Chapter : four A smile he never expected
576 Words
Wren
My room was bigger than my entire apartment back in the city.
Correction: my former apartment. The one I was three weeks behind on rent for. The one I was pretty sure had already been cleared out and replaced with someone who actually had money.
But here, in this palace of cold steel and glass, I’d been given a room with a garden view, a walk-in closet, and sheets that probably cost more than my old couch.
It was quiet. Almost too quiet.
Still... this job came with accommodation, and that was the main reason I took it. With nowhere to go and no money to pay rent, living under this roof even with the Ice King himself was a win. I couldn’t afford to screw this up.
Even if it meant walking on eggshells for breakfast.
I was mid-spiral thinking about everything that could go wrong when a soft knock pulled me back.
I opened the door and found Liam standing there, his tiny fingers gripping the frame.
He didn’t speak. Didn’t even look up.
Just held out a crumpled piece of paper like it was a secret message.
I knelt down, gently smoothing it out. “Is this… me?”
A stick figure with curly hair, a big smile, and a red heart next to her head.
Something in my chest squeezed. “It’s beautiful, Liam. Thank you.”
He didn’t say anything. But he stayed.
Like maybe... just maybe he felt safe here.
We ended up sitting on the living room carpet, surrounded by coloring books and markers from the nanny supplies.
He didn’t say a word, but I kept talking to him softly. Asking questions he didn’t answer, filling the silence without demanding anything from him.
When he handed me a picture of a dinosaur and pointed to me, I gasped. “You think I look like a T-Rex?”
He nodded with the tiniest grin.
It was barely there, but it was real.
I laughed. “You’re lucky I like dinosaurs.”
What I didn’t know was that we weren’t alone.
From behind the corner, Damon watched us. Arms crossed. Coffee mug forgotten in one hand.
Liam smiled. Not a full one. Just a soft, easy one.
And it wasn’t for him.
I’d only been here a few hours.
He should’ve felt relieved. Instead, it twisted something in his expression when I caught sight of him later.
---
I stretched, brushing marker crumbs off my jeans, and turned toward the hallway. The mirror caught the movement before I saw him ...Damon. Watching.
I raised a brow. “Spying on your own kid, Mr. Vale?”
He didn’t even try to deny it. Just sipped his coffee like that was an answer.
“You’re good with him,” he said after a beat.
I shrugged. “Kids and I have a silent agreement. I don’t talk down to them, they don’t throw things at me.”
His lips twitched just a flicker but it was something close to a smile.
I tilted my head. “So… do I pass your test?”
His eyes dropped to the crayon marks on my jeans. “We’ll see if you’re still here in a week.”
He turned to leave.
But he paused before disappearing down the hall.
Like maybe even if he didn’t want to admit it part of him wasn’t sure if he wanted me to last the week… or stay longer.
- Writer
