Chloe ordered my daughters to go upstairs without the stuffed rabbit—one of the last gifts my late wife had given Sofia. As they hurried off, Marisol quietly reached up, grabbed the rabbit from the high shelf, and handed it back to Sofia with a gentle smile.

Chloe turned on Marisol in a fury. “I told you to remember your place! You’re just a maid.”

“My place is to protect these girls when their father isn’t here,” Marisol said firmly.

Chloe stepped into Marisol’s space and lowered her voice to a vicious whisper: “Enjoy your final weeks here. Once Alexander and I are married, you’ll be fired. And if you say a word to him, I’ll make sure the police find my missing diamond earrings inside your room.”

Inside the security room, my blood ran cold.

Chloe hadn’t lost her jewelry or cash. She had hidden them herself to frame Marisol and get rid of the only person standing between her and complete control over my daughters.

I stood up, handed my watch to Hector, and said, “Come with me.”

I walked out of the garage, through the side doors, and directly into the main living area.

When Chloe saw me standing there, her entire posture collapsed. Her face went pale.

“Alexander?” she stammered, trying to quickly assemble her usual fake smile. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in Toronto!”

“I never left,” I said.

She glanced nervously toward the security room door near the hallway. “What do you mean?”

“I saw everything, Chloe. Every single second.”

She tried to laugh it off. “Alexander, you don’t understand, I was just trying to discipline them—”

“Don’t touch my daughters, don’t speak to Marisol, and get your things out of my house right now,” I interrupted coldly.

When she tried to step toward me, Hector blocked her path. Realizing her act was completely broken, Chloe packed her bags under security supervision and left the estate.

I went upstairs to my daughters’ room. When I opened the door, Valeria and Sofia looked up nervously, but the moment they saw me, they ran into my arms. I knelt down, pulled them close, and apologized for leaving them unprotected for so long.

Then I called Marisol into the room. I thanked her for her loyalty, doubled her salary, and offered her a permanent role as our house manager and guardian.

I thought I was traveling the world to build a future for my daughters, but that day taught me the most important lesson of my life: true protection starts at home.