Chapter 3 - The Contract
"Clear the room," Alexander commanded, his voice echoing with absolute authority as he stood up.
"Alexander!" Margaret hissed. "The press is outside! The board members—"
"I said, clear the hall," Alexander barked, turning his gaze toward the security detail lining the walls. "Now."
Within three minutes, the security team efficiently escorted the shocked guests, the outraged socialites, and the protesting press out through the side exits. Only Margaret, Alexander, Elena, and little Noah remained in the vast, empty ballroom.
Noah refused to let go of Elena’s hand. The maid stood awkwardly on the velvet carpet, holding the hand of the heir to billions while wearing an apron covered in lint.
Alexander walked over to a side table, pulled a gold fountain pen from his breast pocket, and picked up a clean linen napkin.
"Alexander, what are you doing?" Margaret demanded, her knuckles turning white on her cane.
"Fixing the mistake I made three years ago," Alexander replied calmly.
He wrote three quick lines on the napkin, signed his name at the bottom, and walked back over to Elena.
"You dropped out of nursing school because of financial hardship," Alexander said, holding out the paper. "Starting tonight, your mother’s medical expenses are paid in full by the Sterling Foundation. Your nursing tuition will be reinstated at Johns Hopkins."
Elena gasped, her hands trembling. "Mr. Sterling... I can't accept—"
"There is one condition," Alexander interrupted, his dark eyes searching her face. "Noah chose you tonight. He needs the woman who kept him alive when the world was dark. I am offering you a contract as Noah’s full-time private guardian and companion. You will live in the main estate, you will have full access to our resources, and no one in this house will ever treat you as a servant again."
"And the wedding?!" Victoria’s mother shrieked from the hallway doors, trying to push past security guards. "What about the Sterling succession?!"
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Alexander looked down at his son, who was smiling for the first time in months, his small hand wrapped securely around Elena’s fingers.
"The succession is secure," Alexander said coldly, looking directly at his mother. "Because for the first time in three years... my son is home."
