Chapter 3 : The Hidden Melody
The next morning, the Harrington mansion was filled with a suffocating tension. The headlines in the morning tabloids were already mocking the family: “Billionaire’s Son Prefers Maid Over High-Society Brides.”
Nathaniel sat at the grand dining table, his coffee turning cold. He sent for the head housekeeper, Mrs. Gable.
"Where is Claire?" Nathaniel asked without preamble.
Mrs. Gable looked nervous, twisting her hands. "Mr. Harrington... Claire didn't come in today. In fact, she left her resignation letter on my desk last night. She said it would be best for the family if she didn't return."
Nathaniel stood up so abruptly his chair scraped loudly against the floor. "Get me her address. Now."
Thirty minutes later, Nathaniel’s sleek black SUV pulled up outside a modest, slightly run-down apartment building on the outskirts of the city. It was a world away from the Harrington estate.
He walked up the narrow stairs and knocked on door 3B.
When the door opened, Claire stood there wearing a faded sweatshirt and jeans. Her hair was down, falling in soft waves around her shoulders. Seeing Nathaniel on her doorstep made her breath catch in her throat.
"Mr. Harrington," she whispered, stepping back. "What are you doing here? If it’s about last night, I am so sorry. I never meant to cause a scandal—"
"Why did you leave, Claire?" Nathaniel interrupted, stepping inside the small, neatly kept apartment.
Claire swallowed hard. "Because I love Oliver. And because I love him, I know that my presence will only cause trouble for him. The papers are already calling him names. If I stay, his grandmother will make sure I am fired anyway, and it will only break Oliver's heart more."
Nathaniel looked at her, seeing the raw honesty in her eyes. "How long have you been singing to him?"
Claire froze. "You saw the tapes."
"I did," Nathaniel said, his voice softening. "He asked the women last night if they knew 'Mommy's song.' Amelia used to sing a specific lullaby to him. How do you know it?"
A tear escaped Claire’s eye. "I didn't know it was Amelia's song. My grandmother used to sing it to me. A few months ago, Oliver was having a terrible panic attack. He was crying for his mom, and nothing the nannies did worked. I was cleaning the hallway and I... I just started humming it. He stopped crying immediately. He opened the door and asked me how I knew his mommy's song. I told him it was a secret magic song."
Nathaniel felt a profound ache in his chest. It wasn't a coincidence. It was a lifeline.
"Claire, Oliver hasn't smiled like he did last night in two years," Nathaniel said, stepping closer to her. "I was foolishly looking for a mother for him among women who only saw him as a trophy or an obstacle. But you... you saw him as a little boy who needed comfort."
"Mr. Harrington, I'm just a maid," Claire said, her voice cracking. "Society will never accept this. Your mother—"
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"I don't care about society, and I don't care about the board," Nathaniel said firmly, taking her hands in his. His touch sent a spark through both of them. "I care about my son. And I care about the woman who saved him. Please, come back. Not as a maid. Come back as Oliver’s personal companion and tutor. Name your price."
Claire looked into Nathaniel’s intense, searching eyes. She saw the lonely man behind the billionaire facade. "I don't want your money, Nathaniel. I'll come back. For Oliver."
