Chapter 3 - THE ULTIMATUM
Rosa could not breathe as Ethan stepped closer to her.
She knew what was coming next.
He was going to fire her, he was going to throw her out, or worse, he was going to take her child away.
Men with his kind of money could buy lawyers, judges, and entire courtrooms with a single phone call.
"Mr. Caldwell, I will pack my bags immediately," Rosa stammered, scrambling to stand up while balancing Lily on her hip.
"You don't have to say anything, we will be gone in an hour, you will never see us again."
She started to back away toward the servant's hallway, her heart pounding frantically against her ribs.
"Stop," Ethan commanded, the single word carrying the weight of absolute authority.
Rosa froze in her tracks, squeezing her eyes shut as tears finally spilled over her dark lashes.
"Please," she begged, her voice breaking into a fragile sob.
"Please don't take her from me, she is all I have."
Ethan felt a sharp, agonizing pain slice through his chest at her words.
Did she really think so little of him?
Did she honestly believe he would rip a child from her mother's arms like some kind of monster?
He closed the distance between them in three long strides.
He didn't yell, he didn't demand, he simply reached out and gently placed his large hands on Rosa's trembling shoulders.
"Look at me, Rosa," he said gently, using her first name for the very first time.
Rosa slowly opened her eyes, meeting his intense, stormy gaze.
"Four years ago," Ethan began, his voice dropping to a husky whisper.
"The blackout at the St. Regis hotel."
Rosa gasped quietly, the last bit of color draining from her beautiful face.
She had tried so hard to hide it, applying to this job only because she was desperate and facing eviction, praying he wouldn't recognize her.
He was a billionaire now, plastered across Forbes magazines, surrounded by security and wealth.
She had been a struggling nursing student who couldn't afford rent, and now she was just a maid cleaning his floors.
"You left before I woke up," Ethan continued, his eyes searching hers for answers.
"I was scared," Rosa whispered, lowering her head in shame.
"You were moving to Europe to build your company, and I was nobody."
"You were not nobody," Ethan corrected fiercely, his grip tightening slightly on her shoulders.
"I looked for you for six months, Rosa."
Rosa's head snapped up, her dark eyes wide with disbelief.
"You looked for me?" she asked, her voice barely a breath in the quiet room.
Ethan nodded slowly, a profound sadness swimming in his silver eyes.
"I hired private investigators, but you had given me a fake name."
He slowly lowered his gaze to the little girl resting on Rosa's hip.
Lily was watching him quietly, her thumb resting near her mouth, completely oblivious to the massive shift in her universe.
"How old is she exactly?" Ethan asked, though he already knew the math perfectly.
"She turned three last month," Rosa confessed, fresh tears falling down her cheeks.
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Ethan reached out again, gently wiping a tear from Rosa's cheek with his thumb.
"Nobody is packing any bags today, Rosa," he said with absolute finality.
