Page 48 of The Billionaire & the Nanny: Vol. 3

“Off-hours we had a friendship, but that has nothing to do with whether or not he’s a wonderful father. Which he is .”

“A friendship you say,” my father intones, his voice dripping with sarcasm .

“That’s right .”

My father seethes and rolls his bottom jaw around, like he’s not comfortable nor happy with my reply. “We’ll return to that later, your Honor.” And then he moves forward in a new direction with his questions. “Were you released from your job three weeks ago, Miss Carrington ?”

“Yes.”

“And why was that ?”

“Because you took over his ex-wife’s divorce case,” I say, looking directly at him. “And he felt that my duties would be compromised by my relationship with you. Since you’re my father and all .”

My father doesn’t take the bait. “And did he invite you back ?”

“Yes,” I say, leaving out the part about how he begged me to come back because he needed me. How our relationship blossomed after that .

“How did he respond when he learned that you would be here today to give testimony ?”

“He wasn’t happy, but I told him that the truth was all that mattered. I told him I’d tell this courtroom everything they want to know about the real man that he is .”

Miriam appears intrigued, as is the Judge and my father, as though I have juicy bits about the man they’re trying to fry. And I do .

“Please describe the parental capabilities you observed while working in Mr. Raider’s home, Miss Carrington. If any .”

Nice, Dad.I fight the urge to roll my eyes. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slow, I begin. “I was expecting a cold, heartless man, to be honest. I’d read the reports about him just like everyone else and was nervous when I first arrived. But he turned out to be quite the opposite .”

“Please elaborate,” my father says. “Opposite, how ?”

“Well…” I pause. I could go either way with this. Hurt or help him. “He’s an amazing father. Does he work long hours? Sure. But he works just as hard as any other loving father you’ve ever seen. He wakes up early to spend time with his children, Becca and Price, and he cuddles with them when he comes home. If they’re sick, he leaves work to be with them, and he even fired another caretaker he felt wasn’t good enough for his kids .”

“You say you had a personal friendship with Mr. Raider, so isn’t it possible that he invited you back simply because he wanted to continue that friendship, not because his decision necessarily held the children’s best interests at heart ?”

“I believe he did have their best interests in mind. The other nanny wasn’t effective. Becca and Price wanted me. They asked for me by name every day. So he invited me back. He’s a great dad who truly loves his kids,” I insist. “Every day, I see them hug their father. I see them fly into his arms when he comes home. I see them cling to him when their mother comes to pick them up.” I glance briefly at Miriam and holy hell, that was a mistake. She looks like she wants to eat me for breakfast .

Dad shrugs dismissively. “It’s normal for children to be attached to the parent with whom they have less contact, Miss Carrington,” my father has the balls to say. Right now, I want to punch him in the balls, because he knows I’m telling the truth about Logan. He knows .

“They cling to him, because he’s close with them,” I assert. “He sings to them, reads to them, treats them with respect…he even cooks for them when he doesn’t have to. There are plenty of people to cook for them, but he likes spending time with them. He’s very actively involved .”

My father looks at his notes to see what else he’s got. The best thing Logan has got going for him is that my dad’s not a bulldog. Right now, Miriam is looking at him like she wishes he would go for the throat. But guess what, lady? That’s one thing I’m fairly sure my dad won’t and can’t do. It’s just not in his personality .

“Have you ever seen anyone in the house who doesn’t know the children? Any unsupervised guests?” My father looks up at me .

“No. In fact, he has a sophisticated security system. No one can get in without an approved handprint. He’s even had a panel replaced when he it wasn’t working right.” I remember after I told him that panel wasn’t working, someone came to replace it the next day. “Everything he does, he does for the twins. Everything.” I look at Logan .

“Tell us, Miss Carrington…” Spite edges into my father’s voice, and I know he’s about to pull out the big guns. “Are or were you in a romantic relationship with Mr. Raider between the time you began working for him and now ?”

And there it is. If he loved me, he wouldn’t be asking this question. Though I’m not surprised .

“Yes,” I reply .

There’s chatter in the room, as he holds up a hand and Logan’s attorney whispers in his ear. The Judge furiously jots something down in her notes. She does not look happy. Miriam smiles as though her point has been proven, and my dad goes on, “No further questions, Your Honor .”

“I just want to say…” I begin, but my father repeats .

“No further questions,” Dad repeats .

But the Judge wants to hear what I have to say. “Go ahead, Miss Carrington …”

My fingers shake as I push my hair back behind my ears. “I was going to say…that it’s over now. Things between me and Logan have ended romantically and professionally. But even though it’s over, I won’t lie just to hurt him or even to help my own father’s case. Everything I’ve said about him is true. He’s an amazing father, and that’s all there is to it .”

The judge sits back and nods at both me and my father. “Thank you, counsel, Miss Carrington…you may step down .”

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