Chapter 5 - Shadows of the Estate
The convoy of three black armored SUVs pulled up to the wrought-iron gates of the Hartwell estate in Lake Forest. The heavy gates swung open automatically, revealing the sweeping cobblestone driveway lined with towering, snow-dusted pine trees.
I sat in the middle row of the lead vehicle, holding Rose in a brand-new, top-of-the-line rear-facing car seat that Ethan had ordered his personal security team to purchase and install within twenty minutes of leaving the office building.
Ethan sat beside me, his eyes never leaving us. Every few minutes, he would reach out to adjust the small blanket over Rose's legs, or check the temperature of the vehicle's climate control, looking as hyper-vigilant as a man guarding a priceless diamond.
"She’s quiet," Ethan murmured softly, leaning closer. "Is she usually this quiet in cars?"
"She likes the motion," I answered quietly, looking out the window at the grand limestone manor house approaching in the distance. "When I couldn't get her to sleep in our apartment, I used to walk her up and down the hallway in my arms for hours."
Ethan flinched at the subtle reminder of what I had gone through alone. "You won't have to walk alone anymore, Claire. I’ve hired three pediatric nurses to be on standby at the house."
"Cancel them," I said immediately, turning to face him.
Ethan blinked, confused. "What? Claire, they are the top neonatal specialists in the Midwest—"
"I am a nurse practitioner, Ethan, and I am her mother," I snapped, my eyes flashing. "I don't want a team of strangers raising my baby in a gilded cage, just like your mother had strangers raise you. If you want us here, you follow my rules."
Ethan looked at me for a long moment. A year ago, I would have deferred to his decisions out of a desperate desire to keep the peace. Seeing the steel in my posture now, Ethan simply nodded, submission entering his eyes.
"Whatever you say," he said softly. "Your rules. Always."
When the car stopped, Ethan hurried out to open my door himself, brushing aside his head of security who reached for the handle. He offered his hand to help me out, but I ignored it, stepping down onto the fresh snow while holding Rose close against my chest.
The front doors of the grand mansion opened, revealing the household staff lined up in the foyer under the direction of Mr. Henderson, the elder head butler who had served the Hartwell family for forty years.
"Welcome home, Mrs. Hartwell," Henderson said, bowing his head respectfully. The warmth in his eyes was genuine; unlike Evelyn, Henderson had always been kind to me during my lonely months in this house.
"Thank you, Henderson," I said gently.
"Is the guest wing prepared?" Ethan demanded, his executive tone returning as he stepped into the foyer behind us.
"The south guest suite has been fully disinfected, heated to seventy-two degrees, and fitted with the crib and nursery items delivered from the city an hour ago, sir," Henderson reported crisply.
"Good," Ethan said. "And my mother?"
"Mrs. Evelyn called three times from her residence," Henderson answered carefully. "She requested an immediate emergency conference with the family estate trustees."
"Tell the trustees that if any of them attend a meeting with my mother regarding my private affairs, their retainers will be terminated by midnight," Ethan ordered without hesitation.
I watched him command the house with absolute authority. It was the same man who had built a global business empire, but seeing him use that ruthless power to protect me and Rose felt surreal.
I walked toward the grand staircase, heading toward the south wing.
"Claire," Ethan called out from the bottom of the stairs.
I paused, looking down at him over the carved oak banister.
May you like
"I’ll be in the study downstairs if you need anything," he said, his voice dropping its authoritative edge, leaving only a raw, tentative hope. "I... I won't invade your space. But I’m here."
"Thank you, Ethan," I said softly, before turning and walking down the quiet, carpeted hallway toward the nursery wing.
