C4 Revelations

"Yes. The child has an indoor yard where he can play," he said. All I knew was that the kid must have a hard time with this big place if he was alone.

"Is he not neglected?" I asked, looking at the door that opened to reveal a middle-aged woman who smiled at me and seemed curious as she glanced at Assistant Diordano.

"Is this the replacement for Rosita?" The old man nodded. We walked inside, the fancy door closing behind us.

I stayed behind them, gripping my backpack so hard, as if I didn't want to leave anymore.

"Yes, she could take care of Lorenzo," he said with finality. I was here, and I was going to be the nanny of Mr. Diordano's son, and bloody hell, I was scared.

The woman approached me and looked at me closely. "You look so young to be a nanny," she said. She gestured to a kitchen stool and put a cheesecake and blueberry drink in front of me.

Tears welled up in my eyes. "Thank you," I said as I started eating. The woman smiled fondly at me, and both of them looked at each other with knowing eyes.

I wasn't sure if it was pity or some other unspoken exchange between them. "I will work hard. I will do anything for the kid to be happy."

She looked at me as if I had said something foreign. "That kid is not the typical eight-year-old that you could fool around with. Like father, like son," she said while waving her hand in the air.

I scanned the entire house. "I don't think any child wants to be unhappy. I understand that they're well-off, but he needs a friend too."

"Good luck with that," the woman smiled while nodding her head. I wasn't sure if I should be scared. Her face cracked with a smile and fascination with this whole situation.

Assistant Diordano still looked at me without malice, and I swear I saw tears in his eyes. He turned around, bidding us goodbye and saying he needed to rest.

I was left alone with Gina in the kitchen, and I asked her about the child, Lorenzo.

My suspicions were correct. "Is the child homeschooled?" I asked. In general, I didn't have notable experience with kids, aside from volunteering at our parish. However, that didn't count because it was community service and I didn't have direct contact with children.

"I'm not sure how to treat Lorenzo," I admitted. "Yes, he used to go to school before, but after he was kidnapped; his father didn't allow him to go to school anymore."

The poor kid must be traumatized. "I see," I said, but I couldn't pretend to know exactly what I was doing because I didn't have experience.

"You would do great. As you've told me, she needs a friend. You could be his friend," Gina suggested.

I blinked rapidly as Gina quietly stood up. I thought about the possible meeting with Lorenzo. Suddenly, the old man appeared with a cute boy on his side, holding his hand.

I smiled widely and waved my hand. "Hello!" I greeted. Lorenzo looked so cute, and I walked towards him, but he hid behind the assistant's leg.

"You have a bright smile," he said. I was amused by his comment and couldn't help but wave my hand again to get his attention. However, he stayed closer to his father's assistant while avoiding eye contact.

"Can we be friends? I will be very happy to meet you as I don't have many friends here," I asked.

I had no experience in pleasing young ones, but I tried to gain his trust by being genuine. "Where are you from?" he asked quietly.

I gave him my hometown. "Do you know that place? It's so far from here. It's in the west."

"You don't sound like a country girl," he said. I laughed so hard. The kid was too observant, yet distant and cute.

"You don't sound like a country boy either," I said with a smile. He puckered his lips and blinked. "I was born in France, and I know how to speak English and French."

"Oh, I don't know how to speak French. Can you teach me?" I asked while still smiling. It was so easy to be friendly with this kid.

Lorenzo was adorable with his cherub cheeks. He looked like an innocent cat with wide eyes when he was curious about things. "Are you stupid for me to teach you?" he asked.

I burst out laughing and playfully pinched his nose, but his smile quickly disappeared. "It doesn't mean that I'm stupid if I ask you to teach me," I said.

"Then what is it?" Lorenzo asked quietly. I realized that I wasn't talking to Lorenzo using an animated voice, but we were actually having a normal conversation.

"I just want to learn from you. I think you're an interesting kid." Lorenzo raised his brow and slowly came out from behind Assistant Diordano's leg.

Tentatively, I held Lorenzo's hand, breathing hard as I realized how scared I was of his rejection. I took a deep breath and kept smiling at him as he kept looking at me.