His Nanny, His Unplanned Love

Chapter 11

POV: Tristan

I walked away from the kitchen.

Not slowly.

But not quickly either.

Just… away.

My footsteps sounded faintly against the polished floor of the mansion as I moved down the hallway, my mind still trying to catch up with everything that had just happened.

Sophie crying.

Naomi standing there—calm, firm and completely unfazed—even with me in the room.

And then… Making Sophie apologize.

To Lucy for that matter.

The cook.

I stopped walking.

My feet came to a halt in the middle of the hallway as the weight of it all settled in.

Sophie didn’t apologize to anyone.

Not unless she felt like it.

Not unless she wanted to.

And yet somehow…

Naomi had made her do it.

She had actually made her apologize.

I stood there, unmoving, my brows slightly furrowed together.

“How was that even possible…” I muttered under my breath.

The house was quiet again.

But not completely.

From where I stood, I could still hear Sophie’s voice talking faintly from the kitchen.

Soft.

Light.

Happy.

She was laughing.

Laughing.

As if she hadn’t just been on the floor moments ago, crying her eyes out.

As if nothing had happened.

My chest tightened slightly.

That alone was enough to throw me off balance.

Another thing that was completely unbelievable was that somehow Sophie had stopped crying…

Without me fixing it.

And now she was talking—laughing—with the same person who had just scolded her.

That was new.

And somehow…

It was unsettling.

A small smile slowly formed on my lips.

Naomi was good with her.

There was no denying that.

But just as that thought settled in—

The smile disappeared.

Because another one took its place.

She had also made her cry.

My jaw tightened.

I didn’t like that.

I didn’t like seeing my daughter cry.

Not even a little.

It didn’t matter why.

It didn’t matter what she did.

Seeing her on that floor…

Crying like that…

It had done something to me.

It had felt like someone had put their hand inside my chest and was squeezing my heart.

That wasn’t how you handled a child.

Or…

Was it?

“Damn… she handled that really well.”

Conner’s voice broke through my thoughts.

I turned my head sharply toward him, my expression hardening almost immediately.

“But she made my daughter cry,” I said defensively.

He didn’t react at first.

He simply walked past me before he stopped and turned to look at me.

With one brow raised.

“And then she made her stop crying.”

The words hit me hard.

Like a slap I didn’t see coming.

I didn’t say anything.

Because he was right.

And I hated that he was right.

A part of me—one I didn’t want to acknowledge—felt something else too.

Respect.

For Naomi.

Conner studied my face for a second, then shook his head slightly.

“Come see me off,” he said casually before turning and walking toward the front door.

I hesitated for a moment.

Then followed behind him.

We stepped outside.

The cool air hit my face instantly, grounding me slightly.

Conner stopped near his car and turned to look at me.

“I know what’s going on in your head right now, Tristan.”

I scoffed lightly.

“No, you don’t.”

He let out a small amused huff.

“I grew up with you,” he said. “We’re practically brothers.”

He stepped closer.

“And I know that look. You’re thinking about Nora.”

I let out a long sigh, running a hand through my hair.

He was right. He knew me like the back of his hand.

“It’s just that…” I paused.

The words felt heavier than they should.

“I just think… maybe Nora wouldn’t like this.”

Conner didn’t respond immediately.

Then he said,

“Don’t you think it’s a little late to be thinking about that?”

I looked at him.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked.

“I mean, Naomi is already in your house,” he continued. “And from what we just saw… Sophie is going to be in good hands.”

He shook his head slightly.

“Damn, If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe it.”

I stayed silent.

Then nodded once.

“I’ll watch her for now,” I said. “Like a probation.”

Conner’s lips turned up in a small smile.

“And if her way of handling Sophie doesn’t sit right with me… I’ll ask her to leave.”

He stared at me for a second.

Then smirked.

“That’s like the fourth time you’ve said that.”

I frowned.

“What’s your point?”

“My point is…” he said slowly, “it sounds like you’re trying to convince yourself.”

I didn’t respond.

“Just make sure,” he added, “that whatever decision you make… you put Sophie first.”

I met his eyes.

“You know I always do.”

He nodded before stepping back.

“Well… I’ve overstayed my welcome. The office won’t run itself.”

I gave a short nod.

“Alright. Bye.”

He got into his car and started it and drove off.

I, on the other hand, stood there.

Even after the car disappeared beyond the gates.

My mind kept on spinning.

It circled one question over and over again.

How would Nora have handled that situation?

My eyes dropped slightly.

Nora…

She had always been gentle.

Soft.

Patient.

She was all about gentle parenting.

I remembered the conversations we used to have when she was pregnant.

“I don’t like hitting children, you know,” she had said once.

I had looked at her then, confused.

“So if our child does something wrong… and it deserves punishment or a beating… what are you going to do?”

She had smiled.

That soft smile I used to know so well.

“If a beating can make a child understand they’ve done wrong,” she said gently, “then talking can too. Don’t you think?”

I hadn’t understood her then.

And honestly…

I still didn’t understand it now.

But after Sophie was born…

Seeing how much she looked so much like Nora.

The red hair.

The green eyes.

And without even realizing it…

I had been raising her the way Nora wanted.

As long as she wasn’t crying…

As long as she was happy and got everything she wanted…

That was enough for me.

Because she was my priority.

Always.

And anyone who made her cry…

Was asking for a problem.

I let out a breath and turned, walking back into the house.

I headed straight to my office.

The moment I stepped inside, I shut the door behind me and moved toward my desk.

I hadn’t even fully settled into my chair when—

Knock. Knock.

“Come in.”

The door opened.

And before I could even look up properly—

“Daddy!”

Sophie ran in.

Straight toward me.

“Can we go to the children’s café, please? Please, please, please!”

I blinked, slightly caught off guard.

Then my eyes shifted to the doorway.

Naomi stood there, leaning casually against the frame.

“She said she wants to go to a children’s café,” she said. “Lucy mentioned there’s one nearby.”

I nodded slowly.

“There is.”

Then my gaze dropped to Sophie.

“But the last time you were there…” I paused.

She went still.

“You ran away.”

Naomi straightened slightly.

“Ran away?”

I nodded.

“That was the day you found her in the park.”

“Oh.”

Silence hung for a second.

Then Naomi looked at Sophie.

“Well,” she said simply, “if you’re going to run away, I don’t see why we should go.”

Sophie’s head snapped up immediately.

“No! I won’t run away!” she said quickly. “I promise!”

She turned to me.

“Not when I’m with Naomi.”

That made me pause.

“Do you promise, sweetheart?” I asked.

She nodded eagerly.

“Yes, Daddy! Can we go now? Please!”

I studied her for a second.

Then sighed.

“Fine. Go put on your jacket while I talk with Naomi.”

Her face lit up instantly.

“Thank you, Daddy!”

She ran out of the office.

“I’ll be there soon, Ginger,” Naomi called after her.

Then she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

“You don't have to worry. I’ll make sure she doesn’t run away,” she said calmly.

“I’m sure you will,” I replied.

There was a brief silence.

Then I cleared my throat.

“About earlier—”

“I wanted to talk to you about that too,” she cut in.

I raised a brow.

“Who did Sophie grow up with for the first years of her life?”

I blinked.

That… was unexpected.

“Don’t you think that’s a strange question?” I asked.

She tilted her head slightly like she was thinking.

“Is it?”

She stepped closer.

“It’s just… there are some things she said that didn’t sit well with me.”

My expression shifted.

“Like what?”

“In the kitchen,” she said, “Sophie implied that because Lucy is the cook, she’s below her.”

My brows pulled together instantly.

“What?”

“That’s why I was firm with my answer being ‘No’,” she continued. “She needed to understand that wasn’t okay.”

Silence.

So that’s what happened.

And here I was thinking—

No.

I exhaled slowly.

“That’s why I asked who she grew up with,” Naomi added.

My jaw tightened slightly.

Only one person I knew acted like that.

Only one.

And Sophie had stayed with her too.

Or rather, she had helped me raise Sophie for a while.

“My mother,” I said finally. “Eleanor.”

Naomi nodded slowly.

“Oh.”

Silence followed.

Then she said,

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she learns better.”

I studied her for a second.

Then said,

“I don’t like seeing Sophie cry.”

A small smile touched her lips.

“I figured that out from your reaction in the kitchen earlier.”

She crossed her arms lightly.

“I’ll try my best to avoid it. But she’s a child. Sometimes they cry for no reason.”

I nodded slowly.

And just as I was about to say something—

The door flew open.

“Come on, Naomi! Let’s go!”

Sophie stood there, already wearing her jacket.

I leaned back slightly.

“The driver will take you,” I said. “And make sure he stays close.”

“Sure, Captain,” Naomi replied lightly.

I watched as Sophie grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the office.

The door closed behind them.

Silence.

I leaned back in my chair and exhaled slowly.

If what Naomi said was true…

Then my mother had been teaching Sophie her ways.

And I didn’t like that.

Not one bit.

But Sophie was still young.

She could unlearn it.

She could change.

With the right guidance.

And somehow…

I found myself relying on Naomi for that.

A small smile formed on my lips.

“Having her here might not be a bad thing after all,” I muttered.

Just then—

My phone rang.

I reached for it and looked at the screen.

Silas.

My expression hardened instantly.

I answered.

“Silas. What is it?”

There was no greeting.

No delay.

“Boss… we found something.”

I sat up straight.

“What?”

A pause.

Then—

“It’s about the containers.”

My grip on the phone tightened.

“Talk.”

Another pause.

Longer this time.

And when he finally spoke—

His voice was lower.

More serious.

“We found one of them…”

My eyes narrowed.

“And?”

“The containers didn't get missing.”

Silence filled the room.

Then—

“They were taken.”

My jaw clenched.

“For what?”

Another pause.

And then—

“We haven't found that out yet.”

I stood up slowly.

Every muscle in my body going tense.

“What aren't you telling me, Silas?”

Silas didn’t answer immediately.

And when he did—

Everything changed.

“Boss…”

His voice dropped.

“They’re not after the containers.”

A chill ran down my spine.

“So what are they after?”

The line went quiet for a second.

Before—

“You.”