Updated Feb 23, 2026 • ~11 min read
POV: Valencia
Genevieve St. Clair arrives unannounced on Monday morning, which is becoming a terrible pattern.
Valencia’s in the kitchen making breakfast when she hears the elevator.
Dominic left for the office an hour ago—rare in-person meeting he couldn’t avoid—leaving Valencia and Jules to their usual routine.
Except Genevieve clearly planned this.
Waited for Dominic to be gone.
Came specifically to catch Valencia alone.
“Where’s my son?” Genevieve asks, sweeping into the kitchen like she owns it.
Which, technically, through family trusts and complicated wealth structures, she kind of does.
“Dominic’s at the office. He’ll be back around—”
“I’m aware of where Dominic is. I asked where my grandson is.”
“Jules is in his room. Reading time.”
“Good. We need to talk. Privately.”
Valencia’s stomach drops.
Nothing good ever starts with “we need to talk privately.”
“Mrs. St. Clair, if this is about Jules’s care, I can assure you—”
“This isn’t about Jules’s care. This is about your employment.” Genevieve settles into a chair like a queen preparing to pass judgment. “I’m terminating your employment, effective immediately.”
Valencia goes very still. “You don’t have the authority—”
“I control the family trust that pays your salary. I absolutely have the authority. You’ll be compensated through the end of the month plus severance. I’m prepared to offer fifty thousand dollars if you leave today without causing problems.”
Fifty thousand dollars.
That’s more than Valencia makes in a year.
More than enough to help her family, find a new position, start over.
It’s a buyout.
Genevieve is paying her to disappear.
“Why?” Valencia asks, voice steady despite her racing heart. “Jules is thriving. He’s speaking again. His development is—”
“My son is developing inappropriate feelings for you. You’re taking advantage of a grieving widower.”
“I haven’t done anything inappropriate—”
“You’ve made yourself indispensable. You’ve positioned yourself as irreplaceable in my grandson’s life and my son’s household. That IS inappropriate for someone of your station.”
Your station.
There it is.
The class warfare Genevieve’s been waging since day one.
Valencia’s not angry.
She’s tired.
Tired of being looked down on for being working class.
Tired of having her professionalism questioned because she actually cares about the children she works with.
Tired of people like Genevieve St. Clair treating her like she’s less-than because she wasn’t born into wealth.
“I’ve done my job,” Valencia says carefully. “I’ve cared for Jules. Helped him heal. Supported his development. That’s what I was hired to do.”
“You were hired to be the nanny. Not to play house with my son. Not to replace Amelie.”
“I’m not replacing anyone—”
“Aren’t you? You’ve wormed your way into family meals, family outings, family life. You’ve made Dominic dependent on you. That’s manipulation.”
“That’s caring about the people I work for. I’m sorry if kindness looks like manipulation to you.”
Genevieve’s expression hardens. “Take the buyout, Miss Rivera. Fifty thousand dollars. Leave today. Or I will make certain you never work in childcare in New York again. I have connections throughout every elite household in this city. One word from me and you’re unemployable.”
It’s a threat.
Clear, direct, vicious.
Valencia should be scared.
Should probably take the money and run.
Should protect herself because Genevieve St. Clair absolutely has the power to destroy her career.
Instead Valencia says: “No.”
“Excuse me?”
“No. I’m not taking your buyout. I’m not leaving Jules. And I’m not going to let you bully me because you don’t approve of your son’s choices.”
“This isn’t about approval—”
“This is entirely about approval. You want Dominic to date society women. To marry someone from your world. I’m in the way of that agenda. So you’re trying to remove me.”
“You’re a nanny who’s forgotten her place—”
“My place is taking care of Jules. And I’m good at it. Better than anyone else you’ve hired. You said so yourself—he’s made more progress in two months than the entire year before. That’s not manipulation. That’s skill.”
Genevieve stands, fury evident despite her careful control. “You’re making a mistake. I will destroy you.”
“Then destroy me. But I’m not abandoning Jules because his grandmother is classist.”
“How dare—”
“I dare because someone needs to tell you the truth. Your son is trying to heal. Your grandson is finally speaking again. And you’re so focused on social status that you’d rather sabotage their happiness than accept that I’m helping them.”
“You’re not helping. You’re manipulating. And when Dominic realizes that, you’ll have nothing. No job, no references, no future in this industry. Think about that, Miss Rivera.”
Genevieve leaves the same way she arrived—in a cloud of expensive perfume and aristocratic rage.
Valencia stands in the kitchen shaking.
She just told off a billionaire.
Just refused a buyout that would change her family’s life.
Just made an enemy of one of the most powerful women in New York society.
This is either the bravest or stupidest thing she’s ever done.
Jules appears in the doorway. “Val? Who was that lady?”
“Just a visitor, sweetheart. Nobody important.”
“She sounded angry.”
“Some people are angry a lot. That’s their problem, not ours. Want to help me finish breakfast?”
Jules nods, climbs onto his stool, starts chattering about the dinosaur book he was reading.
Valencia makes pancakes on autopilot, mind racing.
Genevieve will make good on her threat.
Will absolutely use her connections to blacklist Valencia from elite household employment.
Which means Valencia needs to either fight this or accept that her career in New York is over.
Unless Dominic—
No.
She can’t ask Dominic to choose between her and his mother.
Can’t put him in that position.
Can’t make her employment his problem to solve.
This is her fight.
But god, she’s scared.
Scared of losing this job.
Scared of losing Jules.
Scared of losing Dominic even though she’s not supposed to have him in the first place.
Scared of everything Genevieve threatened.
Dominic comes home three hours later to find Valencia sitting on the couch staring at nothing while Jules plays with Legos nearby.
“Hey,” Dominic says, immediately noticing something’s wrong. “What happened?”
Valencia shouldn’t tell him.
Should handle this herself.
Should protect him from having to deal with his mother’s threats.
But she’s exhausted and scared and the words come out anyway:
“Your mother was here. She tried to fire me.”
Dominic goes very still. “What?”
“She came while you were gone. Said she controls the trust that pays my salary. Offered me fifty thousand dollars to leave today. Said you’re developing inappropriate feelings and I’m taking advantage.”
“That’s—” Dominic’s fury is immediate, palpable. “She has no right—”
“She threatened to blacklist me if I don’t take the buyout. Said she’ll make sure I never work in New York childcare again.”
“Jules, buddy,” Dominic says, voice carefully controlled. “Can you play in your room for a few minutes? Grown-up talk.”
Jules looks between them, worried. “Is Val leaving?”
“No,” Dominic says firmly. “Val’s not going anywhere. I promise. Go play, okay?”
Jules nods slowly, gathers his Legos, goes to his room.
The second he’s gone, Dominic pulls out his phone.
“What are you doing?” Valencia asks.
“Calling my mother.”
“Dominic, don’t—”
“She threatened you. She tried to fire my employee without my permission. She offered you a buyout like you’re some kind of problem to pay off. That’s not okay.”
He dials.
Puts it on speaker.
Genevieve answers on the second ring. “Dominic. I assume the nanny told you about our conversation.”
“Stay away from Valencia. You don’t control my household.”
“I control the trust—”
“The trust pays into household accounts that I manage. You have no authority over my staffing decisions. Zero. And if you ever threaten Valencia again, I will cut contact completely. No visits with Jules. No family events. Nothing.”
“You’re being manipulated—”
“This conversation is over. Threaten her again and you’re done. Am I clear?”
“Dominic—”
He hangs up.
Stands there breathing hard, fury barely contained.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Valencia says quietly.
“Yes, I did. She was out of line. Completely, unacceptably out of line.”
“She’s your mother—”
“And you’re—” Dominic stops, jaw clenched. “You’re important. To Jules. To this household. To me. She doesn’t get to threaten you.”
“She’ll make good on the blacklist threat. I’ll never work for elite families again.”
“Then you won’t work for elite families. You’ll work for me. Or you’ll do something else. Or I’ll make sure you have references that override anything my mother says. But you’re not leaving. Not because she’s threatened you. Not because she’s classist and controlling. Not for any reason unless YOU choose to leave.”
Valencia’s throat tights. “Dominic—”
“You’re not going anywhere,” Dominic repeats, stepping closer. “Do you understand? You belong here. With Jules. With—with us.”
Us.
Like they’re a unit.
Like she’s family, not just staff.
“This is going to get complicated,” Valencia warns. “Your mother won’t back down. She’ll escalate.”
“Let her try. I’m done letting her control my life.”
“What if she actually cuts off the trust? What if there are financial consequences?”
“I’m a billionaire, Valencia. I have multiple income streams. My mother controls one trust. That’s not enough leverage to control my choices.”
“She’ll tell society you’re dating the nanny. The gossip will be—”
“I don’t care about gossip.”
“You should care. It affects Jules. Affects your business relationships. Affects—”
“It doesn’t affect what matters. Which is you staying. Which is Jules being happy. Which is us figuring out—”
He stops again.
They’re standing close now.
Close enough that Valencia can see the gold flecks in his grey eyes.
Close enough to feel the heat coming off him.
Close enough to make very bad decisions.
“Figuring out what?” Valencia whispers.
“How to make this work. Us. This—whatever this is. Because I’m tired of pretending there’s nothing here. Tired of acting like you’re just the nanny when you’re so much more than that.”
“Dominic, we talked about this. The power dynamic—”
“I know. I know all the reasons it’s complicated. But my mother just tried to pay you to disappear and all I could think about was how much I’d lose if you actually left. Not just for Jules. For me. Because I—”
He’s going to say it.
Going to cross the line they’ve been carefully avoiding.
Going to make this real.
Valencia should stop him.
Should maintain boundaries.
Should protect them both.
Instead she waits, barely breathing, wanting to hear what he’ll say even though she shouldn’t.
“Because I love you,” Dominic finishes quietly. “I’m in love with you. And I don’t know how to make that appropriate or professional or okay, but it’s true anyway.”
The world stops.
Dominic St. Clair just said he loves her.
Not “has feelings for.”
Not “is attracted to.”
Loves.
Valencia can’t breathe.
Can’t think.
Can’t process what he just said.
“You can’t—we can’t—” she stammers.
“I know. I know all the reasons this is impossible. But I needed you to know. Needed you to understand why I’m not letting my mother drive you away. Because this isn’t just about Jules needing you. This is about me needing you too.”
“Dominic—”
“You don’t have to say anything. You don’t have to feel the same way. I just—I needed you to know. So when my mother escalates—and she will—you understand why I’m fighting this hard.”
Valencia’s vision blurs.
She does feel the same way.
Has been falling for Dominic St. Clair since he defended her to his mother, since the 2 AM kitchen conversation, since every small moment of him trying to be better for Jules.
Loves him completely.
Impossibly.
Inappropriately.
“I love you too,” Valencia says, voice breaking. “God help me, I love you too. But that doesn’t solve anything. That doesn’t fix the power dynamic or make this appropriate or—”
Dominic cups her face with both hands.
Gentle.
Reverent.
Like she’s precious.
“We’ll figure it out,” he says. “I don’t know how yet. But we’ll figure it out. Together. Okay?”
Valencia nods, tears streaming down her face.
This is crazy.
This is impossible.
This is everything she wanted and everything she’s scared of.
But Dominic’s looking at her like she’s his entire world, and his mother just tried to destroy her, and Valencia’s tired of pretending she doesn’t feel this way.
“Okay,” she whispers. “We’ll figure it out.”
And standing there in the living room with Dominic’s hands on her face and Jules in the next room and Genevieve St. Clair’s threats hanging over them—
Valencia chooses hope.
Chooses possibility.
Chooses this impossible, complicated, beautiful thing.
Starting now.
Starting with the truth finally spoken out loud.
Starting with both of them knowing exactly what they’re fighting for.
Love.
Impossible, inappropriate, undeniable love.
And whatever comes next, they’ll face it together.
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