Page 53 of The Rejected Wife

“The proudest day of my life.” Tenderness and joy fill my chest. "The DNA test proved she was mine. I established my paternity in court and filed for custody. But since I couldn’t track down her mother, adopting her secured my parental rights. Of course, I’d have done it even if the DNA test had been negative."

Her face gentles. “That’s really noble of you.”

I shake my head. “No, it isn’t. Thanks to Serene, I went from someone selfish and focused only on my pleasures, to realizing I am not the center of the universe. It made me grow up.” I chuckle in a self-deprecating fashion. “I found myself responsible for another person. It was a wake-up call.”

“Children can do that to you, huh?”

I laugh. “You know about that, of course.”

She half-smiles. “Were you upset that you couldn’t meet her mother?”

Her tone is casual but something in her eyes tells me my answer is important to her. “I don’t remember her. Don’t recognize her name. She’s a stranger to me. So, no.” I shrug. “I realize that answer might make me sound callous. And you’re probably thinking I had a one-night stand I don’t recall. I admit, I considered the possibility and discarded it. I might have been self-absorbed, but I do recall every woman I slept with. And I always,alwayswrapped it up.”

She winces. I curse myself.Why the hell did I have to talk about women I’ve been with?

“I’ve mentioned it to you before and I’ll do so again. None of them meant anything to me. After I met you, I realized how meaningless those encounters had been. And then, not having you in my life made me realize what a fool I’d been. Will you please forgive me for what I did that day?”

She looks away. Her forehead furrows. “You had a big emotional upheaval. Of course, you weren’t thinking straight. And I know, more than anyone, that a child comes first. Anyway, all that is water under the bridge.” She straightens and pastes a smile on her face, which tells me, she doesn’t completely believe that. But for now, I let it go.

Once she joins me as Serene’s nanny, I'll have time to convince her, through my actions, that I hadn’t forgotten about her, even though I hadn’t called her in the last year.I hope.

“As her nanny, you’ll be entitled to £10,000 per month.” Needing her to stay, I throw out triple what I paid the last nanny. “What do you say?”

She seems taken aback. “I think I’ll enjoy being Serene’s nanny,” she says slowly. “She’s such an adorable little girl. She reminds me of why I wanted to be a nanny in the first place.”

“And whydidyou want to become a nanny?”

“Is this part of the interview? Thought you already offered me the job?” There’s a tinge of amusement in her eyes.

Ha. This is a different side of Cilla. She seems to have matured in the last year. She was already confident but now, she’s more poised.

“You do have the job. I simply would love to find out more about you.”

“Oh.” She digests that. “It was after I completed university and found, despite a degree, all I was being offered were unpaid internship roles. I was running out of money, had student debts, and felt like the only way out was asking my brother for a loan. And I didn’t want to do that.”

“Your independence is important to you.”

“It is.” She tips up her chin. “At twenty-one, that translated into a lot of anger against the system. I wanted to change the world, but damn, it felt like I couldn’t do that without money. That really pissed me off. A friend of mine was volunteering with special needs children. I decided to do the same. It seemed like a good idea. Better than being jobless and getting upset.

"My first hour there, and my mindset shifted. It put my own life in perspective. There were these kids, taking pleasure in small things, despite the odds they were facing. And I was angry at what—? Not being able to find a job? That's when I decided I wanted to work with kids.”

I look at her closely. “And you calledmenoble?”

She thinks that over. “I suppose, in that sense, I share your view. It’s not me caring for the kids, which I am, of course, but it’s also them doing me a favor by letting me care for them, you know?Mylife is richer for the experience. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

There’s silence. Her words sink in. The truth in them resonates within the deepest parts of me. Places I didn’t know existed—hidden parts of me that react only to her.

The air between us swirls with unsaid emotions. The hair on the nape of my neck rises. I want to reach over this desk, pull her into my lap, and kiss her senseless. I want to push her onto her front on my desk and bury my throbbing cock inside her sweet pussy. I want to—not take her for granted. I want to show her the respect she deserves for being Serene’s nanny. She hasn’t even started the position, and I’m already screwing it up.

I give myself a mental shake, slide my phone out of my pocket, and pull up my bank app. “The position comes with the apartment over the garage. You’ll also have access to the car in the garage, which you can use for both Serene and your personal needs. Are you good with starting immediately?” I glance at her to find a quizzical expression on her features.

“Is that important? That I move into the apartment?” She doesn’t seem fazed that I asked her to start immediately. Score for me.

“I need you to be here all day, and also on the nights I need to be on conference calls with people in other time zones.” I shrug. Not completely the truth. My partners and vendors will change their times to suit mine, but there’s no reason for her to know that.

“It would save you rent money,” I point out.

She nods slowly. “It would.”

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