Chapter 2: A sprained ankle and a job offer

CELESTE'S POV

My vision was blurry, and by that point, I didn’t even know where I was anymore. I had been walking for what felt like forever, and the streets had grown quieter—aside from the cars speeding down the avenue.

I couldn’t believe what had just happened. How could Lya do that to me?

Of course, I was furious at Patrício—he was my boyfriend—but he wasn’t my brother. He wasn’t my blood. How could she betray me like that? It hurt even more because it was her. Not just some random girl—my sister.

I couldn’t stop crying.

My shoulders shook with every sob, but I didn’t care. Why would I? Who gives a damn if I look like a mess, face swollen, red-eyed, and snotty, when my boyfriend just cheated on me with my sister?

Honestly, being snotty was the least of my problems.

How could they both do this to me? I know you’re not supposed to tempt fate, but seriously—there’s no way this night could get any worse.

I looked up and glanced around, trying to figure out where to go. Likewise, I wanted to find a store, buy the biggest tub of ice cream they had, crawl back to campus, lock myself in my dorm, and cry. Hopefully, Samantha would be there so we could cry and eat ice cream together.

But, because I had the brilliant idea of challenging fate, of course things got worse.

At least, that’s what I thought at first.

As my eyes scanned the avenue, searching for any fast food place to temporarily adopt, I spotted a little girl in all pink, with sparkly fairy wings strapped to her back, running straight toward the street.

She had blonde pigtails tied up with ribbons, adorable white shoes, and was holding a pink wand with a glittering star at the end. The ribbons on the wand fluttered every time she moved her tiny hand.

She didn’t even look before crossing—ran like she believed nothing bad could ever happen to her. But those wings? They weren’t going to help, and the car coming fast down the street definitely wasn’t going to stop in time.

“Hey! Watch out!” I yelled, but instead of running back, she stopped right in the middle of the street and looked straight at me.

My legs moved before my brain could catch up, and the next thing I knew, I was grabbing her and pulling her into my arms. The motion threw me unbalanced, and we both fell, my back hitting the curb and a sharp pain shooting through my ankle.

“Miss… are you okay?” the little girl asked, her wide sparkly eyes peeking up at me as she wrapped her arms around my neck. “You’re Abby’s hero!”

Then she hugged me tightly, and I let my head rest on the pavement, trying to process what had just happened—and why little kids love talking about themselves in the third person. Actually… it was kind of cute.

But before I could ask why this adorable little tornado was trying to get herself killed on a busy street, I opened my eyes and found myself surrounded by men in black suits who looked way too ready to throw me into a black van and disappear me forever.

The girl jumped off my lap, and at that moment, a woman in a sharp blazer and high heels—clearly out of breath, hair sticking to her forehead, cheeks flushed—pushed past the men.

“Abby! I told you not to run into the street! You almost got hit by a car!” she scolded, pulling the girl into her arms and checking her over like a checklist. “I don’t get paid enough for this,” she muttered under her breath as she adjusted Abby’s pink coat and sparkly wings.

“But Auntie Hanna, Papa pays you lots of money to watch Abby sometimes,” the little girl replied, her voice matter-of-fact. “But now Auntie Hanna doesn’t have to anymore. Abby wants the hero lady to be her nanny!”

The woman—now I knew her name was Hanna—finally seemed to notice I existed. I realized I was still on the ground and slowly stood up, wincing as I put pressure on my definitely sprained ankle. I brushed off my pants awkwardly.

“I’m Celeste. I saw her running into traffic and just reacted, that’s all,” I explained briefly, half-expecting one of the men in black to pull a gun on me or something.

“Abby wants her to be the nanny!” the girl said again, crossing her arms and pouting. “Here, hero lady. A card from my papa. He says Abby always has to carry one, but he keeps extras at home.”

She handed me a fancy business card with a golden logo and the name De Montreal printed in elegant letters, like some kind of miniature CEO.

“Thank you for saving her. My boss would’ve killed me if something happened,” Hanna finally addressed me properly. “We are looking for a nanny, actually. If you’re interested… could you give me your number?”

I stared at her, a little skeptical. Being a nanny to a mini rich kid who seemed to have zero self-preservation skills? Not exactly the dream job. But then I remembered—I really needed a job. And I sure as hell wasn’t taking another cent from Patrício. That’d be too humiliating.

And hey, never look a gift horse in the mouth, right?

“Sure, go ahead and take it down.” I gave her my number as she typed it into her phone. “If you guys are seriously looking, give me a call. I’m job hunting anyway.”

“Great, I’ll talk to my boss and text you,” Hanna said.

Before she could say anything else, Abby broke free again and ran over to hug my legs. She looked up at me with the biggest, brightest smile. Honestly, she was kind of adorable.

“I’m going to tell Papa to hire you, hero lady! Abby really likes you!”

Then she let go and ran back to the sidewalk, dragging half the security detail with her, all of them scrambling to keep up.

“Need a ride home?” Hanna asked quickly. “I can have one of the guards take you.”

“No need. I’ll grab a cab!”

“Alright, I better run before she disappears again. It was lovely meeting you, Celeste!”

She took off after the little girl, the rest of the men in black trailing her, leaving me standing alone. Abby kept looking back to wave at me with the cutest smile until she vanished from sight.

I stood there for a minute, then turned and limped toward the crosswalk. I still needed that ice cream.

So in the end? I got a sprained ankle and a job offer.

Not the worst night after all.