Chapter 5
Luke's thoughts were filled with obvious relief.
Jenna stood there, momentarily speechless.
Fiona's expression darkened. "Even if you're sharp, without real talent, you don't have what it takes to..."
"Enough." Seth's voice came from the stairs.
Everyone fell silent.
He slowly walked down the stairs, came over to my side, and gave Luke a look.
Luke flashed him a smile.
Seth said, "I monitor Luke's stats every day: weight, sleep, bathroom habits, temperature. Everything's getting better."
He turned to Jenna. "Your resume looks great, but that's not what I'm after."
He shot another look at Fiona. "Don't ever do this again."
Fiona bit her lip, saying nothing.
After dinner, I was in the kitchen warming up some baby formula.
Louisa came over. "You really stole the spotlight today."
I said, "Spotlight? I was being honest."
Louisa whispered, "You probably don't know Jenna's background, right? Fiona spent a ton of money to bring her over from Amroka, so she could take your place."
I was confused. "What does she get out of replacing me?"
Louisa glanced around and lowered her voice. "Fiona wants to marry Mr. Turner. She doesn't like how close you are to him."
I said, "Nothing is going on between Mr. Turner and me. I'm here to take care of the baby. That's all."
"You think she cares about the truth? All she cares about is what everyone else thinks," Louisa added.
I picked up the baby bottle and headed upstairs.
Luke was still awake. [Hailey, milk.]
"Coming, coming," I replied.
I gently held the bottle to his mouth.
He had a few sips and then suddenly stopped.
Luke: [Hailey, are you not happy?]
I paused, surprised.
He picked up on it.
"Yeah, I'm happy," I smiled at him.
He went back to drinking his milk.
But I knew the trouble was only beginning.
The next morning, Betty called me into her room.
She was sitting at her vanity, with the nanny helping her with her hair.
"Hailey, come sit down," she said.
I sat down.
"Don't let what happened yesterday bother you, Hailey," Betty said gently.
"I won't," I answered.
"Fiona's been with us since she was little, almost like my own daughter. Sure, she's got a quick temper, but deep down, she's a good kid," Betty continued.
I stayed silent.
"But..." She turned around and looked at me. "I'm really curious.
"How did you figure out Luke was lactose intolerant? We took him to six hospitals, and none of them diagnosed him with that."
"It's something I picked up from experience. I once looked after a baby who had the same kind of issue," I replied.
"How old was that baby?" she asked.
"Four months," I said.
"And then what happened?" she continued.
"After we switched formulas, the baby was fine," I said.
Betty nodded, but didn't press me any further.
I knew she still had her doubts.
At noon, Seth unexpectedly came home.
He usually didn't come home at this time.
"Hailey, come here for a moment," Seth said.
I followed him into the study.
He put the test results down on the desk.
"I took Luke for a check-up today. The head of gastroenterology confirmed what you suspected. He's lactose intolerant," Seth said.
"Okay," I answered.
"He said that if Luke had continued with his previous diet for another two months, it could've led to some serious intestinal issues," Seth added.
He looked up at me. "You saved him."
"It's not a big deal," I replied.
"How did you figure it out?" he asked.
Here it was again.
"I had a feeling," I said.
"A feeling?" Seth repeated.
"Some things can't be taught, Mr. Turner. It's like your sharp sense for business. Not everyone can pick that up," I replied.
He studied me for a few seconds. "You don't come across as a high school graduate."
I didn't say anything.
"I looked into your background. You grew up in an orphanage, started working at eighteen, had eight different jobs, and your record's spotless," he said.
He paused for a moment. "But your records only go back to when you were six. There's nothing about your life before that."
My fingers curled slightly.
"A lot of orphanage kids don't have proper records," I explained.
"Really?" Seth asked.
"That's right," I said.
He didn't press me further.
"I'm raising your salary to 17 thousand dollars a month. Starting this month," Seth said.
He stood up and walked to the door. "One more thing. Next Wednesday, there's a parenting and childcare conference.
"I'm taking Luke to showcase his developmental progress. You're coming with us."
"The conference?" I asked.
"You'll be taking care of Luke during the event," he added.
"Sure," I replied.
He left.
I stood in the study, my heart beating faster.
It wasn't because of him.
It was because of what he said, "Your records only start from when you were six."
I remembered everything from before I turned six.
But I'd rather keep it to myself.
On the day of the conference, I dressed up a bit more formally.
It wasn't anything fancy, a white button-down, black slacks, and my hair pulled back in a low ponytail.