Page 30 of The Billionaire and the Nanny

“I didn’t seduce you, you paranoid bastard,” I yelled, looking around for something to throw at his giant head.

“Stop yelling, both of you,” hissed Fee, before I could hurl my phone at Leo’s irritating face. “Stop it before you wake Maddie. I don’t know what’s going on here or what happened between you two in the past, but you need to calm down right now. Tia, can you please tell us what happened yesterday morning?”

I crossed my arms across my chest and glared at Leo and the arrogant bastard glared right back at me.

“I promised Maddie I wouldn’t tell on her, Fee. I don’t want to break my promise,” I explained.

“Look, we already know the bare facts. Someone threw a rock at a wasps nest and the little buggers attacked you. And I know it wasn’t you who threw the rock because you have no reason to harm a child you’d just met,” said Fee, with a pointed glare at Leo who had opened his mouth to argue the claim. “We just need to know why you didn’t tell us right away. Sweetheart, it could have ended in disaster if either of you had been stung.”

“I’m sorry, Fee. I didn’t think it was such a big deal because we made it into the house safely. It won’t happen again...”

Before I could finish my sentence, Leo muttered under his breath.

“Damn right, it won’t happen again,” he said, with a little snort.

I ignored him and went on.

“It won’t happen again, because I quit. I don’t think I’m qualified to be a nanny, and also because I refuse to work for a man who thinks so poorly of me.”

That last bit was aimed at Leo, and I meant it. It was one thing to resent me for being Arjun’s sister and to go on about his cockamamie idea about why I slept with him three years ago, but it was quite another to accuse me of wanting to hurt an innocent child.

“Fine! I don’t need you here anyway. You’re fired! I’ll drop you off at your brother’s house,” he added snidely.

Fee intervened before I could haul off and punch him in the face for being such an asshole.

“Hold it right there! Tia doesn’t work for you. I’m the one who hired her, and I’m the only person who can fire her, so shut it,” she said sternly.

She turned to me and rubbed her temples gently.

“Look, honey, I understand that the two of you have some sort of history, but you need to keep that aside and focus on Maddie right now. She likes you, which is wonderful given how she treated the last few nannies. It saves us from having to look for another one. Like I’ve told you before, you’re more than qualified to be a good nanny. Just remember to inform us if she’s ever in any sort of danger.”

“I can do that, Fee. But I really don’t think there’s any point in me staying on here. Leo and I…”

“For heaven’s sake, the two of you are adults,” she interjected angrily. “You can be professional about this. I’m not asking you to be friends, but you needn’t act like enemies.”

“As Maddie’s father, I’m allowed to fire a nanny if I think she’s incompetent,” he said pompously.

“You would never fire any other nanny over such a small issue. I don’t know why you’re in such a hurry to fire Tia, but I won’t allow you to be unfair to her,” declared Fee. “Of course, if you guys are still hung up on each other…”

She shrugged delicately and left the implication hanging.

“Not at all!”

“What rubbish!”

Leo and I denied the possibility hastily and stared daggers at each other.

“Then it’s decided,” said Fee, sounding a little smug at having got her way. “Tia will stay on for now. At least for the next few months. That will give her time to find a position better suited to her capabilities, and it will give us time to find another nanny.”

I nodded shortly without looking at Leo.

“Thank you. Now, let’s all go to bed and think happy thoughts,” she quipped, as she walked to the door.

Happy thoughts, indeed. All I could think of was how I wanted to kick Leo in the shins for being such an insufferable jerk. Who the hell did he think he was?

CHAPTER 14

LEO

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