The air in the living room turned to ice.

Brenda scrambled off the sofa, her knees hitting the floor. She tried to hide her grease-stained hands behind her back, her chest heaving with panic.

Edward didn't even look at her. He walked straight past the trembling woman toward the massive marble bar counter.

He set Hayley down on the cold stone.

The chill of the marble seeped through the thick cashmere blanket. Hayley shivered, her eyes darting between Edward's rigid back and the terrified nanny on the floor.

Edward pulled open a drawer behind the bar and took out a sleek Bluetooth earpiece. He shoved it into his ear and tapped the side.

The call connected instantly.

A man's frantic, screaming voice bled from the earpiece, loud enough for Hayley to hear. It was Arthur Finch, a rival CEO.

"You bastard! You can't do this! You're destroying my life!" Arthur shrieked.

Edward leaned his hands on the marble counter. He stared blankly at the wall, his voice dropping to a deadly, monotone whisper. "Your debt-to-equity ratio was a joke, Arthur. I just expedited the inevitable. The acquisition is done."

"I'll kill myself!" Arthur sobbed through the speaker. "I swear to God, Edward, I'll jump off my balcony right now!"

Edward's lips curled into a cruel, humorless smile. "Make sure you pick a quiet street. Don't make a mess on the Manhattan pavement."

He tapped the earpiece, cutting the call dead.

Brenda let out a choked whimper. Her legs gave out completely, and she slumped against the base of the sofa.

Hayley swallowed hard. The system wasn't exaggerating. This man was a monster.

Edward finally turned his head. His gray-blue eyes locked onto Brenda. There was no anger in his gaze anymore, only the cold detachment of a man looking at a broken tool.

"Mr. McClure," Brenda stammered, tears streaming down her face. "I swear, I only sat down for a minute. The baby was fast asleep-"

Edward let out a short, harsh breath. He pointed a long finger at the cashmere bundle on the counter.

"Asleep?" he repeated, his voice dangerously soft. "Asleep enough to roll out of her crib and urinate on my suit?"

Brenda stared at the tightly wrapped baby, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. She realized the magnitude of her mistake.

"You're fired," Edward said. "You have three minutes to get out of my penthouse."

"Please!" Brenda crawled forward, reaching out as if to grab his legs. "I need this job! I have rent-"

Edward stepped back, his face twisting in disgust. He reached over to the wall panel and slammed his palm against the security button.

Less than ten seconds later, the heavy front doors swung open. Two massive men in black suits stormed in.

Edward didn't say a word. He just nodded toward Brenda.

The guards grabbed the screaming woman by her arms, hauling her off the floor. They dragged her backward toward the elevators. Her cries for mercy echoed down the hall until the heavy doors slammed shut, cutting off the sound completely.

The massive living room fell dead silent.

Edward stood by the bar, rubbing his temples hard. He looked exhausted, the kind of bone-deep fatigue that came from dealing with incompetence.

He turned around and leaned against the counter, looking down at Hayley.

Hayley knew she was on thin ice. She needed to diffuse his irritation. She forced her mouth into a wide, gummy smile and blew a large spit bubble.

Edward stared at the bubble. The hard lines around his mouth twitched, just for a second, before settling back into a frown.

He slowly raised his right hand. He extended his index finger, bringing it closer to her face. He looked hesitant, like he was reaching out to touch a strange, unpredictable animal.

Hayley held her breath. She didn't move a muscle.

His clean, long finger gently poked her soft cheek.

The skin yielded easily under his touch. Edward's eyes widened slightly. The extreme softness seemed to catch him off guard. He poked her again, a little firmer this time.

Hayley decided to lean into it. She turned her head slightly, rubbing her cheek against his finger like a puppy asking for affection. She let out a soft, happy coo.

Edward yanked his hand back as if he had been burned. He cleared his throat, looking away quickly.

Before the silence could stretch, a loud, rumbling growl erupted from Hayley's stomach.

The loud growl echoed off the marble countertops.

Edward's hand froze mid-air. He looked down at the cashmere bundle, his expression twisting into a mix of disbelief and deep annoyance.

Hayley wanted the floor to swallow her whole. Being wrapped like a mummy made the humiliation ten times worse. She blinked up at him, trying to look apologetic.

But the hunger was real. Her infant stomach contracted painfully, and the damp, cold diaper was making her skin crawl. The adult logic in her brain tried to suppress it, but the biological demands of the baby body won.

Her lower lip trembled. A small, pathetic whimper escaped her throat.

The whimper quickly escalated. Within seconds, Hayley was crying loudly, her face scrunching up in genuine distress.

Edward dragged his hands down his face. The noise was drilling directly into his skull. He leaned over the counter, getting right in her face.

"Cry one more time," he hissed, his voice dropping to a lethal, quiet register, "and I will throw you in the dumpster downstairs."

The sheer malice in his eyes triggered Hayley's adult survival instincts.

She gasped, choking on her own spit. The crying stopped instantly. Not a slow fade, but a sudden, unnatural silence.

She held her breath, her chest frozen, her eyes wide with terror.

Edward narrowed his eyes. The sudden silence was too perfect. Too calculated.

He leaned closer, his face inches from hers. His gray-blue eyes searched her face, analyzing the fear in her expression.

"You..." he started, his voice slow and dangerous. "You understand what I'm saying, don't you?"

System Warning! the voice in Hayley's head screamed. Identity compromise imminent! If he suspects adult cognition, you will be institutionalized!

Cold sweat broke out on Hayley's forehead. She had to fix this. She had to act like a stupid, irrational baby.

She sucked in a massive breath and let out an ear-splitting, chaotic shriek.

She thrashed her body wildly inside the cashmere blanket, kicking her legs and shaking her head from side to side. She forced the tears to flow like a river, screaming with zero rhythm or reason.

Edward flinched hard, slapping his hands over his ears. The sheer volume of the noise shattered his suspicion. No rational being, adult or otherwise, would make a sound that obnoxious.

He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. Arguing with a baby was pointless.

He pushed off the counter and stalked over to the massive kitchen island. He stared at the row of high-tech bottle warmers, sterilizers, and formula dispensers like they were alien artifacts.

He grabbed a plastic bottle. He didn't bother checking the instructions. He turned on the hot water tap, filled the bottle halfway, and grabbed the tin of formula.

He scooped three massive, unmeasured spoonfuls of powder into the water. He screwed the cap on, barely twisting it tight, and shook it violently.

He walked back to the bar, his face set in a grimace. He grabbed Hayley's chin with his large hand, squeezing her cheeks to force her mouth open.

He shoved the nipple in.

The water was too hot, and the powder had formed thick, gooey clumps that immediately blocked the hole. Hayley sucked hard, but nothing came out.

She gagged on the hot plastic, spitting the nipple out. She let out a furious yell, glaring at him.

Edward scowled. He pulled the bottle back and looked at the nipple. Seeing the blockage, he shook the bottle again, harder this time.

Because the cap wasn't screwed on properly, the pressure forced the hot, sticky milk out.

A stream of white liquid shot through the air and hit Edward directly on the bridge of his nose.

Edward stopped breathing.

He froze, the warm, sticky liquid dripping slowly down his nose and splashing onto his lips. For a terrifying second, the urge to follow through on his threat and hurl the offending creature across the room was overwhelming. His hands twitched with dark intent. But then he looked down. The baby was blinking up at him in pure, unadulterated confusion, her tiny hands grasping at the empty air where the bottle used to be. The sheer, ridiculous absurdity of the situation slammed into him, forcefully deflating his murderous rage into a long, agonizingly suffering sigh.

He wiped the milk off his face with the back of his hand. He tightened the cap until the plastic creaked, shook it once more, and shoved it back into Hayley's mouth.

It tasted awful. It was gritty and too warm. But Hayley was starving. She clamped her gums down and drank greedily, the loud swallowing sounds filling the quiet room.

Edward watched her eat. The tension in his shoulders slowly drained away. He let out a long, heavy sigh, resting his forehead against his hand.

Hayley sucked the last drop of the clumpy formula down. She pulled off the nipple and let out a loud, satisfying burp. The heavy weight of the milk in her stomach immediately triggered a wave of intense exhaustion. Her eyelids fluttered shut, and she fell asleep almost instantly.

Edward stared at the empty bottle in his hand. He tossed it into the stainless steel sink with a loud clatter. It felt like he had just negotiated a hostile takeover.

He turned back to the bar. Hayley was fast asleep, wrapped tight in the ruined cashmere.

But the smell was still there. The faint, sharp odor of urine lingered in the air, scratching at his germaphobia.

There was absolutely no way he was changing a diaper.

He pulled his phone from his robe pocket and dialed his executive assistant, Corinne.

It was 2:00 AM. She answered on the second ring, her voice crisp and wide awake. "Mr. McClure. What do you need?"

"Fire the entire domestic staff," Edward ordered, his voice flat. "All of them."

"Understood," Corinne replied without missing a beat. "Severance will be wired by morning. Reason for termination?"

"Gross negligence," Edward snapped. "I need a new team. Specifically, a head nanny with a pediatric nursing degree and a Level One background check."

"I'll have a premium childcare team at the penthouse in thirty minutes." Corinne promised.

Edward hung up. He didn't look at Hayley again. He walked straight up the stairs, locked himself in his master bathroom, and turned the shower on scalding hot.

Hayley slept through the noise. The exhaustion of the infant body kept her under until a soft, warm sensation woke her up.

She opened her eyes. The cold marble counter was gone. She was lying in a brand-new, pristine crib. The wet, uncomfortable diaper had been replaced, and she was wearing a soft, dry cotton sleep sack.

A middle-aged woman in a crisp, gray uniform stood over her, holding a digital thermometer.

The woman smiled warmly. "Good morning, little angel. I'm Martha, your new nanny."

Hayley looked around. The nursery had been completely reorganized. Everything was spotless, and the air smelled faintly of lavender.

System update, the voice chimed in her head. Edward utilized his wealth to replace the entire staff at 3:00 AM.

Martha logged the temperature on an iPad. Hayley's stomach gave a small rumble. The terrible formula from last night hadn't lasted long.

Martha immediately walked over to the prep station to mix a fresh, perfectly measured bottle.

The nursery door opened.

Edward walked in. He was dressed in a flawless navy-blue bespoke suit, his tie perfectly knotted, his hair slicked back. He looked like a man ready to conquer the world.

He adjusted his cufflinks, his cold eyes sweeping over the clean room before landing on Martha.

Martha bowed her head respectfully. "Mr. McClure. The young miss's vitals are normal. I am preparing her morning feed."

Edward gave a short, dismissive nod. He turned on his heel, ready to leave for the office.

Warning! the system blared. Mandatory bonding task initiated. Do not let him leave without interaction!

Hayley panicked. She kicked her legs hard, throwing off the light blanket. She took a deep breath and let out a sharp, loud, "Ah!"

The sound cracked through the quiet room.

Edward's foot hovered over the threshold. He froze, his back stiffening.