Infiltrating Onyx Bay

"Yes, Onyx Bay Villa. It belongs to Mr. Knox."

The man on the other end of the line practically buzzed with frantic impatience. "The Little Princess is throwing an absolute fit over her bath. She cycled through a few hundred applicants and specifically pointed to your resume. Get over here right now!"

The line went dead.

Sienna lowered the phone. She stared at the black screen, her chest pulling tight. She turned her gaze to Nash. Her six-year-old son stood by the hallway, his hands casually tucked into his pockets.

"This is the job you submitted my resume for?" she demanded.

Nash stepped forward. He reached out and tugged gently on the hem of her shirt. "Mommy, I know why you came back. You want answers. You want access. Approaching Roman Knox inside his own house is far more effective than trying to slip into his corporate headquarters. Am I wrong?"

Sienna let out a long breath. She dropped onto the edge of the sofa, rubbing the back of her neck. She could never hide her true intentions from this boy. His mind worked like a steel trap.

She knelt to meet his eye level. "You make a fair point, Nash, but walking right into his house..."

"Do not worry!" Nash flashed a bright, reassuring grin. "From what I gathered, this Little Princess is a breeze to deal with. Just a spoiled kid. You handle kids all the time."

A reluctant smile tugged at the corners of Sienna’s mouth. She pushed herself up, heading toward the small bathroom to wash the sweat from her face and fix her hair. She needed to look presentable if she was stepping back into the lion's den.

As she pulled her worn sneakers onto her feet by the door, she paused. The apartment felt too quiet. "Where is Hazel?"

Usually, the moment she walked through the front door, her daughter would bolt out of her room, practically tackling her with a hug. Today, the hallway remained empty.

"Oh, she is glued to her cartoons," Nash lied smoothly, not missing a single beat. "Do not stress, Mommy. I will keep an eye on her. Go get that job."

Sienna nodded, grabbing her bag. Nash made sense. Getting hired at Onyx Bay Villa offered her an unparalleled vantage point. Roman kept his personal life locked down tight. If she wanted to strike, she needed inside information. She could not afford to pass this up.

Still, as she stepped out into the crisp city air, a nagging thought clawed at her mind. Who exactly was this Little Princess? Before booking her flight back to Alden City, Sienna had combed through every piece of intel available on Roman Knox. He was engaged to Blair, yes, but there was zero mention of a child living under his roof.

An hour later, a private estate car dropped Sienna at the towering iron gates of Onyx Bay Villa. A stern-faced servant escorted her up the sweeping gravel driveway.

It had been six years.

Sienna’s steps slowed. Her heart hammered a chaotic rhythm against her ribs. She was back.

Her eyes darted across the manicured lawns. The oak sapling she had planted by the fountain with her own hands was now a sturdy, towering tree, its thick branches casting long shadows over the grass. Everything else remained frozen in time. Stepping through the massive double doors, the familiar scent of cedar and citrus hit her. The abstract oil painting she had bought at an auction still hung above the entryway console. The porcelain vase she sourced from a local artisan sat perfectly centered, gleaming without a speck of dust.

A suffocating wave of nostalgia crashed over her. She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to steady her erratic breathing.

"Little Princess, she is here!"

A desperate, exhausted male voice echoed from the grand staircase behind her.

Sienna snapped out of her daze and spun around.

Standing halfway up the marble steps was Merrick, Roman's right-hand man, looking visibly drained. But Sienna barely registered his presence. Her gaze locked onto the tiny figure standing just ahead of him.

The girl wore a fluffy pink princess dress, her dark hair styled into neat twin braids. She clutched a pristine white teddy bear against her chest. She beamed down at Sienna.

Sienna stopped breathing.

Hazel?!

The shock hit her like a physical blow. Her jaw parted, but her throat clamped shut. She stared at her own daughter, her mind scrambling to process the impossibility of the situation.

Before Sienna could ruin the charade, Hazel gave her a subtle, knowing wink. The little girl casually lifted a single finger, tapping it against her own lips.

"This Auntie is perfect!" Hazel declared loudly. She skipped down the remaining marble steps, her pink dress bouncing. "Hi, Auntie! I am Hazel!"

Sienna’s brows knit together. She forced her frozen legs to move, stepping close enough to lean down. "What on earth are you doing here?" she hissed under her breath, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper.

Hazel beamed, her bright eyes sparkling with mischief. "I will explain everything in a minute, Mommy," she murmured back. Before Sienna could interrogate her further, Hazel grabbed Sienna’s thumb with her soft, warm hand.

"Auntie, let's go upstairs!" Hazel announced to the echoing foyer. "I want my milk bath now!"

Hazel yanked Sienna toward the stairs, dragging her bewildered mother up to the second floor.

Down in the foyer, Merrick let out a heavy sigh of relief. He dragged a hand down his face. "Keep a close eye on the Little Princess," he muttered to the remaining staff. This child was ten times more demanding than Roman Knox himself. He had spent the entire afternoon pulling his hair out, desperately hunting for a maid to meet her impossible standards.

Inside the sprawling, custom-built children’s bathroom, warm steam rolled across the frosted glass shower doors. The scent of lavender and rich milk filled the air.

Hazel sat submerged in the oversized marble bathtub, playing with a mound of thick white bubbles. She peered up at Sienna through her wet eyelashes, her lower lip sticking out in a dramatic pout.

"Mommy," she whined softly. "Please do not be mad. This Daddy is actually really nice to me. He bought me toys and sweets. I did not suffer at all."

Sienna stood by the sink, pressing two fingers hard against her throbbing temples. A massive headache was brewing right behind her eyes. "I need to make a phone call."

Hazel rested her chin on the soapy edge of the tub. She watched her mother pace toward the attached balcony, her big eyes wide and aggrieved.

Sienna slid the glass balcony door shut behind her, sealing out the damp heat of the bathroom. The chilly evening wind whipped her hair across her face. She pulled out her phone, dialed, and waited.

"Nash Croft," Sienna snapped the moment the line connected. She gripped the metal railing tight enough to hurt her palms. "Is this the brilliant job you set up for me?"

Nash’s voice crackled through the speaker. He sounded uncharacteristically hesitant. "You bumped into Hazel already, Mommy?"

"Why would you do this?" Sienna demanded, keeping her voice low to avoid echoing across the courtyard. "Why would you orchestrate Hazel recognizing him as her father?"

She knew her children better than anyone. Her eldest son possessed a quiet, calculating demeanor. Her second son, Nash, was brilliant, sharp, and constantly plotting. Her daughter, Hazel, was sweet and obedient. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine Nash going behind her back to hand Hazel over to Roman Knox.

"Mommy, listen to me. This was going to happen sooner or later," Nash said, his tone turning serious. "I knew you would flip out, which is why I kept it a secret. But think about it. Hazel looks exactly like him. Even if we tried to hide, we live in Alden City now. His security team, his contacts, someone would spot her. He would find out."

Sienna gripped the phone tighter, her knuckles turning bone-white. She hated to admit it, but the boy made sense. Hazel was the spitting image of Roman. She had his sharp brow line, his intense eyes. It was a genetic copy that no amount of hiding could erase for long.

Sensing her hesitation, Nash pressed his advantage. "Since discovery was inevitable, striking first was our best tactical move. With Hazel showing up on his doorstep, he knows you did not die in that fire, Mommy. Plus, having Hazel planted right inside his house puts a massive stop to his plans to marry that mistress."

Sienna closed her eyes, letting the cold wind hit her face. "And did you, in all your strategic planning, consider what happens if he refuses to let Hazel leave? I raised you three by myself. I will not let him..."

"Mommy, trust me," Nash interrupted, his childish voice taking on a fierce edge. Back in the apartment, the little boy raised three fingers to the ceiling. "I swear to you. When the time comes, if you want Hazel back, I will rip her right out of his hands and bring her home myself."

Sienna let out a dry, bitter laugh. "Nash, you are a child. You do not understand what Roman Knox is capable of."

Six years ago, she had slept beside that man. She had given him her heart. And for the sake of his affair with Blair, he had callously sent her to her death. If Roman decided he wanted to keep Hazel, he would lock her in a golden cage, and no one would be able to break her out.

The sheer panic of losing her daughter threatened to consume her. But Nash had forced her hand. She could not rip off her disguise and run away with Hazel right now. She had crucial scores to settle in Alden City. Escaping would alert Roman and ruin everything.

She had to improvise. She had to play the long game.

"Fine," Sienna muttered, hanging up the phone.

She took a deep breath, smoothing her expression into an unreadable mask, and slid the glass door open.

She stepped back into the steamy bathroom. The little girl who had been ordering Roman’s staff around like a miniature tyrant had already climbed out of the tub. Hazel stood on the fluffy bathmat, clumsily trying to pull her pajama top over her wet head.

She was only six. Yet, she was navigating this dangerous game of deception with the maturity of an adult. A sharp pang of guilt struck Sienna’s chest.

Hearing footsteps, Hazel popped her head through the collar of her shirt. She looked up at Sienna, her dark eyes filled with wariness. "Mommy, are you still mad at me?" she asked, her voice wavering. "Nash promised me... he said I could help you a lot if I did this."

Seeing those unshed tears gathering in her daughter's eyes shattered the last of Sienna’s anger. How could she possibly scold her?

Sienna rushed forward, dropping to her knees. She helped Hazel pull the shirt down, straightening the sleeves, before pulling the small girl into a tight embrace. The smell of lavender soap filled her nose.

"I am not mad at you, baby," Sienna whispered, burying her face in Hazel’s damp hair. "Just promise me you will be careful. You cannot call me Mommy when anyone else is around. Do you understand? But if anything scares you, or if anything goes wrong, you come straight to me. Deal?"

"Deal!" Hazel threw her short arms around Sienna’s neck, hugging her fiercely. "I am your daughter, forever and always. Nobody can change that. I will not forget."

Sienna squeezed her back, blinking hard to keep her own tears from falling.

"Hazel."

A low, magnetic voice rumbled through the thick wood of the bathroom door. "It is Daddy. Are you finished with your bath?"

The sound of Roman’s voice sent a jolt down Sienna’s spine.

Hazel pulled back from the hug. She looked up at Sienna, her eyes wide, silently asking for permission. Sienna gave a curt nod and released her hold.

"I am all done!" Hazel called out, taking a deep breath. She puffed out her chest, adopted her haughty Little Princess persona, and marched toward the door.

Sienna quickly grabbed a sponge and turned toward the marble washbasin, furiously scrubbing at the soap scum, keeping her back to the entrance.

The heavy wooden door clicked open.

Roman stepped inside the attached bedroom. He immediately bent down, scooping Hazel effortlessly into his arms. The tall, imposing man held the tiny girl securely against his broad chest.

Hazel rested her chin on his shoulder, letting out a soft sigh. The embrace felt incredibly warm. It felt safe. So, this was what having a Daddy felt like. She really wished her brothers could experience this hug, too. Having Roman Knox as a dad was not turning out to be a terrible thing.

"Merrick mentioned you finally chose a servant for yourself," Roman said, his deep voice vibrating right next to Hazel's ear. He glanced toward the open bathroom door, his dark brows knitting together.

"Uh-huh," Hazel nodded enthusiastically. She pointed a small finger toward the brightly lit bathroom. "Auntie is still in there cleaning. She is a very, very nice lady! Daddy, you need to be nice to her, okay? You have to get along with her from now on!"

Standing by the sink, Sienna’s hand froze mid-scrub. She stared blankly down at the suds clinging to the marble. A bizarre realization washed over her. It sounded exactly as if her six-year-old daughter was actively trying to set her up with Roman.