She saw the way Vanessa’s warm smile vanished the second Daniel left the room. She saw her recoil when sticky fingers brushed her designer dress. She heard the shift in her voice.
“Don’t touch me,” Vanessa snapped one afternoon when Harper reached for her. “This dress costs more than your little babysitter makes in a year.”
Sophia’s hands tightened around the dish towel she was holding. She swallowed her anger.
One evening, she tried to speak to Daniel.
“Sir,” she began gently while he reviewed contracts in his office, “the girls have been having nightmares again. They seem… frightened. Maybe Miss Caldwell is a little strict when you’re not here.”
Daniel sighed, exhaustion written all over his face. “Sophia, they need structure. And they need a mother figure. Vanessa is trying. Please don’t make this harder.”
Sophia lowered her eyes. “Of course, sir.”
But her instincts wouldn’t quiet. Something was wrong.
The breaking point came when Daniel announced he had to travel to New York for three days to finalize a merger.
“Vanessa will stay here,” he said at dinner, smiling at her. “It’ll be good for all of you to bond.”