"Emily, you don't need to worry about this."
But Victoria was already speaking.
"Young women should understand their place. This is a private family residence, not a hotel."
Emily felt her cheeks burn.
She had spent her entire life being judged by her financial circumstances.
She didn't need another reminder.
"I know my place, ma'am."
She picked up Daniel's bottle and left the dining room.
Adrian turned toward his mother.
"That was unnecessary."
Victoria calmly spread butter over her toast.
"Then perhaps you shouldn't invite unnecessary people into this family."
Later that afternoon, Adrian found Emily sitting in the garden with Daniel.
She looked distracted.
"Is everything all right?"
"Yes, sir."
"You're a terrible liar."
She smiled faintly.
Adrian sat beside her.
"My mother can be difficult."
Emily looked down at Daniel.
"She's probably just protecting her family."
"She has a strange way of showing it."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Adrian asked about Emily's family.
She told him about her mother, who had worked tirelessly to raise two children. She explained how her younger brother, Noah, had received a scholarship but still needed help with living expenses.
"My mother used to say that kindness costs nothing," Emily said. "Even when we had very little, she always found a way to help someone else."
Adrian listened carefully.
"What happened to her?"
Emily's smile disappeared.
"She died when I was seventeen."
"I'm sorry."
"She was sick for a long time. I still remember the last thing she told me."
"What was it?"
"She said I should never let anyone convince me that I was less valuable because of where I came from."
Adrian looked at her with unexpected tenderness.
"She sounds like a remarkable woman."
"She was."
Daniel suddenly grabbed Emily's finger.
She laughed.
Adrian watched them, feeling something unfamiliar growing inside him.
For six months, he had avoided emotional attachments. He had convinced himself that his only responsibility was to protect Daniel and keep the business running.
But Emily had brought warmth back into the house.
And that frightened him.
That evening, Adrian arranged for a beautiful guest suite to be prepared for her.
Emily accepted reluctantly, mainly because it would allow her to spend more time with Daniel.
But she established clear boundaries.
She would remain an employee. She would continue receiving her salary. And she would not accept expensive personal gifts.
Adrian respected her decision.
Victoria, however, saw the arrangement differently.
That night, she entered Sophia's old bedroom.
Inside a locked drawer was a small envelope containing several old photographs and letters.
She removed one photograph.
It showed a young woman holding a newborn baby.
On the back was written a date.
Twenty-five years earlier.
Victoria stared at the handwriting.
Then she opened a letter and read the first sentence.
"Dear Margaret, if anything happens to me, please make sure my daughter never discovers who her father really is."
Victoria closed her eyes.
For years, she had believed that secret was safe.
But Emily Carter was now sleeping under the same roof as the Blackwood family.
And the past was finally coming back.
Living in the mansion changed Emily's daily routine.
She woke early, helped prepare Daniel's breakfast, and spent most of the day caring for him.
The baby was becoming more playful.
He had started making sounds whenever Emily entered the room. Sometimes he even crawled toward her, laughing when she pretended to chase him.
Adrian noticed every little change.
One Saturday morning, he found Daniel sitting on a blanket in the garden while Emily helped him play with colorful wooden blocks.
"Good morning," Adrian said.
Emily looked up.
"Good morning, sir."
"Please, Emily. You don't have to call me sir when we're not working."
She smiled.
"Old habits."
Adrian sat beside them.
Daniel immediately crawled toward him.
"Someone missed his father."
Adrian lifted the baby and kissed his forehead.
For a moment, he looked genuinely happy.
Then his eyes moved toward the garden's white roses.
"They were Sophia's favorite."
Emily followed his gaze.
"They're beautiful."
"She planted them herself. She used to spend hours here."
Adrian's expression became distant.
"She believed every flower deserved a chance to bloom, even if the soil was poor."
Emily smiled.
"Your wife sounds like my mother."
Adrian turned toward her.
"Really?"
"Yes. My mother loved gardening. We had a tiny garden outside our old house. She used to grow flowers in broken containers because we couldn't afford proper pots."
Adrian laughed softly.
"Perhaps they would have gotten along."
Emily looked toward the roses.
"I wish I had known her."
Adrian's expression changed.
"Me too."
That afternoon, Adrian asked Emily to help organize some of Daniel's old belongings.
They entered a storage room filled with boxes, photographs, and furniture.
Emily carefully sorted the items.
At the back of a wooden cabinet, she discovered a small music box.
It was made of silver and decorated with tiny flowers.
When she opened it, a soft melody filled the room.
Emily froze.
She knew that melody.
Her mother used to hum it whenever she was frightened or unable to sleep.
"Where did you find that?"
Adrian stood behind her.
"In the cabinet."
He looked surprised.
"That belonged to Sophia."
Emily slowly closed the music box.
"My mother used to sing this song."
Adrian frowned.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. She sang it to me when I was little."
He took the box and examined it.
"That's strange. Sophia said her mother taught her the melody."
Emily looked at him.
"Maybe it's an old family song."
Adrian nodded, but something about the coincidence unsettled him.
Before they could discuss it further, Margaret appeared at the door.
"Mr. Blackwood, your mother is looking for you."
Adrian sighed.
"Tell her I'll be there shortly."
Margaret glanced at the music box.
Her face turned pale.
"Where did you get that?"
Emily looked at her.
"In this cabinet."
Margaret approached slowly.
"That's Mrs. Sophia's."
Adrian nodded.
"Yes. Do you recognize the melody?"
Margaret didn't answer immediately.
Then she whispered, "I've heard it before."
"Where?"
Margaret looked at Emily.
"From her mother."
Silence filled the room.
Adrian stood.
"You knew Emily's mother?"
Margaret seemed to regret speaking.
"I... I knew someone with the same name."