Well hope you haven't been waiting too long for this. This is the brand new chapter three. Those of you that have read the first story will definitely notice the difference. Maybe even want to kill me but patience romance will commence soon. All in good time my friends, all in good time. Anyways it wouldn't be proper if I didn't give a shout out to my editor. Thanks man! Okay enough with the idle chit chat you are all desperate to read this chapter hope you enjoy, much love from PR.

Chapter 3

Serena could have died on the spot, she thought it a miracle she could still draw breath. He continued to glare at her, she noticed the deep frown tattooed upon his brow. She felt the seconds melt into minutes and this heightened her growing sense of anxiety. The pit of her stomach felt as if it were inhabited by a collection of poisonous vipers. Serena's discomfort seemed to grow exponentially as her heart pounded against her ribs. She desperately wanted the silence that had wedged itself between them to break. 'Say something, darn it, anything.' She asked inwardly, but he remained silent. Serena almost believed the jig was up, but when he turned on his heel and left she breathed a sigh of relief.

She watched him go and her anxiety immediately dissolved, but her reverie was short lived. Any gratitude she might have felt quickly evaporated as he turned and retraced his steps, and in seconds, he stood upon the threshold of her room. Fear coursed through her trembling body sending hot shivers up and down her spine threatening to overwhelm her. She fought desperately to regain her composure steeling herself for whatever was to come. "Meet me in my study in the morning at five sharp, I would like to have a word with you before I leave for work," His harsh monotone chilled her to the core as goose bumps crept over her delicate skin. She nodded and he turned to leave and slammed the door on his way out. Serena jumped in fright and released a stifled cry.

"Oh My God, he knows it's me … of course he knows, it's obvious he wishes to discuss this in the morning," she whispered to herself in a frantic tone. "I knew it, I should have known better than to try and fool him." Serena added continuing to chastise herself as she paced back and forth upon the soft-carpeted floor in front of her bed. She felt paralyzed by fear and couldn't think straight. Serena realized she'd backed herself into a corner. She directed her attention to the untouched feast that lay waiting for her on the bedside table. Serena didn't waste a second more and all but pounced upon it, figuring the food would be a welcome hiatus. 'Didn't it always?' she thought as she ate.

After she'd finished her meal that had been kindly prepared by Darien's kitchen staff, she realized she wasn't fazed by his rudeness. The food tasted good, and satisfied her ravenous appetite. She stretched and yawned before climbing under the warm secure bedclothes, and in minutes fell asleep. She would worry about what Darien had to say in the morning. Serena was determined not to leave this house without her little girl no matter what he might think about it. If necessary, she'd make that blatantly clear tomorrow.

Serena woke to find Rini's small frame leaning over her bed, she was shaking her awake with a dainty, yet strong little hand. The first instinct that drove Serena at that hour kicked in, it was as if the words in her head flashed 'get rid of the intruder,' and with that decision made she pushed Rini away with a large fluffy pillow and tried to go back to sleep. Rini was indignant, and with a mischievous grin grabbed the other pillow and began her attack. Rini swatted Serena repeatedly with the fluffy weapon, Serena, giggling madly attempted to escape beneath the sheets.

"Come on, Lilly … wake up, Daddies been waiting for you … almost forever," her daughter chided punctuating her words with another whack from the pillow. Serena sighed and reluctantly raised her hands in a gesture of surrender, sat up then swung her legs out of bed placing her bare feet upon the soft carpet. Darien's name resonated in her head, and it was then she sprung to her feet.

"What time is it, sweetheart?" Serena asked as dawn crept over the horizon framed by the large bedroom windows opposite the bed. 'It must be a little after five o clock in the morning.' She thought staring at the glowing corona of a new day and then back at her cute little girl.

"What … do I look like a watch?" she giggled waving her arms in a circular motion as if they were the hour and minute hands upon a clock face. "I'm only four, and I can't TELL time." Serena glared playfully at her, pounced upon the little girl, and began to tickle the life out of her. After their laughter subsided, Serena was satisfied she'd evened the score and released her.

"Okay Rini, can you tell me where I can find your father, so I can speak with him?"

"He's in his study; he always goes there in the morning. I'll take you there," Rini stated enthusiastically and led the way from the bedroom.

"Thank you, Rini," Serena replied taking the little girl's proffered hand, and on they went. Hand in hand, they walked through the mansion's many hallways passing an assortment of decorative rooms and alcoves many of which Serena hadn't noticed the day before. Serena couldn't help but feel love for her daughter at that moment, but an unwanted surge of rage slithered about inside her stomach tainting the moment. She had missed out on so much of Rini's life growing up.

Serena now found herself staring at a large wooden door; Rini looked up into Serena's pale face focusing on her azure-blue eyes. The similarities between them were undeniable, such as the way their eyes took on a glazed fragile look whenever they felt nervous or uncomfortable. Rini seemed to sense this in the well of her mother's eyes knowing the slightest upset had the power to devour their delicate souls. "Lilly … my dad can be mean sometimes to people he doesn't know well. Don't let him scare you away like the others … I don't want you to leave so soon," she said with heart-felt sincerity belying her age.

Despite the years of separation, Serena understood her daughter perfectly. She could sense it from the way Rini openly and honestly expressed her emotions. She had felt this connection instantly the moment their eyes first met. Serena knew Rini wished her to stay and this was the reason she warned her of her father's cantankerous nature and quick temper. Serena hugged the little girl tightly before releasing her, basking in the warmth and trust they'd established in such a short time, and taking a deep breath and exhaled slowly before walking confidently into the room.

She was completely unprepared for this early morning confrontation, but was certain of one thing; she would never leave without Rini. As long as her resolve held, she could survive and put up with anything he threw at her. The first thing that took her attention was the rather bland décor of the room; it definitely wasn't something she'd choose for herself.

The setting was plain and brusquest; it felt as if the furnishings and adornments had made good their escape from a war zone only to languish within this vacuous cell. The dark mahogany wall paneling was dull and lifeless and gave the impression it had retreated into itself. The heavy black curtains added to this gloomy atmosphere preventing light from seeping into this oppressive chamber reminiscent of a dusty shroud. Serena's attention was drawn to the large fireplace on the opposite side of the room that was ablaze and the only highpoint in what was otherwise a dank empty void. She looked to her left, and took in the huge mahogany desk where Darien sat like the king in his counting house, counting all his money, but in this instance, he was examining documents under the sallow light of a desk lamp seemingly oblivious to her presence.

Serena's critical examination of the room left her feeling bereft like Alice in a parody on wonderland. Two leather-cushioned chairs crouched before the desk like two expectant cats awaiting a bowl of cream from their master. Serena thought the room possessed an ironic dark charm consistent with Darien's current disposition. His aura hadn't possessed this shadowy character during their tempestuous marriage, yes he'd been aloof and cold at time, but nothing like he was at this moment. If he'd possessed any genuine warmth, it must be so deeply buried it would be all but impossible to access. He only projected this gloomy façade that sat stiffly before her. Serena had come to believe this was the true Darien Moss, a temperamental, unpredictable and spectral simulacrum of a man.

She stood silently before him unmoving. Darien slowly raised his dark eyes reminding Serena of a bird of prey about to devour its hapless victim. He studied her carefully looking her up and down; this made her feel a little uncomfortable. He sighed and sat back in his chair, and then his eyes met hers. "Miss Lillian Thomson, I believe … please Sit down," he said in a dry monotone. Serena cringed slightly, but did as she was told. Like a schoolgirl about to be interrogated by the principle, she scurried towards the desk, sat demurely in the soft black leather swivel chair, hands clamped together in her lap and waited for the storm to break.

She made a point of keeping her head down. She heard Darien chuckle lightly and this made her blush and she felt the fury begin to overwhelm her. 'He's mocking me.' she thought coldly. "Lillian, you have nothing to fear here … I'm your employer, not the devil," He stated callously, his features contorted as he spoke. Serena was taken aback by the audacity of his statement as she realized the lines were now drawn between them as each measured the other's strengths and weaknesses.

"I would appreciate it if you would kindly address me as Miss Thomson," Serena managed without losing her hard fought self-control.

"As you wish," he said icily, his voice once again assuming its business-like manner. He smirked, not ruffled in the slightest by her retort. He considered her for a moment as his eyes once again swept over her body. 'He's sizing me up, and he's making it clear he's aware I'm in my pajamas.' Darien snickered; she knew he was attempting to humiliate her.

She wore a pink tank top and matching shorts. She suddenly felt naked and uncomfortable, and tried to cover herself in a futile attempt to recover her dignity. She failed dismally and knew she was only making matters worse, and once again, he chuckled sardonically. "No need for that, I've already seen your night-wear last night, remember?" he said arching his eyebrows smiling despite himself. Serena began to fume. 'On top of being a cold-hearted bastard, he was a prick too.' she told herself deciding to ignore his taunts, crossed her legs as if she were power-dressed, and sitting in a plush office being interviewed.

"I believed you called me in here to discuss something you've got on your mind," She said in a polite, but curt manner.

"Yes indeed … it concerns my daughter, who of course is very important to me, it's not that I don't trust you, Lillian," He said looking into her stunning azure eyes.

"Miss Thomson," She corrected.

"Miss Thomson … I have several rules you must abide by to ensure the safety of my child," Serena didn't like the way he accentuated the word, 'my,' but decided to keep her mouth shut and allowed him to continue. "First of all, she's not to leave the premises with you alone; there must be a chaperone with you during all outings if there are to be any. If you wish to go on such an excursion with my daughter, you must gain permission from me first. If I'm not here, there's no outing. "

"So what you are trying to say is, you want a babysitter to baby-sit your baby-sitter," She mocked raising her eyebrow. His expression remains stoic and this infuriated her.

"Not all the time, Miss Thomson … only when you wish to leave the estate with my daughter. You understand … as anything could happen out there and I would feel more at ease if one of my more … experienced employees were with you. I'm sure you can appreciate where I'm coming from?" he asked folding his hands in front of him upon the burnished polished surface of his desk and leant forward to emphasize his determination to have his way. "We've only just met, and I wouldn't be a responsible parent if I didn't take these sorts of precautions."

"Well, I understand perfectly, is that it?" Serena replied as politely as possible trying her best not to grit her teeth.

"Do you always talk to your employers with such distaste, Miss Thomson?" he inquired cunningly, removing himself from his chair and circled the mahogany desk to loom over her in an intimidating fashion. She wasn't going to have any of that so she stood also, albeit he was the taller of the two. Serena rose to her full height, what little of it she possessed and felt her strength add to her somewhat petite stature.

"No, not always, Mr. Moss," she said thoughtfully regarding him with the contempt afforded a cockroach. "Only patronizing bombastic ogres such as yourself."

"Oh my … we are feisty this morning aren't we … I'm to believe then I'm special, or should I fire you now?" Darien's reaction stopped her in her tracks; Serena realized she was pushing things a little too far. She didn't think for a moment he'd dare fire her, but she wasn't prepared to take the chance and backed down.

"Trust me, Mr. Moss … you're far from special, to me you're simply another employer … so there's no need to be brash, sir," she said unable to resist grinning at her adversary.

"But of course, as you are simply another employee, see to it you know your place from here on. I could just as easily find myself another nanny for my daughter … there's nothing special about you either. If feel like mocking you. It's your job to sit there quietly like the good little girl that you are and take it. If I am being harsh towards you. Again your job back down like the scared little mouse that you are. You work for me, remember that, and another thing, I will address you as I see fit, Lillian. My last rule is that you respect all my wishes and do as you're told to. Don't try my patience on this Lillian or else you'll regret it." He shouted continuing his campaign of intimidation.

"If you think you can order me around for the hell of it, you're sadly mistaken," She yelled back looking like a volcano about to explode.

"Isn't it my job to order you around ... Lillian? And yours to follow orders." he goaded. "If I didn't, you wouldn't have a clue what to do."

"That's preposterous; don't take me for a fumbling fool, Mr. Moss, you've read my resume ... I would have thought a man such as yourself would have taken the time to go over this document with more care. Frankly, I find your attitude deficient in those qualities one comes to expect in a man of your status and reputation. I know how to take care of children, and your objections though noted are nonetheless, if you'll pardon my saying so are paranoid and melodramatic. YOUR daughter is completely safe in my care, of this I assure you. However, if you think for one second I'm going to crumple in a heap at your feet like your previous employees and let you walk all over me and treat me like a child, you're sadly mistaken," she snapped coldly maintaining her icy tone. "I'm not finished, Mr. Moss ... you need to recognize your responsibility as my employer and allow me to do my job properly instead of berating me for showing a little backbone. I'll do my job, but I won't take crap from you." She said etching every word in stone, making it abundantly clear she was nobody's fool. A long pause ensued as they continued to glower at one another. Their rage like electricity charged the atmosphere within the room.

"Well, I must say, I've never met anyone with the guts to speak to the man signing their pay check that way before," He said with a hint of surprise and something like grudging respect.

"If you wish to fire me, now is the time. As I've already said, I won't stand for any mistreatment, and further more, I refuse to quit," Serena turned her head away from him to avoid eye contact. His eyes were so intense at the apex of their heated clash, and amplified his sexual appeal. Serena hated the fact she was still attracted to him, it was all she could do not to hug him at that moment. She had no control of these unwanted emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. Serena remembered his embraces and despite herself, she missed them. She had to remind herself that the man he'd once been was a myth. She believed him to be vindictive and manipulative. Getting too close to him was not an option, and would only lead to her downfall, yet again.

"Do you want me to?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. 'Why was he asking me this, and why the sudden change in attitude when he usually addresses me in a harsh cold manner, and now he takes on this civil and almost tender tone?' Serena had no idea how to respond to Darien at that moment, and simply shook her head. "Very well, for however long you stay with us … you're going to insist on being a pain in the ass," he said in a neutral tone. "You will follow my rules with the utmost care, for my word is law and I will do my best to respect your individual rights. Welcome to the family, Lillian, I'm sure from now on we will get along famously."

"Yes, famously," she retorted as she moved behind the chair on her way out. In her upset state, she made sure to slam the door as he had done last night. She wanted to scream at him for being the most confusing creature on earth. His demeanor puzzled her no end. 'One minute he chuckles at my expense, the next, he questions my ability to take care of his … no, our child. Then he threatens to take away my job. He was an enigma … there's no other word to describe him … he was the man that stole my daughter from me. And I hate him for it' Serena said inwardly knowing she could never really hate him.

'Firstly, I was suppose to be his employee, two, being near him brought back all those precious memories.' As hard as she might try to see him as lower than dirt, she found while standing before him, all she wanted was for him to hold her. Ironically, she had no problem maintaining her rage and contempt while not in his presence; she scowled and walked aimlessly about the mansion in search of the kitchen. She desperately needed something to calm her nerves and right now food was a great panacea.

The house was difficult to navigate on her own, but somehow she made it back to Darien's study and barged in. "WHERE IS YOUR KITCHEN?" She demanded colliding with Darien as he was on his way out of the room. They both lost their balance and ended up on the floor. Ironically, him landing right on top of her. In addition, for some reason he was reluctant to free himself from their entanglement. She could swear she heard him groan.

"Could you please get off me, I'm finding it hard to breathe." She asked sardonically. He immediately removed himself from her body, but not before giving her a cold glance.

"Having trouble are we?" He noted condescendingly as he helped her up while retrieving his briefcase.

"If your house weren't so unreasonably large I wouldn't be … if you would be so kind as to direct me to the kitchen, I'll be out of your way … literally," she said dusting herself off.

"I'm late and have little time to take you on a tour," He said in an arrogant tone while checking that everything was in its proper place inside his briefcase.

"Well then I'm not leaving until you help me," She retorted folding her arms over her chest.

"Have it your way," Darien walked around her and was gone in an instant leaving her standing there completely taken off guard, and after a second or two, she ran after him.

"You're nothing but and arrogant son of a bitch, you know that, right?" She snapped trying to keep up with his long strides.

"I'm so pleased you noticed," he replied tersely.

"What the hell's your problem? It's not my fault. You shouldn't take your anger out on your employees," She quipped sardonically. Darien came to a sudden halt and she almost collided with him once more.

"I told you to be in my study at five. What part of that wasn't clear to you? If it weren't for your recklessness, I wouldn't be as late as I am," he chided.

"If you hadn't left my room last night the way you did, I would have told you I've never really been a morning person," she replied breathlessly.

"Stop making such childish excuses, the bottom line is you overslept when you were told to be somewhere important. Getting there was your responsibility, like finding the kitchen is now your new responsibility, good luck with that." He hissed while continuing down the hall.

"Do you treat all your employees with this much hostility?" She snapped.

"No I don't actually," he said curtly.

"Then why do you insist on torturing me?" she demanded, her ire and pent up frustration beginning to get the better of her. He pushed his way through a set of swing doors and promptly took his place at a large circular table. Serena noticed the plates filled with breakfast fare strategically placed in front of each chair on a colorful placemat, it looked so elegant she was almost afraid it might be artificial and used solely for decoration purposes. "No real reason, you're easy to pick on," He said disinterestedly as he began to eat.

Serena noticed Rini was sitting to his right and almost finished with what seemed to be chocolate-chip pancakes. She stood there for a couple of minutes in a daze wondering if it would be proper for her to join them. She assumed the workers ate their meals elsewhere, far from the masters of the house. Oddly, she felt too timid to ask him. After all that bantering back and forth she stood there like an idiot too shy to ask if she could breakfast with them. 'Oh the irony.' She thought bitterly.

"Aren't you going to sit down? After biting my head off about how hungry you were, and now you don't want to eat," He snapped not bothering to look up at her.

"It's not that I don't wish to eat, I assumed I would be eating with your staff." She quipped while sauntering towards the table taking a seat beside him still too shy to touch the meal before her.

"Too late for that, Lillian, but if you really want to eat with the employees then you're going to have to wake up earlier … until then, you will have to make do and eat breakfast with me, unless you prefer to starve?" He was regarding her with eyes cold as steal. He was handsome despite his severe stance. She was surprised by something akin to warmth that for a second or two lit up his eyes, but when she looked a second time, they'd returned to their customary coldness. She missed the warmth of his eyes, and now she felt as if her presence was inconsequential to him. Serena sighed deeply, letting her breath out leisurely. He really wasn't going to make this any easier for her…

credits… (well not really just answering some questions…)

->Goddess-Princess-Serenity: Well I don't that I will put up both the old chapters up for a couple of reasons. Some of the newer reads might get confused. Two, I've completely rewritten the first couple of chapters so there are no originals for the first maybe 4 chapters. Three, putting up the old chapters would take a lot of time and space. I think it is better with the new fresh start. Sorry but the original was really a very rough draft, tons of grammatical mistakes. I look back on it and I would just cringe. But thank you for the support. It touches me that you love my story

-> (my other fans that responded to my story and I hope will keep reviewing): thank you all for the support it means a lot to me, as it would to any self respecting writer. I hope that you all can continue reading and enjoy. If there is anything wrong with it. Please feel free to comment on it, critiques anything you wish. I welcome all. Also any questions feel free to ask because I will do my best to answer them to the best of my capability. THANK YOU ALL!