“Sir, I’m so sorry—I didn’t mean—he just wanted to play, and I—”

But Ethan didn’t hide.

He turned toward his father, his expression filled with quiet pride.

“Daddy,” he said, his voice rough from disuse, “she was sad. I help.”

The words landed like a shockwave.

Adrian dropped to his knees—not because of Lina, but because of his son.

“You helped her?” he whispered.

Ethan nodded, serious. “All better now.”

Adrian looked up at Lina again.

For the first time, he didn’t see an employee.

He saw the one person who had reached where he could not.

The Woman Who Saw Only Dirt

The moment didn’t last.

Sharp footsteps echoed down the hallway.

“Adrian!” a voice called, edged with impatience.

Vanessa Hale, his fiancée, appeared at the doorway—perfectly dressed, perfectly composed, and instantly repulsed.

Her gaze swept the room.

Her expression hardened.

“What is this?” she demanded. “Why is she in your bed?”

She didn’t see the connection.

She didn’t see the miracle.

She saw contamination.

“That’s disgusting,” Vanessa snapped. “Do you have any idea how unhygienic this is?”

Ethan flinched.

He instinctively moved closer to Lina, gripping her sleeve.

Vanessa stepped forward. “Get away from her!”

“Please,” Lina said softly, “you’re scaring him—”

But fear had already entered the room.

When Doubt Becomes a Weapon

Later, in the privacy of Adrian’s office, Vanessa changed her tone.

“She’s manipulating you,” she said calmly. “People like her know exactly what they’re doing. Today it’s your son. Tomorrow it’s your fortune.”

Adrian didn’t respond.

But doubt had already begun to take root.

That night, he made a decision he would come to regret more than anything else in his life.

“Terminate her contract,” he instructed. “Immediately.”

The Cost of Getting It Wrong

Adrian left before dawn.

He didn’t stay to face Lina.

But Vanessa did.

She forced Lina to complete humiliating tasks, scrubbing floors as if she were something less than human.

When Ethan ran to her, arms open, Vanessa stopped him cold.

“Don’t touch her,” she said sharply. “You’re not like her.”

Lina lowered her gaze.

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