Chapter 2 - THE RULES VANESSA MADE
Hannah went home just after ten.
Her mother, Margaret, was asleep in the armchair with three-month-old Noah resting against her chest. A small lamp illuminated the living room. Beside the chair sat the bottle Hannah had prepared before leaving for work.
Margaret opened her eyes when Hannah entered.
“You're early.”
Hannah set down her bag. “I need to tell you something.”
She explained about Vanessa, the lunch bag, the milk, and Luca's questions. When she reached the part where the bottles had gone into the trash, her voice broke.
Margaret shifted Noah carefully into the bassinet.
“Oh, sweetheart.”
“I worked so hard to make enough for tomorrow.”
“I know.”
“I labeled every bottle. I kept them cold. I did everything right.”
Margaret took her hands. “You did.”
Hannah wanted to believe that. But the next morning, when she arrived at the mansion, she found her locker open and her phone sitting on top of her folded uniform.
A note had been placed beneath it.
Personal calls are not permitted during working hours. Further violations may result in dismissal.
There was no signature.
Hannah carried the note to Clara.
Clara read it, then folded it carefully.
“Vanessa left this with the supervisor yesterday.”
“But Mr. Moretti said I could call home.”
“I know. He told us himself.”
“Then why is this here?”
Clara looked down the corridor toward the private office.
“Because Vanessa has been making rules as though she owns the place.”
Over the next hour, Hannah learned how much had changed during her two weeks away on maternity leave. The staff break room had been moved to a narrow storage area beside the laundry. Kitchen employees were no longer allowed to take home leftovers. Personal phones had to remain in lockers. Requests for schedule changes went through Vanessa's assistant.
Most troubling, the household had stopped keeping a written record of overtime.
“Mrs. Alvarez used to make sure every extra hour was entered,” Clara explained. “Vanessa said it was unnecessary paperwork.”
Hannah remembered Mrs. Alvarez's careful handwriting on the old time sheets.
“Did she really retire?”
Clara shook her head.
“No. She left after Vanessa told her she was no longer wanted here.”
“Why didn't she tell Mr. Moretti?”
“She tried.”
Later that morning, Luca came through the kitchen without his usual security detail. He stopped when he saw Hannah.
“Did you get home safely?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And Noah?”
A surprised smile touched her face. “He's fine. Thank you.”
Luca nodded toward the note.
“What is that?”
Hannah handed it to him.
He read it once. “Who gave you this?”
“I found it in my locker.”
Luca turned to Clara.
“Did I approve this policy?”
“No, sir.”
“Then it isn't a policy.”
He tore the note in half and placed it in the recycling bin.
“Your phone stays in your locker while you're working unless you need to contact your family. If you need to check on your baby, tell your supervisor. No one will threaten your job for that.”
Hannah felt relief, but also embarrassment.
“I don't want special treatment.”
“It's not special treatment to be treated fairly.”
He paused.
“If anyone tells you I ordered something, and you haven't heard it from me or Rafael, ask us. Don't assume you have to obey a rule just because someone says my name.”
May you like
Hannah nodded.
That was the first time she wondered whether Vanessa had been using Luca's authority to frighten the entire household.
