BETWEEN WHAT WAS LOST AND FOUND

CHAPTER 3: A NEW NANNY

The boardroom was silent, the kind of silence that usually preceded a major deal. William Shawn stood at the head of the mahogany table, reviewing a quarterly report, when his phone buzzed. He rarely took calls during meetings, but the contact name made him freeze:

Home.

He answered, his voice low. "Yes?"

"Mr. Shawn, I... I’m sorry, sir. Rossa isn't in her room. We can’t find her anywhere."

William didn’t wait to hear the rest. He didn't even pack his briefcase. He simply signaled to his assistant, "Meeting adjourned," and walked out, his stride long and purposeful. The board members exchanged confused glances, but William was already in his car, his mind racing.

He knew his daughter. Rossa was mischievous, and while she could be a handful, she wasn't a runaway. She was a hider.

By the time he pulled his car into the driveway of the Shawn estate, the house was in an uproar. The nanny was standing in the foyer, wringing her hands, while the security staff searched the grounds.

"Rossa!" the nanny called out, her voice rising in panic.

William ignored her. He knew exactly where she would be. He walked straight to the library, ignoring the shelves of heavy, leather-bound books, and went to the velvet curtains behind the oversized armchair the one place Heather used to hide when they played tag years ago.

He pulled back the fabric. Rossa was huddled there, clutching a teddy bear. When she saw him, her face lit up, and she lunged into his arms.

"Daddy!"

She kissed his cheeks, her small arms wrapping tightly around his neck. William held her close, his heart finally slowing its frantic pace.

"What are you up to, little munchkin?" he whispered, his voice softening into a tone he never used with anyone else.

"I was hiding," she admitted, giggling.

The nanny approached, looking flustered. "Mr. Shawn, I really tried to keep an eye on her, but she—"

William didn't let her finish. He looked at the woman with a cold, steady gaze. "You're fired. Leave your keys on the counter."

He didn't care about the excuse. He only cared that his daughter was safe. He carried her into the house, already thinking about the headache of finding someone new. Rossa, blissfully unaware of the tension, buried her face in his shoulder. She often wondered what it would be like to have a mother—she saw the other girls at school with their moms and felt a sharp, hollow ache in her chest—but she kept it quiet. She knew how much her father missed Heather, and she didn't want to make him sad.

They were barely inside when the front door opened.

"William!"

It was his mother, Tessa, looking as elegant and demanding as always. Beside her was his father, Andrea, and standing slightly behind them was Bella Bamas.

Rossa stiffened in William’s arms. She recognized Bella from the charity events her grandmother dragged them to. Bella had been a childhood friend of Heather’s, but she had moved to China years ago. Now that she was back, she was constantly hovering, trying to worm her way into their lives.

"Grandma!" Rossa called out, reaching for her grandmother. But as she saw Bella and a young boy standing behind her, she pulled back, clinging to William instead.

"William, darling," Tessa said, ignoring his dark expression. "We brought guests. This is Bella, and her nephew, Tony."

"Hello, William," Bella said, her smile practiced and thin. She leaned in as if to kiss his cheek, but William shifted, effectively putting Rossa between them.

"I'm tired, Mother," William said, his voice flat. "I’m not interested in tours or small talk today."

"Don't be rude," Tessa snapped. "Rossa, go play with Tony. Give the adults a moment."

Rossa hesitated, then slid out of her father's arms. She took Tony to the playroom, though she didn't want to.

Ten minutes later, a scream tore through the house.

William was in the hallway within seconds. He found Rossa sitting on the floor, tears streaming down her face, while Tony stood over her, looking defiant.

"What happened?" William barked.

"She wouldn't give me her toy!" Tony yelled. "And it doesn't matter anyway. She doesn't have a mom to train her to share!"

The air in the room seemed to freeze. William’s face turned an icy, dangerous shade of pale. He walked over and scooped Rossa up, her small hands clutching his shirt.

"Did you push her?" William asked, his voice low and vibrating with contained rage.

"No!" Tony shouted, looking at his aunt. Bella stepped forward, her face full of false concern.

"William, surely you don't think my nephew—"

"I don't think," William interrupted, his eyes shifting to the security camera tucked in the corner of the ceiling. "I know."

He tapped his phone, pulling up the footage from the room. The video played clearly: Tony shoving Rossa, then taunting her.

William looked at Bella, then at his mother. "Get them out of my house," he said, his voice quiet but absolute. "And if I ever see that child near my daughter again, the Bamas family will find their contracts with the Shawn Group terminated by the end of the hour."

Bella paled, her carefully constructed composure shattering. "William, please, it was just a misunderstanding"

"Get out."

He didn't look at them again. He carried Rossa into his study, closing the door on his mother’s protests and Bella’s desperate, frantic apologies. As he sat down, he felt Rossa’s tears soaking his shirt.

He looked down at his daughter, his heart aching. He had promised to protect her from everything, but he realized, for the first time, that he couldn't protect her from the one thing she wanted most: a mother.

The morning routine was a race against the clock. Alexia tied Lily’s hair back, her hands moving through the familiar rhythm of school prep.

"Mom?" Lily asked, staring at the floor. "Can we... can we try homeschooling?"

Alexia paused, her brush hovering. "Homeschooling? Why, baby?"

"I just like being with you better," Lily said, her voice small.

Alexia let out a soft, sympathetic laugh, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Lily’s ear. "I love being with you too, Lily. But you have to go to school. You need to learn, to grow, to be around other kids."

Lily didn't argue, but her shoulders slumped. Alexia felt a pang of guilt, but she pushed it aside. She had to believe that school was the right place.

After dropping Lily off at the bus stop, Alexia headed to her first tutoring session of the day. The house was expansive, filled with the kind of quiet wealth that made her feel invisible. While she sat with the student, the mother of the house was on the phone in the next room, her voice carrying through the doorway.

"Yes, it’s a disaster. William Shawn is offering a fortune for a nanny, and everyone is failing the interview. His daughter is... well, she’s a handful."

Alexia’s ears pricked up. A fortune. She glanced at the pile of bills sitting in her bag—electricity, rent, the hidden costs of food. She needed this. She decided to apply.

That afternoon, the phone call came. It was the school.

"Your daughter has collapsed, Ms. Alexia. You need to get to the hospital immediately."

The world seemed to tilt on its axis. Alexia didn't remember the cab ride to the hospital; she only remembered the suffocating weight of déjà vu—the same sharp terror she felt the day she lost Danny.

When she arrived, Lily was already asleep, hooked up to an IV. Alexia stood in the hallway, her knees weak, as the doctor pulled her into his office.

"Ms. Alexia, we’ve run the tests," the doctor said, his expression grave. "Lily has hereditary diabetes."

Alexia blinked, trying to process the words. "That's... that's impossible. Danny didn't have it. I don't have it. His family didn't have it. Where would it come from?"

The doctor leaned forward. "It’s hereditary, which means it comes from a biological parent. If you are certain it isn't in your family line, then the genetic markers came from her father. It can be managed, but it will be a lifelong condition. You'll need insulin, a strict diet, and regular monitoring."

Alexia stared at him, her mind spinning. Hereditary. The word echoed in her head, but she had no time to unravel the mystery. She was too busy thinking about the cost of the medication, the hospital bills, and her empty bank account. She excused herself, walked into the sterile quiet of the hospital bathroom, and let the tears finally come. She was exhausted. She was terrified.

Then, her phone buzzed. A message from the Shawn estate: Your interview is scheduled for 4:00 PM today.

She dried her eyes. She had to be strong. For Lily.

The Shawn estate was something out of a magazine—stone pillars, manicured gardens, a driveway that went on for miles. When Alexia arrived, she saw other women sitting in the waiting area. They were impeccably dressed, clutching resumes filled with university degrees and years of experience at elite nanny agencies.

Alexia looked down at her own clothes. She had a college degree, but she wasn't "elite." She felt like an imposter.

Needing a moment to breathe, she stepped out into the rear garden. She saw a little girl sitting alone on a stone bench, looking at a birdbath with a lonely, heavy expression.

Alexia walked over quietly. "Aren't you lonely?"

The girl looked up, startled. It was Rossa. "I am. I don't have any friends."

"You're very pretty," Alexia said with a soft smile. "It’s hard to believe anyone wouldn't want to be your friend."

Rossa managed a faint, surprised smile. Before they could speak again, a maid called out, "Alexia, you're next."

Alexia stood up, gave Rossa a small wave, and hurried back inside. She didn't see the way Rossa’s eyes followed her, intrigued.

The interview room was cold and formal. William Shawn sat behind a desk, looking tired and guarded. As Alexia sat down, she felt the weight of the earlier rejections in the room. She was just about to start her pitch when the door swung open.

Rossa walked in, walked straight past her father, and stood next to Alexia.

"I choose her," Rossa said firmly.

William looked up, surprised. "Rossa, we haven't even—"

"I choose her, Daddy. She’s nice."

William looked at Alexia, then at his daughter, and finally sighed. "I see."

The other candidates were stunned. Alexia barely understood what was happening, but she wouldn't question it.

"You'll start tomorrow," Alexia, the head maid informed her, while the Shawn family secretly do their investigations.

As she walked out of the estate, the relief was so intense it almost made her dizzy. She wasn't just working; she was fighting for Lily’s life.

She took a taxi straight to the hospital. Lily was awake, looking small and pale against the white sheets.

"Lily, guess what?" Alexia whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed and taking her daughter's hand.

Lily looked up with tired eyes. "What, Mom?"

"I got a new job," Alexia said, her voice filled with a desperate kind of hope. "A really good job. We're going to be fine, baby. We’re going to be okay."

Lily squeezed her hand, a small, trusting smile spreading across her face. And for the first time in weeks, Alexia believed it.