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KLAUS

T hat face.

She has the kind of beauty that artists spend hundreds of hours trying to immortalize.

When I first saw her, I felt my heart beating in my chest for what felt like the very first time.

Something about her called to me.

And I found that absolutely terrifying.

It didn’t take much effort to make her hate me. All I had to do was be my charming self.

And now, I’m alone in my office again.

Everything feels changed somehow, like life itself has lost its shine. It all seems jaded and dull—my emotions, my surroundings.

There’s a knock on the door.

Helena, my head housekeeper, lets herself inside.

“What was that?” she asks.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You never do,” she says. “But the kids need someone to look after them. If it wasn’t for my arthritis, you know I’d do it myself. But I can’t run after them like I used to when you and Miss Seraphina were children.”

The mention of my sister is like a dagger to the heart.

“I’ll call the agency,” I say. “I’ll find someone more suitable.”

“You keep finding something wrong with every candidate.” She rests her hands on her hips.

Helena is the only person who speaks to me this way. She’s been in my life since the day I was born, and she raised me more than my actual mother. Usually, I listen to her counsel, but this is not one of those times.

“I said that I’ll speak to the agency,” I say. “End of discussion.”

“You’re impossible, you know that? The kids need a mother figure, Klaus.”

“Their mother is gone ,” I say.

Losing Sera shattered all of us. To this day, I don’t understand why Sera entrusted me to take care of the kids. I don’t know the first thing about raising children.

“You know what I mean,” Helena says. “But I’m concerned about the kids. Especially the girl.”

“Rosalie?”

“I sense a darkness in her, Klaus. I can see it in her eyes.”

“She’s just grieving the loss of her mother,” I say.

She shakes her head. “It’s more than that.”

I look at Helena’s round face. Her naturally rosy cheeks are drained of color, leaving her pale. The only time I’ve seen her this pale is when she heard the news of the car crash.

“Give me one good reason,” Helena says.

“What?”

“Give me one good reason you didn’t give Miss Turner a chance.”

“She’s not the only nanny in the world,” I say.

“She was perfect for the job. She had glowing recommendations from her previous employers. She’s warm and compassionate. The kids really liked her.”

“I don’t want to get into this right now,” I say.

Helena purses her lips.

She’s not going to leave until I give her an answer. I could lie to her, but she’d see right through me.

“ Klaus ,” Helena says.

She reaches for my shoulder. I squeeze my eyes shut, recoiling from her touch. I see explosions behind my closed eyelids.

War. Pain. Suffering. Death.

“I’m sorry,” she says immediately, pulling her hand away.She knows better than to touch me.

There’s a sour taste in my mouth. I know sleep won’t come to me tonight. I’ll stay up thinking about everything that turned me into this.

“It’s because she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” I admit.

Helena blinks. This was probably the last thing she expected me to say.

“And I don’t want to be that guy, okay? I don’t want to be the man who can’t stop staring at the fucking nanny.”

Helena nods and looks out the window.

Fall has kissed the countryside, turning everything red, orange, and yellow.

But I don’t see the beauty of it anymore.

All I can think about is her . The way her dark eyelashes framed her big eyes, the way she smelled like freshly baked cupcakes, the way her defiance made my cock so fucking hard.

“It’s a shame, though.” Helena sighs. “James really liked her.”

“He’ll forget about her by tomorrow,” I say.

As will I.