Standing beside them was Olivia Bennett, the new housekeeper who had been hired just one month earlier.
She looked completely different from the reserved woman he had seen before, as her blonde hair had slipped loose, and there was flour on her cheek while she laughed freely. She caught a falling pancake midair and joked playfully, making the boys burst into louder laughter.
“Careful, the pancake tower is about to fall apart,” she teased, steadying the stack.
The boys clung to her legs with total trust, laughing in a way Dominic had never witnessed before. Olivia leaned down and tickled them gently while smiling.
“The secret ingredient is extra love and a little bit of magic,” she said warmly.
Something inside Dominic’s chest tightened in a way that surprised him, because this woman with a modest salary had given his children something he had never managed to provide.
He stepped forward, and the sharp sound of his shoe against the marble floor cut through the moment instantly.
The laughter stopped.
Olivia’s face went pale as she quickly lifted the boys down, clearly expecting anger and consequences. She straightened herself and spoke quickly, her voice trembling.