CHAPTER SIX
Vivienne Laurent did not retreat.
She returned two days later—unannounced, unapologetic, and armed with a smile sharp enough to cut glass.
Kiera knew the moment she stepped out of the elevator.
The air changed.
It thickened, tightened around her chest like a warning. Leo was in the playroom, humming softly as he built towers with wooden blocks. Kiera stayed close, instinctively protective, her body already braced.
Vivienne's heels echoed down the hallway.
"I see you're still here," Vivienne said coolly, stopping just short of the doorway.
Kiera rose slowly to her feet. "Good afternoon."
Vivienne's eyes flicked over her—simple dress, flat shoes, hair pulled back neatly. Judgment weighed heavy in that gaze.
"I don't recall giving you permission to speak so casually to me," Vivienne said.
Kiera inhaled carefully. "You're not my employer."
Vivienne smiled wider. "No. I'm your future employer."
The words dripped with threat.
Leo looked up, sensing tension. "Kiera?"
She immediately softened. "It's okay, sweetheart. Keep playing."
Vivienne clicked her tongue. "You see? That tone. That closeness. You're blurring boundaries."
"I'm caring for him," Kiera replied evenly.
"Like a mother?" Vivienne asked pointedly. "Or like a woman who's forgotten her place?"
That stung.
Kiera felt heat crawl up her spine, but she held herself steady. "My place is wherever I'm needed."
Vivienne leaned closer. "Careful. Women who say things like that usually mean they're willing to take what doesn't belong to them."
Before Kiera could respond, footsteps approached.
Kade.
Vivienne turned instantly, expression transforming into something softer, almost wounded.
"There you are," she said, stepping toward him. "I was looking for you."
Kade took in the scene in one glance—Leo tense, Kiera rigid, Vivienne standing too close.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Nothing," Vivienne said lightly. "I was just getting to know your nanny better."
Kade's eyes narrowed. "Doesn't look like it."
"I don't feel comfortable," Vivienne continued, her voice sharpening. "Every time I come here, she's watching me. Hovering. As if she owns this place."
Kiera stared at her in disbelief. "That's not true."
Vivienne's eyes flashed. "Don't contradict me."
"That's enough," Kade said sharply.
Vivienne laughed bitterly. "You see? This is what I mean. You defend her. Every time."
"Because you're attacking her."
"I'm protecting my future," Vivienne snapped. "And my reputation."
Leo suddenly stood. "Stop yelling," he said, his small voice shaking.
The room fell silent.
Vivienne looked down at him, irritation flickering across her face before she masked it. "Adults are talking."
Kade's restraint snapped.
"Do not speak to my son like that," he said coldly.
Vivienne stiffened. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
Kiera crouched beside Leo, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. His hands trembled.
Vivienne's gaze followed the movement, lips curling. "Look at that. Already replacing me. Already teaching him who to run to."
"That's unfair," Kiera said quietly but firmly.
Vivienne rounded on her. "Unfair is you pretending you're innocent. You knew exactly what you were doing when you walked into this house."
"I needed a job," Kiera replied, her voice shaking now. "That's all."
"Poor girl," Vivienne mocked. "Abused background. Tragic story. Men like Kade eat that up."
Kade stepped forward, fury radiating from him. "Get out."
Vivienne stared at him. "What?"
"You will not speak to her like that in my home."
My home.
Vivienne laughed, sharp and incredulous. "Listen to yourself. You've chosen her side."
"There are no sides," he said. "There is right and wrong."
"And she's right?" Vivienne demanded. "A nobody nanny who doesn't know her place?"
That was it.
Kiera stood.
Her heart pounded violently, but her voice was clear.
"I know my place," she said. "And it's not beneath you."
Vivienne's eyes widened slightly—then hardened.
"You think because he looks at you like that, you've won?" Vivienne hissed. "You're temporary. I'm permanent."
Kade turned to Vivienne slowly. "Are you?"
The question hit like a slap.
Silence stretched.
Vivienne's breath hitched. "Don't do this. Not because of her."
"This isn't about her," he said. "It's about who you're becoming."
Vivienne's composure cracked. "I will not be humiliated by hired help."
Kiera's hands curled into fists. "I never asked for this. I never tried to take anything from you."
Vivienne stepped closer, invading her space. "You took his attention. His trust. His son."
Kade moved instantly, placing himself between them. "Enough."
Vivienne's eyes burned with fury. "If she stays, I won't."
The words hung heavy.
Kiera's chest tightened painfully. She looked at Kade, fear and resolve battling inside her.
"You don't have to choose," Kiera whispered. "I can leave."
Kade turned to her sharply. "No."
Vivienne laughed hollowly. "You see? He already has."
Kade faced Vivienne, voice steady but lethal. "You will not threaten me. And you will not bully anyone in this house again."
"And if I do?"
"Then we're done."
The finality in his tone stole the air from the room.
Vivienne stared at him, truly seeing him for the first time. Not the man she could control. Not the asset she could shape.
But a man slipping beyond her reach.
"This isn't over," she said quietly.
She turned and walked out, heels striking the floor like gunshots.
The door slammed.
Leo burst into tears.
Kiera dropped to her knees, pulling him close, rocking him gently. "I'm here. I've got you."
Kade stood frozen, chest heaving, anger and guilt warring inside him.
"I'm sorry," Kiera said through tears she couldn't stop now. "I never wanted to cause chaos."
He knelt in front of her. "You didn't."
"This is too much," she whispered. "I don't want to be the reason you lose everything."
He lifted her chin gently, forcing her to meet his eyes.
"You are not the problem," he said fiercely. "You are the truth I've been avoiding."
Her breath caught.
They stayed like that for a moment too long.
Then reality rushed back in.
Lines. Consequences. Fire.
As Kade stood and walked away to compose himself, Kiera held Leo tighter, her heart aching with a truth she could no longer deny.
Vivienne wasn't just bullying her.
She was fighting a losing battle.
And Kiera was standing in the middle of a love that was no longer forbidden quietly—
It was forbidden loudly.
And it was starting to burn everything in its path.