My breath caught. The innocence of her words, laced with an unsettling weight, made my chest tighten. Nathaniel had brought me to this orphanage under the pretense of charity, but now I wasn’t so sure.
“What do you mean, Clara?” I pressed gently.
She shook her head, her golden curls bouncing. “You’ll see.”
Before I could respond, a shadow fell over us.
“There you are.”
Nathaniel’s deep voice rolled over me like a velvet thundercloud. He stood in the doorway, his tailored suit an odd contrast to the faded walls of the playroom.
In his hand was a small bouquet of daisies, their yellow centers almost too cheerful in the dim light.
“Clara, don’t bother Ms. Tiffany too much,” he said with a teasing edge.
Clara giggled and ran off, leaving me alone with him. I straightened, brushing imaginary dust off my skirt to distract from the unease prickling at my skin.
“You’re good with kids,” I remarked, forcing a smile.
He smiled back, that practiced charm in full force. “They remind me of simpler times.”
“Simpler times,” I echoed, tilting my head. “Not exactly how I’d describe your life.”
His expression flickered, just for a moment. A crack in the armor.
“You’d be surprised,” he said, turning to place the flowers in a vase on the counter.
The room suddenly felt smaller, his presence overwhelming despite the space between us.
I watched him interact with the staff and children, his actions deliberate, almost rehearsed. Was this the real Nathaniel? Or just another mask?
My thoughts were interrupted by the creak of the office door behind me. Curiosity tugged at me, and before I knew it, my feet were carrying me toward it.
The room smelled of old paper and faint traces of coffee. Files were stacked neatly on a wooden desk, but one folder caught my attention—it was thicker than the rest, its label marked with bold, red ink: CONFIDENTIAL.
“Tiffany.”
His voice froze me in place. Slowly, I turned to find Nathaniel standing in the doorway, his gaze unreadable.
“What are you doing?”
My pulse quickened, but I forced myself to stay calm. “I was just... looking around.”
“In a locked office?”
His tone was dangerously soft. I hadn’t even realized I’d crossed a boundary until now.
“I thought—”
“Don’t.”
He stepped closer, and for the first time, I felt the weight of his presence. The man who had been gentle with the children now loomed over me, his shadow swallowing the room.