think what he wants. I had to find Skylar and have a serious talk with him.

I hurried up the stairs to the third floor, panting when I reached the top. Skylar's bedroom door was open, and when I peeked in, I saw Mia, Ava, and Elise cleaning up. Elise pointed toward the balcony—I assumed she meant Skylar was out there.

I stepped outside and saw Skylar sitting alone, staring blankly at the view: the big houses of other rich people in the neighborhood. Sensing he was being watched, he turned to me.

"What do you want now?" he asked coldly.

"Who sold you that illegal stuff?"

"None of your business."

I reached into my pocket, pulled out the pack of cigarettes, and tossed it so it landed next to him.

"There are three things you need to understand if you want to act like a tough guy," I said. "First, if you want to be a rebel, don't do it half-assed."

I still couldn't believe that Skylar, only twelve years old, was already getting into dangerous things. I had to know where he was getting the illegal stuff and who he was really hanging out with.

Those other kids who ran away were probably just curious and experimenting. But Skylar? I was pretty sure he was the leader, the alpha among his peers.

"Second, don't drag other people into it. Take the risk yourself," I said.

Skylar looked at me, eyes glassy.

"And three, if you're going to buy illegal stuff, buy the expensive kind. That way, if the cops catch you, at least you'll have some damn dignity. Got it?"

"I..." Skylar's voice broke.

"You didn't hide the rest somewhere, did you?"

Skylar shook his head. "This was all of it. It was my first time buying."

"Okay. I believe you."

I bent down to pick up the cigarette pack, ready to throw away, when Skylar suddenly grabbed my arm.

"Can you sit down? I want to talk."

I raised an eyebrow, a little surprised. I sat down next to him, feeling a strange tug in my chest.

After all these years, this reunion was a total mess. I hoped that, with time, our relationship would heal. Honestly, I wanted to hug Skylar and tell him how much I missed him, but I had to hold it all back.

"You're not going to tell Dad, are you?" Skylar's voice was soft.

"That depends. Are you going to be honest with him or not?"

Skylar shook his head. "I don't want to. But you have to promise, Rachel—don't say anything."

"You have my word." I made a zipper gesture with my fingers.

Silence. I waited, wondering what else he would say.

"Have you ever used it? I mean, are you a former drug user?" Skylar asked curiously. "How did you even know I bought this stuff?"

"No. It's not worth it. And just because I know doesn't mean I've tried it."

"Yeah... maybe your life hasn't been as hard as mine, Rachel. I'm tired. There's too much going on. I just wanted to get away for a while."

God! I wanted to burst out laughing. This twelve-year-old had no idea what I'd been through. My struggle to survive was fueled by revenge, and it's what made me a survivor.

But I couldn't deny it—God had given me the strength to never give up.

Even though I wasn't sure if He approved of my need for revenge.

"You say you want to escape your problems. But that won't solve anything," I told him.

"Yeah, whatever," Skylar said, waving his hand. "Leave me alone. Shoo..."

I took a breath and nodded, then walked back into the room. Elise ran over to me, her face still pale.

"Don't scold him again," she squeaked. "I think Young Master Skylar is already in shock, and I'm sure he regrets it."

"We were just talking, Elise. I wasn't scolding him."

Elise nodded quickly. "Good. Oh, and starting tomorrow, you'll be wearing a uniform like the rest of us. I'll put your clothes out when we're done here."

"Thank you, Elise."

I examined myself in the mirror—my uniform was way too short. But I had no intention of asking for a new one. This was perfect for getting Dawson's attention.

I could already imagine the furious look on Quinn's face when she saw how much better I looked than her.

I exited the room and ran into Mia and Ava, who had just changed into their pajamas. They both stared at me with wide eyes.

"Oh my God, you look so sexy, Rachel!" Mia gawked.

Ava looked worried. "Should we ask Elise to buy Rachel a new uniform? She's tall, which might be a problem for Mrs. Quinn."

"Mrs. Quinn isn't the problem; she's hardly ever home. It's that pervert driver I'm worried about. He's totally going to hit on Rachel," Mia muttered.

I looked back and forth between them.

"Driver?" I asked.

"Sammy, Mr. Dawson's driver. He's a total creep," Mia scoffed. "But you can tell Peter, the security guard. He'll rough Sammy up if he tries anything."

I nodded and gave them a small smile.

Wasn't this perfect? All I needed was a little improvisation to lure Sammy in and get some information out of him.

"I'm going to check on the kids. It's time for bed," I said.

I quickly left the back pavilion and jogged into the main house. It was eerily quiet as if no one lived there.

My eyes scanned the corners of the halls, looking for security cameras. There were things I had to do here, things I couldn't risk being recorded.

Apparently, there were no security cameras in this mansion.

Good.

I entered Shawn's room. The lights were dimmed, and I found him reading under the glow of a small book lamp.

Shawn groaned in annoyance when he saw me.

"I'm not using the computer or my cell phone! I'm reading a book!" he protested.

I gestured for him to put the book down. "It's already eleven."

"Theresa never bossed me around like you do."

Ah, Theresa must have been the former nanny. Who knows how many there were.

I cleared my throat. "I'm not Theresa."

"You're not my mom either! So don't act like you can tell me what to do!"

I took the book out of his hands. "Your mom doesn't have time—she's too busy. But I bet she'd be heartbroken to see you like this, Shawn. Come on, off to bed."

I put the book on his nightstand and turned off the reading light. Then I left the room and went upstairs to the third floor. Skylar's door was open, and I could smell the floor cleaner from the hallway.

I sighed and walked in. Skylar was sitting at his desk typing on his laptop. He gave me a quick glance.

"I'm busy. I've got a ton of homework, and I'm not going to bed," he said, clearly anticipating why I'd come.

"Why don't you get up earlier? You'll work better with a fresh mind."

"Get out of my room!"

Ouch. My heart felt like it was breaking a little at his words.

Still, I nodded and stepped out of my son's room, feeling emotionally shredded. I had to endure this until Skylar finally accepted me. One day he'd know the truth.

As I made my way downstairs to the kitchen, I was startled by the sound of a door opening. Theo stepped out and locked the door behind him with a secure key.

What room was that? It looked suspicious.

"You're still up?" Theo asked.

I shook my head. "I just wanted to check on the kids."

"Sorry, but... could you make me some coffee?"

"Coffee?"

I couldn't say no, even though I had no idea where Elise or anyone else kept the groceries. I rushed to the kitchen and opened every cupboard and drawer, not even knowing where the cups were. It was frustrating.

Suddenly, Theo was right next to me.

"Coffee is usually kept up here," he said.

He opened the top cabinet near the refrigerator and pulled out a bag of roasted coffee. I could smell his cologne—it almost made me dizzy.

The boy I remembered as adorable was now a grown, hot man.

"Do you know how to make coffee?" he asked.

I blinked, then shook my head. "You want to teach me, sir?"

Our eyes locked for a moment.

"Sure. That way, you can make me midnight coffee anytime, deal?" Theo smiled.

He grabbed the glass pot from the machine, filled it with water, added a scoop of coffee, and started the brewer with practiced ease. I watched, strangely fascinated.

"I was talking to the boys earlier," Theo said out of nowhere.

"And...?"

"They said you're the strictest nanny they've ever had."

I swallowed hard. Was Theo going to tell Dawson? Was I going to be fired? After everything I'd been through all these years, it all fell apart over something so small?

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare the kids."

Theo chuckled. "I know."

"Am I going to get fired?"

Theo tilted his head and smiled again. "Then tell me... what are you willing to do for me so I don't fire you?"