The Billionaire’s Nanny

It was the end of her first week, and Alita would receive her first paycheck at the end of the day. She was ecstatic and couldn’t wait for the day to be over. She had already planned how she would spend the money.

She had secretly planned a surprise for Sarah as a token of her appreciation for getting her the job. She simply had to do something. It was only right, and she was confident Sarah would do the same. Yes, because Sarah was a splurger, even if Alita would never admit it to her face. It’s a good thing she had a steady stream of good money coming in from working for Benson, because otherwise their lives would be miserable. Sarah just never stopped to consider how much she spends and how it affects her. She only spends, which is fortunate for both of them. It had never had much of an impact on her. Sarah would see a shoe or a gown or anything she liked and go get it right away, regardless of the price, whether it was overpriced or not – most of the time it is.

Alita, on the other hand, meticulously planned every penny. Perhaps it was because she never had so much but then had too many needs that outweighed her income. But with her first pay, she’s decided to go all out and squander her money. She had never earned that much in one payment before, and she planned to spend it as soon as it arrived. She would take Sarah to an expensive restaurant and eat expensive food. Given that she had never paid for any of their outings, this would reflect well on her pride and esteem. She had never suggested one because she wasn’t confident she could afford it. This inability had bothered her throughout their time together, and she had never really freely and wholeheartedly eaten out with Sarah because, at some point, she would feel like such a burden and would spend the rest of the day thinking low of herself, unbeknownst to Sarah.

That night, however, would be different. It would be the first time. It was a first for her that she would never forget. Alita is a big fan of first impressions, and she was determined to outdo every date they had gone on together. Yes, she had literally scribbled the day’s itinerary on a scrap of paper and slipped it into her back pocket. She’d take it out at random times throughout the day, look at it with a dreamy smile on her face, and then put it back.

Alita couldn’t keep her excitement from showing. Sarah sensed that something was off about her. Benson was aware, but he kept his questions to himself because he had promised not to make overly friendly advances toward Alita in order to dampen his attraction to her. But an elastic band can only be stretched so far before it snaps, and he was about to snap. He had no idea what was going to happen to him.

Alita walked into Benson’s apartment with a broad grin on her face. She was also a little chatty. She began a thorough cleaning of the house as soon as Benson left. During this cleaning, she came across something she shouldn’t have seen. Something she’d have to work hard to keep. Something that would gradually escalate the situation between her and Benson.

Alita wasn’t very good at keeping secrets; she was basically a see-through, but she had to keep this to herself because no one else could know. Even Benson couldn’t tell she was aware of what she had inadvertently discovered.

Alita requested that Siri play her favorite song, Bruno Mars Finesse. It was fitting for the day’s later event, which was about to take place. She began with the living room and then moved on to the kitchen. She realized he needed to restock the fridge, so she made a list of what she had noticed he had and other groceries she thought he might need, or, in her words, the things he was missing out on.

She then moved on to Julie’s room and everything else except his study. She wanted to do it last because the entire place screamed privacy and sensitivity.

Alita knew Benson was married, but she didn’t know much about it because he kept that part of his life under wraps.

When Alita stood in front of his study door, she paused the song that was blasting through her earphones. She had always argued with herself about calling that room a study because, as the name implies, a study should be filled with books, but Benson’s study was filled with antique painting and sculpture, as well as vintage first edition books that were kept rather than read. There was more art than there were paperbacks. It felt more like a place to unwind than a place to study. It could also be compared to a museum.

She dusted and wiped down every object in the room, making sure to put them back where she found them. She knew that if she broke one of those objects or books, it would cost her the equivalent of a year’s pay, so she was extra cautious and looked forward to putting them back in place as soon as she took them.

Alita stretched her back and felt her spine crack. It was just her and the table in the middle of the so-called study before she was done. She had never paid attention to the things in the study, especially the table that had only a computer, a vase, a coffee mug, and more sculptures, while she was cleaning and throughout the times she had spent coming in and out of Benson’s study. She hadn’t even noticed the picture of his ex-wife on the table among all the other things on the table. She noticed it and picked it up to examine it more closely. In the photo, he was holding her waist. She recognized the lady in the photo as his ex-wife right away. She began to wonder why they had divorced because they appeared to be very happy in the photo and there was no evidence of either of them cheating on the other. The news that they had divorced  just dropped like a bomb.

As if some force of nature heard Alita’s question and responded with an answer, a piece of paper fell from the picture just as she was about to drop it. Her heart skipped a beat. She considered opening but decided to put it back and leave right away so as not to intrude on Benson’s privacy. She did leave, but the thought of what it could be consumed her mind, and she succumbed to her curiosity. It was all she could think about until she returned to his study, her mouth agape, her body stiffened, and her eyes fixed on the medical report from Benson’s accident.

With that secret in her hand, she was defying her personality. It couldn’t be true, she reasoned. She quickly replaced it and dashed to Julie’s room. She closed her eyes, hoping that when she opened them again, she would forget what she had just seen, but this did not happen. She opened her eyes, and the paper in her hand was still there. She now realized Mr. Benson Astor was impotent. It was all too much for her to process. She cursed herself, wishing she hadn’t decided to clean the entire house in the first place. She wished she could forget what she had learned, but she would need magical abilities to do so.

She felt bad for him.

Benson’s words from her first day rang in her head as she sat there, legs apart and hand on her head, staring at Julie. ‘She means everything to me,’ he had told her just before leaving. Suddenly, the statement took on a grave significance.

She dragged herself off the ground to Julie’s bed, picked Julie up, and held her in the air in front of her. “I will love you with everything I have,” she muttered and hugged her.

Benson returned home a few hours later. He appeared to be a little off. He was moody, as if something was bothering him on the inside.

Alita immediately assumed he was sad because he couldn’t father his own child. It was reason enough to be depressed for the rest of one’s life.

Benson feigned a smile as he handed Alita her check. She took it and went home right away. She was depressed, and all of her excitement had faded.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

She walked home instead of taking an Uber, as she had planned. While driving home, she pondered what she would do with what she had learned. But all she could do was keep it, most likely until she died. Nobody else could possibly know.