Sophie stared at her with her mouth hanging open.
For the first time that afternoon, she was completely silent.
Her eyes widened, not with fear exactly but with surprise.
As if she couldn’t believe Claire had finally snapped.
“We are not here to sing silly songs,” Claire continued, trying to regain her calm.
“We are here to learn.
I am your teacher and you will treat me with respect.
You will sit in that chair, you will do your work, and you will not get up again unless I say so.
Do you understand?”
Sophie’s lower lip trembled a little.
She opened her mouth as if to speak, then closed it.
Then opened it again.
“You can’t order me around.” she whispered but without her usual confidence.
“I will.
That’s part of my job,” Claire said, leaning forward to look right at her.
“Your father hired me to do a job and I intend to do it.
Now pick up your pencil and do what I asked you to do.”
Sophie’s eyes darted toward the door as if hoping someone would come to her rescue.
When no one appeared, she scrunched up her face and slowly reached for her pencil.
“That’s better,” Claire said, settling back in her chair.
She watched as Sophie reluctantly returned to the exercise and began following the instructions.
Just as she started reading again, the study door swung open without warning.
Claire looked up, her irritation at the sudden interruption clear on her face.
Then she froze.
Standing in the doorway was the woman from the black SUV yesterday.
“Auntie Belle!” Sophie shrieked, dropping her pencil and scrambling out of her chair.
She ran across the room and threw herself at the woman who caught her with a warm smile.
“Hello baby,” the woman said as she hugged Sophie.
Her eyes, however, were fixed on Claire.
“What are you doing in here?”
“I’m doing lessons,” Sophie said as she pulled back a little.
“But Miss Anderson is mean.”
The woman’s perfectly shaped eyebrows rose.
“Is she now?” She gently disentangled herself from Sophie and walked further into the room.
“And who might you be?”
“Claire Anderson,” Claire said, standing up and extending her hand.
“I’m Sophie’s new tutor.”
The woman looked at her extended hand with an expression that made Claire purse her lips.
Instead of shaking it, she turned to Chloe who had appeared in the doorway behind her.
“Who is this?” she asked with a sneer.
Chloe shifted uncomfortably but answered respectfully.
“This is Miss Anderson, the teacher that Sophie always talks about.”
The woman’s lips curved into a smile that was anything but friendly.
“Oh, really?” She turned back to Claire.
“I must say.
I didn’t realize Sebastian had lowered his standards this much.
You seem rather… too young to be handling a child like Sophie.”
Claire’s jaw tightened but she kept her voice calm.
“I have experience with children and I’m fully qualified.”
“Is that so?” The woman looked Claire up and down, her expression unimpressed.
“Then we’ll see how long that confidence lasts.
I’d be surprised if you made it past three days.”
Sophie watched the exchange with wide eyes, a small smirk playing on her lips.
“Miss,” Chloe said softly, “perhaps we should let them get back to their lesson.”
The woman stopped in front of Claire.
“Oh, I don’t think there will be any more lessons today.” She reached out and straightened Claire’s collar with a small mocking smile.
“I’ve just come to take Sophie shopping for a new dress for the dinner this weekend.” She turned to Sophie with a bright smile.
“Wouldn’t you like that, sweetie?
A pretty new dress?”
Sophie’s eyes lit up.
“Yes!
Can we get ice cream and chocolate too?”
“Of course.
Anything for my favorite girl,” the lady murmured.
She took Sophie’s hand and started moving toward the door.
“Chloe, please help me get Sophie ready.
We’ll be leaving in ten minutes.”
As she reached the doorway, she paused and looked back at Claire who stood frozen by the table.
“Don’t worry, Miss Anderson.
I’m sure Sebastian will make sure you’re paid for your time today.”
With one last dismissive look, the woman left the room, Sophie practically skipping beside her.
Claire stayed where she was, her hands tightening into fists at her sides.
The workbook was still open on the table and the reading exercise left unfinished.
She stared at it, trying to calm herself down.
She hadn’t said anything because she didn’t know who the woman was or what right she had to interfere with Sophie’s lesson.
More importantly, Claire wasn’t about to start arguing with someone in this house without even knowing her place in the family.
Still, that didn’t mean she was okay with what had just happened.
Claire was patient with children, and she could be soft when someone needed understanding, but she was not soft-tempered.
She hated being spoken down to and she hated being made to feel small even more.
She had kept quiet because she knew when to hold her tongue, not because she had nothing to say.
And now she was supposed to do this for three months?
It was only her first day and she had already gone through all of this.
She picked up the workbook and closed it firmly.
If Mr.
Valerius found out what had happened, he would know this wasn’t her fault…
Unfortunately, that’s not what happened.
Two days later when Mr.
Valerius called her into his office, his expression was colder than she’d ever seen it.
“I hired you to teach Sophie,” he said, his voice dropping even lower.
“Not to entertain my fiancee’s whims.
Sophie’s lessons are not to be interrupted.
By anyone.”
Claire stood frozen, his words sinking in.
Fiancee?
She thought back to how the woman had spoken about Sophie’s father ‘lowering his standards’ and how she had taken the girl away without a second thought.
It all made a sickening kind of sense now.
“Is that understood?” Sebastian’s voice cut through her thoughts.
“Yes, Mr.
It won’t happen again.” Claire managed though her mind was still reeling from the revelation.
He dismissed her with a nod, already turning back to his desk.
As she walked out of his office, Claire couldn’t help but wonder what kind of family she had gotten herself involved with.
A father who could freeze a room with one look, a child who expected everyone to do as she pleased, and a fiancee who seemed to think everything around her was beneath her.
This was going to be much more complicated than she had anticipated…