The elevator doors opened, and I popped out of them, running over to the secretary. Just as I approached her to tell her I needed to speak to him, Darien came out of a side door.

“Dar— Mr. Thrilling!” I didn’t want to address him by his first name around others. The last thing he needed was gossip or a scandal.

“Willow? Where’s Ariel?”

I ran over to him. “Her mother came and took her away!”

“What?”

“I tried to stop her, but she slapped me and tased me!” I cried, worried that Ariel was going to be hurt.

Darien ran down the hallway and I followed him.

“I’m so sorry!”

“Don’t apologize, I’ll have her in trouble for this! You can press charges!”

We got to his office, and he ripped the phone from its base, damn near pounding each key as he called someone.

“Morgan,” he growled.

I was standing awkwardly in the middle of his office. I felt useless.

It was like I couldn’t protect anyone, not Sam, not Ariel, and next up was probably Darien.

“I don’t care! She’s the nanny and I have an agreement! If the court finds out what you did─”

He paused. I could hear Morgan’s voice squawking though the phone.

“You had better. You have one hour, or else I’m going to the court. And a taser? Serves you right if she presses charges.”

He slammed the phone down and sat down in his seat.

God.

Darien was a good father. What the hell was Morgan doing? Using his daughter as a way of hurting and getting back at him because he didn’t want a gold digger by his side?

“Darien?” I held my hands together, choosing my words carefully. “Is Ariel okay?”

He had his chin nestled on his hands and elbows on the table. “Yes, she’s bringing her here. I’m sorry she hurt you.”

He closed his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows.

He slammed his desk with his fist and I jumped back.

I needed to calm him down. Quick.

“You know. I hope you don’t get angry, but I had to take your Lamborghini to get here…” Wow, when I thought about it, that only seemed like it’d make him angrier. I mean, it was a six figure car, and the newest model too.

“Really?”

He lifted his gaze back to me, calming down.

“Yeah, well, my cell phone wasn’t charged. The phones weren’t working, and I wasn’t going to sit by and watch some crazy bitch—I mean, woman─take Ariel away. Ariel said she didn’t want to go with her. She even said she wasn’t her mommy.”

I hung my head down. Ariel needed a mommy, a good one.

“Thank you for putting up a fight. You didn’t have to—”

I gawped at him incredulously. “Yes I did!”

The phone rang and Darien picked it up.

“Hello? Yes, I’ll be right out.” He hung up and flashed me one of his sexy grins again.

“How’s the car? Still there?” he teased.

“Yes, I know how to drive low cars. My brother Sam had one.”

A pain struck my chest, and it was hard to breathe for a moment.

That car of Sam’s… the car that was now sitting in a junkyard, scrambled to pieces from the accident.

“Willow, are you okay?” Darien asked, placing his warm large hands on my shoulders.

He stroked the side of my face and I sighed.

I wanted to cry. But now wasn’t the time to show weakness.

“I’m fine.”

When he left the office, I sniffled and reached over to Darien’s desk phone. Another payment was due soon, and since my family didn’t update me on his condition, I had to do it myself.

I dialed the hospital and waited.

The nurse got on and told me he was okay, but that he had a small complication that was fixed.

I had a heart attack, but they told me that he was stable now. It was just a reaction to some medicine they gave him.

Sigh.

The door opened from behind me and Ariel ran over to me.

“Willow!” she exclaimed.

I turned around and hugged her. “I’m sorry,” she cried. “That bad lady hurt you.”

“I’m fine,” I assured her. “It would take more than a crazy lady with a taser to take me down if my Ariel needed me!”