Chapter 4 – “The Price of Truth”
The first night Lily slept inside Sebastian Harmon’s bedroom was the first night in three years that I didn’t wake up every hour to check if someone was trying to take her away from me.
But it was also the first night I realized something terrifying.
Being protected by a billionaire did not mean danger disappeared.
Sometimes…
It only meant danger became bigger.
Because Sebastian Harmon was not just a wealthy man.
He was a man with enemies.
Powerful ones.
And now Lily was no longer invisible.
Everyone knew she existed.
Everyone knew she was his daughter.
And everyone knew that if anything happened to her, Sebastian Harmon would destroy whoever was responsible.
That made her valuable.
And it made her a target.
The next morning, I woke up before sunrise.
Habit.
Four years of working at the Harmon Estate had trained my body to rise before everyone else.
For a moment, I forgot everything.
I forgot the confrontation.
The secrets.
The phone call.
The impossible truth.
Then I looked beside me.
Lily was sleeping peacefully.
Her little hand was wrapped around Bun’s worn ear.
A smile rested on her face.
And I remembered.
Everything had changed.
I quietly stood and walked to the window.
The estate looked different in the early morning light.
For years, I had seen it as my workplace.
A beautiful prison.
A place where I cleaned rooms I would never enter as a guest.
A place where I cooked meals I would never sit down to eat.
But now…
It was the first place where my daughter’s father had ever held her.
A strange feeling filled my chest.
Fear.
Hope.
Confusion.
All at once.
A knock came at the door.
I turned.
Sebastian stood there.
Not wearing a suit.
Not carrying the cold expression the world knew.
Just a man in a simple shirt, holding a small stuffed toy.
A teddy bear.
I blinked.
“What is that?”
He looked slightly embarrassed.
“I bought it last night.”
“You bought a teddy bear?”
He looked down at it.
“I didn’t know what children liked.”
For some reason, that almost made me smile.
“You’re a billionaire.”
“Yes.”
“You can negotiate million-dollar contracts.”
“Yes.”
“You can buy entire companies.”
“Yes.”
“And you don’t know how to buy a teddy bear?”
He looked completely serious.
“I had never needed to.”
That answer hurt.
Because behind it was a truth neither of us could ignore.
He had never been a father.
Not because he didn’t want to.
Because he never knew.
Sebastian looked at Lily.
“How long until she wakes up?”
I smiled slightly.
“Ten minutes if she’s happy.”
“And if she’s not?”
“Three.”
He nodded like he was memorizing important information.
“Three minutes.”
For the first time in days…
I almost laughed.
When Lily woke up, everything changed.
Because children have a way of destroying tension.
They don’t care about secrets.
They don’t care about billion-dollar empires.
They don’t care about family scandals.
They care about breakfast.
And cartoons.
And whether a stuffed rabbit needs a blanket.
Lily looked at Sebastian standing near the bed.
She blinked.
Then smiled.
“Daddy.”
The word hit him every single time.
I could see it.
He still wasn’t used to it.
He sat beside her carefully.
“Good morning, Lily.”
She looked at the teddy bear.
“For me?”
Sebastian nodded.
“Yes.”
She grabbed it immediately.
“What his name?”
Sebastian looked confused.
“You name him.”
Lily thought seriously.
Children took naming things very seriously.
Finally, she smiled.
“Mr. Fluffy.”
Sebastian nodded.
“A strong name.”
I covered my mouth to hide my smile.
The most feared businessman in the country had just accepted a stuffed bear named Mr. Fluffy.
And somehow…
It suited him.
But peace inside the estate lasted only a few hours.
Because Natalie Voss refused to disappear quietly.
She was waiting in the main office when Sebastian entered.
I knew because Mr. Patel told me.
“She requested a final conversation.”
I looked at him.
“Is that wise?”
Mr. Patel sighed.
“Mr. Harmon believes everyone deserves a chance to explain themselves.”
I looked toward the office doors.
“Even her?”
He paused.
“No.”
His answer surprised me.
“He believes everyone deserves the chance to reveal who they truly are.”
Sebastian closed the office door behind him.
Natalie was standing near the window.
She looked different.
Not angry.
Not arrogant.
Broken.
“You’re really doing this?”
Sebastian remained standing.
“Doing what?”
“Throwing away everything.”
He stared at her.
“I am protecting my daughter.”
Natalie’s face tightened.
“So that’s all I am now?”
“What?”
“The woman who got replaced.”
Sebastian’s expression softened slightly.
“I never replaced you.”
She laughed bitterly.
“No?”
She turned around.
“You look at her like she’s the most important thing in the world.”
“She is.”
The answer came instantly.
Natalie closed her eyes.
“And Rosa?”
Sebastian said nothing.
That silence was enough.
Because Natalie understood.
“You love her.”
Sebastian looked away.
“I don’t know what I feel.”
It was honest.
But Natalie didn’t want honesty.
She wanted control.
“You barely know her.”
“I know enough.”
“You know she lied.”
“She was afraid.”
“She hid your child.”
“She protected her.”
Natalie shook her head.
“No.”
Her voice became darker.
“She stole three years from you.”
Sebastian’s eyes sharpened.
“Be careful.”
Again.
That warning.
Natalie ignored it.
“She could have told you.”
“Yes.”
“She didn’t.”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you defending her?”
Sebastian walked closer.
“Because unlike you, I understand the difference between hiding something out of selfishness…”
He paused.
“And hiding something because you are terrified of losing the person you love.”
Natalie looked away.
The words hit.
Because somewhere deep inside, she knew.
She had never loved Sebastian the way Rosa did.
She loved what came with him.
The name.
The power.
The lifestyle.
And now she was losing it.
Then Sebastian placed something on the desk.
A folder.
Natalie looked at it.
“What is that?”
“Your background investigation.”
Her face changed.
“You investigated me?”
“No.”
He stared at her.
“I had someone investigate you after the phone call last night.”
Natalie went still.
“What phone call?”
Sebastian’s expression hardened.
“The one Rosa received.”
For the first time…
Natalie looked genuinely confused.
“I don’t know anything about that.”
Sebastian studied her.
And he realized something.
She was lying about many things.
But this?
Maybe not.
“Then who does?”
Natalie didn’t answer.
Sebastian opened the folder.
Inside were photographs.
Bank records.
Messages.
And one name.
A name that made Natalie lose all color.
“Victor Vale.”
Her whisper was almost silent.
Sebastian noticed.
“You know him.”
“No.”
“You recognized the name.”
“I said no.”
But her reaction had already betrayed her.
Sebastian leaned forward.
“Who is Victor Vale?”
Natalie looked terrified.
Not guilty.
Terrified.
“He’s dangerous.”
The answer surprised him.
“Why?”
“Because he doesn’t lose.”
Sebastian’s face darkened.
“Explain.”
Natalie looked at the folder.
Then at him.
Then finally whispered:
“Because Victor Vale was the man who tried to destroy your father.”
Meanwhile, I was in the kitchen preparing Lily’s lunch when I heard something behind me.
A voice.
A woman’s voice.
“You should have left.”
I turned.
Nobody was there.
My heart started racing.
Then I saw it.
A small envelope on the counter.
No name.
No address.
Just one sentence written on the front.
For Rosa.
My hands trembled as I opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
An old photograph.
My breath stopped.
It was Sebastian.
Three years ago.
Standing outside St. Mary’s Hospital.
Holding a newborn baby.
My newborn baby.
And beside him…
Was Daniel Reed.
The assistant who supposedly died.
On the back of the photograph, there was a message.
Five words.
Five words that changed everything.
Sebastian knew about Lily.
I dropped the photograph.
Because if that was true…
Then the question wasn’t:
Why didn’t Sebastian know?
The question was:
Who made him forget?
And why?
At that exact moment, the entire estate lost power.
Every light went dark.
Lily screamed from upstairs.
I ran.
“Lily!”
But before I reached the stairs…
A figure appeared at the end of the hallway.
A man.
Unknown.
Standing in the darkness.
Watching me.
And then he said:
“Rosa.”
My blood froze.
“How long did you think you could hide Sebastian Harmon’s daughter?”
I stepped backward.
“Who are you?”
The man smiled.
A cold, emotionless smile.
“The person who made sure Sebastian never found you.”
The lights suddenly returned.
But the hallway was empty.
The man was gone.
Only one thing remained on the floor.
A business card.
I picked it up.
And my hands started shaking.
Because the name written on it was:
May you like
Victor Vale.
And underneath his name was a single sentence:
