The Millionaire’s Baby Screamed at Every Nanny Until the Cleaning Lady Hummed One Song His Dead Mother Used to Sing

By spring, the consequences of the court order had swept through the Sterling empire like a wildfire.

The financial audit ordered by Judge Adams revealed decades of systemic embezzlement by Victoria Sterling. Facing multiple counts of grand larceny, fraud, and estate tax evasion, Victoria was forced to resign from all corporate boards and surrender her controlling shares in Sterling Enterprises to Noah’s trust.

Julianna Vance and her father were disgraced after the medical ethics board launched an investigation into Dr. Vance’s fraudulent diagnoses.

One afternoon in April, as the snow melted from the lawns of Chestnut Hill and the first green shoots of spring poked through the gardens, Margaret Hales approached Claire in the sunroom.

The housekeeper looked older, her sharp shoulders slightly rounded, her rigid posture gone.

She carried an old silver tray, but on it rested two cups of tea and a plate of fresh scones.

"Miss Bennett," Margaret said quietly.

Claire looked up from where she was helping Noah build a wooden castle on the rug. "Yes, Mrs. Hales?"

Margaret set the tray down on the coffee table. She sat down slowly on the sofa—something Claire had never seen her do in six months.

"I brought you some tea," Margaret murmured. She looked down at her polished shoes, her hands folding tightly in her lap. "I wished to... apologize to you."

Claire blinked in surprise. "Mrs. Hales?"

"When you first arrived," Margaret said, her voice trembling slightly, "I treated you with contempt. I thought you were just another girl from the agency, someone beneath this house. I was terrified of Mr. Whitmore’s grief, and I thought keeping everything rigid was the only way to keep this house from falling apart."

She looked at Noah, who was laughing as he knocked down a wooden tower.

"You brought life back to this boy," Margaret continued, tears glinting in her old eyes. "You brought life back to Mr. Whitmore. I was wrong about you, Claire. You belong in this house more than anyone ever has."

Claire looked at the old housekeeper, seeing for the first time the deep sadness and worry that Margaret had carried behind her rigid exterior.

Claire reached across the table and placed her hand over Margaret’s trembling fingers.