Beside the Nanny
Mateo left the mansion and got into his car. From the window of his room, Guido watched his grandson leave while cursing under his breath. Minutes later, he found himself at the party. Upon entering, he immediately spotted Teodoro Miller.
The despicable man was surrounded by a group of friends who laughed at his jokes. When he saw Mateo enter, he quickly approached him. He was the big fish in the pond, so he tried to catch Mateo’s attention right away.
He greeted him with a firm handshake before Teodoro invited him to his table. Just then, a couple approached them.
“Great to see you here, my friend,” Mateo feigned surprise.
“Akiro, my friend, it’s good to run into you. Mr. Miller, this is my friend Akiro Tadoshi and his wife Ima.”
“A pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Tadoshi,” the despicable man said, while undressing Ima with his eyes. “I’d love for you all to join me at my table. There are several investors there.”
“It will be a pleasure,” Mateo replied promptly, Akiro and Ima echoed his response.
Soon after, the other investors moved away to talk with people at nearby tables. That’s what this was all about – establishing as many connections as possible. In such a short time, Mateo grew tired of listening to the nonsense that spewed from Miller’s mouth. The things he had to endure to help Ava.
“I’ll be back in a moment. I’ll greet some friends,” Mateo lied, followed by Akiro. At the table, only Ima and Teodoro Miller remained.
“You’re a beautiful woman. Allow me to compliment your beauty,” Ima said, raising her glass while smiling flirtatiously. Shortly after, Teodoro stood up to fetch another bottle. The waiter was busy and hadn’t come to their table. Ima took advantage of the moment to quickly and discreetly pour a strange transparent liquid into the man’s glass.
Ima pretended to sip the drink that Teodoro had poured for her. Whenever he was distracted, she discreetly emptied the contents of her glass into a nearby plant. After a while, Teodoro seemed quite drunk, babbling incoherently. Ima breathed a sigh of relief. The man was truly insufferable.
Meanwhile, Mateo and Akiro reached the back of the Miller residence. The bodyguards they had sent ahead had already subdued the guards Teodoro had stationed in the garden. They tied them up and placed hoods over their heads to prevent them from witnessing what was happening.
Shortly after, they stealthily entered the mansion. They had no idea if there was surveillance inside, so they needed to be cautious.
“We need to locate the nanny’s room. I hope she’s there. While you help her escape, I’ll enter the girl’s room. I need to find something she asked me for,” Mateo said. He wanted to find the safe he remembered, which held something important for Ava.
“Alright, my friend. Be careful,” Akiro replied. Both friends wore gloves to avoid leaving any fingerprints, not wanting to leave any evidence that they had entered the residence.
Akiro headed towards the nanny’s room, while Mateo searched for Ava’s room. Upon finding it, he quickly located the safe where the girl had told him it was. He opened it following her instructions and saw that inside the safe was the small box along with other items like money, some jewelry, and documents.
He grabbed a bag hanging nearby and stashed everything inside. Then he hurried to the room where Akiro was. They needed to leave immediately; it was almost 2 a. m., the guard shift change was imminent, and that would pose a significant risk.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.
Entering Lola the nanny’s room, in the dim light, Mateo found Akiro trying to revive her. The woman was badly beaten.
“Her pulse is weak, my friend. This woman is nearly dead. I found her tied to that chair,” Akiro said as he looked at Mateo. He felt concerned seeing the state of the nanny.
Mateo couldn’t believe it. If this woman survived, he wouldn’t know what to say to Ava. She seemed to be all Ava had in her life. He handed the bag he carried to Akiro, then took the woman into his arms, turned around, and headed out.
“Hurry, we need to get out of here as quickly as possible. In 10 minutes, the guard shift changes, and the others will arrive.”
The two men exited through the same route they had entered, walking through the undergrowth. Mateo’s bodyguards were waiting for them further ahead, and he instructed them to bring the car.
“I’ll head back to the party, my friend. Ima must be taking care of distracting that man. Don’t worry, I’ll come up with something to explain your absence, if Teodoro Miller is still in his right mind, that is,” Akiro said. He knew his wife well and understood that she wouldn’t have the patience to tolerate the advances of that man.
Thirty minutes had been enough to get the nanny out of the Miller mansion. Akiro returned to the party, while Mateo laid the nanny on the grass, trying unsuccessfully to revive her. He immediately called a trusted doctor, a close friend of his family, and asked him to bring the necessary equipment and medication to his mansion for her treatment. Taking her to a hospital risked Teodoro Miller finding her.
Soon after, a bodyguard arrived with his car. He had parked it far enough from the Miller mansion to avoid being noticed. Carefully, Mateo placed the nanny in the car and then retrieved Ava’s bag.
Mateo hurried back to his mansion, where the doctor was already waiting. His mother and grandfather were at the entrance, and they asked Loren to make sure Ava didn’t leave her room if she woke up.
The doctor instructed them to take the nanny to a room, where a team of nurses was setting up the necessary equipment. Fortunately, the clinic wasn’t far away, and the doctor and nurses had arrived quickly.
“This woman is in very bad shape. She’s been severely beaten, and she’s completely dehydrated. It looks like she hasn’t eaten or drunk anything for days,” the doctor explained.
Mateo’s mother was shocked to see Lola’s condition, and Guido regretted ever doubting Ava. If Teodoro Miller had inflicted this on the nanny, it indicated that he was a complete monster.
“Son, if Teodoro Miller is truly responsible for this, we can’t allow him to remain part of the circle of businessmen,” Mateo’s mother said.
“You’re right, Grandfather. I hope to gather enough evidence soon to destroy him. Men like him always have hidden skeletons,” Mateo replied.
They believed Ava was asleep, but the truth was she couldn’t sleep while Mateo was risking so much to help her. She also worried about her nanny’s condition. When she heard a noise, she immediately got up, leaving her room and heading into the hallway, where she encountered Loren.
“Do you need anything, Miss?” Loren asked, trying to remain calm. She knew that Ava was quite perceptive.
“I heard a noise, I thought maybe Mateo had arrived,” she asked with noticeable anxiety.
“Yes, he’s here, but he’s with some of his friends at the moment. If you’d like, I can help you go down to join them,” Loren replied.
“Oh no! I’ll wait until tomorrow to talk to him,” Ava said, turning to go back to her room. A deep sadness was evident on her face. Perhaps Mateo hadn’t been able to enter the mansion. Loren felt bad for lying to her.
In the room, the doctor was attempting to revive the nanny’s heart. In the adjacent room, Mateo and his family waited.
“Loren, the young lady Ava tried to come downstairs to find you. I had to lie and tell her you were in the company of some friends. She seemed saddened,” Mateo’s grandfather said.
“You did the right thing, Loren. I hope the doctor can save her nanny. There’s no point in telling her what’s happening right now,” Mateo added.
For hours, Lola’s life hung by a thin thread. Exhausted by morning, the doctor approached them.
“How is she?” Mateo asked impatiently. He was truly concerned.
“Fortunately, we managed to revive her. She’s in a delicate condition, but I can assure you that she has a chance of recovering. Her heart had stopped completely; we lost her for a moment,” the doctor explained.
Mateo breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t know Lola personally, but he knew Ava would suffer deeply if she were to lose her. After taking a shower, he decided to speak with Ava. He headed towards her room and knocked on the door. It opened swiftly, as if she had been waiting for him.
“Good morning, Ava.”
“Good morning, Mateo.”
“Your nanny is in this house.”
Ava couldn’t hold back her tears upon hearing this. She felt overwhelmed with emotion. She loved Lola and was truly grateful to Mateo.
“I’m very grateful to you for what you’ve done. I want to see her. Please, where is she?”
“I’ll take you to her side. You need to be strong; she’s in a delicate condition.”
Ava covered her mouth with her hands, and Mateo took her by the hand, leading her to the room where the nanny was. Upon entering, she could immediately hear the beeping of the machines.
“Nana?”