As the boss, Maleficent (a nickname she had earned quickly into her career) was strict, demanding; many people, mostly those who had close encounters with the infamous look that they said could kill, they said she was soulless. Letting single mothers and parents go without any consideration. Mallory Moore not accepted nothing less than perfection. The company'sshareholders agreed that she was rather hard, but the results did not lie, she was good. and therefore did not accept that his subordinates were different. It was a surprise when against all odds, she hired the less obvious candidate as her assistant. Diaval Winger was very young at the time, he had no experience as a secretary just had a degree in English, because he wanted to be a writer. No one knew why he got the job. But the fact is that the young CEO, and even younger personal assistant, seemed to be the most successful duo ever before.

In the office, they were fully synchronized, there were rumors that their relationship was more than professional, but the truth is that they knew little of each other, only the most trivial of things that come to light when people spend enough time together. Mallory Moore and Diaval Winger were the most unrelated people nearby that may exist.

But that was about to change with just one call.

— Diaval, I need you to travel to New Jersey—she said while writing on her computer. Diaval was more than accustomed when she spoke to him without looking.

— Yes, miss.

— You will go as my representative to a meeting with a lawyer, and you're going to pick something, apparently is urgent but I have no time for trivialities.

— Okay, when do I go?

— As soon as possible.

Nothing more and nothing less. Diaval had learned not to ask questions more than necessary, work with Mallory was like working for the mafia. Although he was more afraid of her than a capo. Some people admired these two, they could communicate with looks and a couple of signs, but sometimes Diaval was just tired of working with someone when he could never know what they were thinking. He never had the complete information, it seemed he was just a great gear mechanism in the mind of Mallory.

It was a short trip from New York to New Jersey. When he arrived, there were some present who he didn't recognize, some with face feigned grief, and others trying to see the folder that the lawyer behind the desk was holding. Another person came into the room, one of Mallory's lawyers and he greeted Diaval. Finally with everyone present, the other lawyer started reading.

— Well since Mrs. and Mr. Stefan Kingston were in the midst of divorce proceedings when they passed on, some clauses have changed, according to the prenuptial agreement ...

Diaval was in shock and he felt his heart go cold while it felt as if all that blood had gone to his feet. He was in the reading of the will and testament of Mallory's sister, Leila. Mallory had said this matter was a "triviality ".

When the event began to unfold, Stefan's relatives fought over the few possessions of the couple that had not been confiscated for tax evasion. And when it was mentioned a trust fund for an Aurora, everyone started fighting over it. Diaval knew that Leila had been pregnant, and that when he had informed Mallory about it, she told him that she didn't want to know more about them, that it was a waste of time. Diaval never knew why she kept so close to the activities of her sister's new family, but it was not like he'd ever asked.

— The only legal guardian that Mr. and Mrs. Kingston named is Miss Mallory Moore, she will be the legal guardian of the minor Aurora Kingston. Mr. Winger as legal representative has to sign some papers, tomorrow the child will be delivered, at the moment she will remain inchild services. Mr. Winger are you listening? —Diaval nodded, though it was still digesting all the information, a girl... Mallory her guardian.

— How did they die?—he asked to the lawyer when they were coming out of the reading of the testament.

— An accident, it was a car crash. Witnesses say they're fighting was what caused the accident.

— What about the funeral?

— Tomorrow the two funerals will be held. Leila will be buried in the cemetery Mount Moriah, and Stefan at the Holy Cross—the he told him. The lawyer had also explained that Mallory had paid for everything but the organization of the funerals fell into the hands of Leila's friends and that Mallory did not plan to attend the funeral.

In the hotel room, Diaval, tossed his cell to the air and caught it as he thought about whether to make this call or not. He was an employee and he executed the commands of his boss without question. But why wouldn't Mallory want to go to the funeral of her own sister? Her only family. He knew they had had (serious) problems, but Diaval had grown up in a large family and they were all so close and it seemed almost inconceivable to him that someone wouldn't go to their own sibling's funeral. He wanted to believe that death erased everything. More importantly he wanted to believe that Mallory did have a heart.

Finally, courage came to him around midnight and he prayed for Mallory was awake. To his pleasant surprise, the voice that consisted the phone did not seem sleepy, but quite annoyed.

— What? —she asked dryly and to the point, not that he was not surprised. She sounded tired though, and was something more in his voice that could not identify would it be worth?

— Miss, tomorrow is the funeral, I thought you would like to know —there was a long silence, he did not know what to do or what to say, just held the phone as his gaze traveled the innocuous hotel room.

— I already knew that. Is there anything else? —Mallory finally said.

— No, nothing... I just thought you would like to know. Tomorrow, the girl will be delivered. Suddenly he felt bad at the words he was using. Aurora was a little girl, almost a year old, not a package.

— What about the money?

— Relatives of Mr. Kingston were fighting, a woman wanted custody of Aurora as soon she heard the word trust fund —a kind of snort was heard from the other side of the line and there was another long silence.

— In the morning, as soon as they deliver you the girl, I want you back here. You still have keys to my apartment, I imagine, you know I do not like strange people in my house, so a few days you will have to handle the child before I can get a full-time nanny. Diaval ruffled his hair in frustration, it was one thing was to watch over an adult, even if it was Mallory. Mostly he just had to make sure his boss ate and slept when she was supposed to, but it was a very different thing to be a nanny to a real baby girl.

— All right, miss —it was what came out of his mouth, as always in his mind he was complaining, but he never refused anything she demanded of him.

— So until tomorrow.

— Until tomorrow, miss —He hung up, and threw himself on the bed, feeling terrible. There was a little girl out there who had just lost both her parents, and her aunt, the only family she had left wouldn't even attend the funeral of her parents.

The next morning, was a sunny day. Mallory's lawyer accompanied Diaval to pick up Aurora, the woman who gave her to Diaval with a kind smile.

—She is a very quiet baby —Diaval would remember that day for the rest of his life, he took Aurora carefully, and held her head cradled in her arms. It was small and he was surprised that she could even breathe through such a tiny nose.

—Mr Winger, it's time to go.

— First I want to attend the funeral —the lawyer shrugged his shoulders and murmured an "as you like". When they got there, people were already leaving with faces grim and sad. Diaval assumed they all were friends of Leila, doubting any were Stephan's relatives. As he approached, while the gravediggers finished their task, the marble headstone was white, Leila Moore was read, with an epitaph "We will never forget your smile" and then he looked down at the little girl asleep in his arms.

— It seems your mommy had a nice smile, don't worry, I'll make sure your aunt gives you pictures of her —He said softly to the baby, than just pursed her lips in her sleep, Diaval smiled sadly and left the bouquet of white lilies, which he had bought on the way to the funeral from a nearby florist.

— What are you doing here? —a cold, expressionless voice he recognized even in hell itself spoke to him.

— I ... I thought ... you did not ... —Mallory not wait for an answer, she went to the grave, completely ignoring the baby, his dark glasses prevented him see where her eyes were going, he only saw her leave a white rose.

— You brought the lilies?

— Yes.

— Thank you ... they were her favorites —Diaval knew than the lilies were the favorites of Mallory to also, and now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember why he knew that fact. The baby began to make sounds, looked to she was start to cry at any time, Mallory under the glasses and a cool mask of indifference, was distressed by the sound. She hated children, who wept when she didn't know who make them stop. But Diaval with a few quick movements, including some hops that Mallory found ridiculous but before she could even say something, the baby stopped crying before it even began.

And there in front of a marble slab in a very sunny day for a funeral, they received Aurora in their lives. And nothing would ever be the same.

Notes:

Well after much thought I finally decided to make a fanfic, it has been a long time since I post something.
In this fanfic I took up some frames that are already part of the fandom headcanon AU, while I tried to add something of my own.
I hope you enjoy it.
And a big thanks to magnificent-mal for being the beta of this work in the English version, and do a magnificent job. (Without her this version of the story would have been impossible because I'm a horrible translator).