The Nanny's Fatal Swap

I watched, my face an unreadable mask, as my fiancée’s nanny cackled hysterically in the middle of our tenmilliondollar engagement party.

She shoved a painfully gaunt girl into the spotlight, shrieking to the crowd that this starving creature was the true heiress. Facing a ballroom packed with the elite, she gloated.

She screamed that twenty years ago, she had secretly swapped the babies just so her biological daughter could steal Seraphina’s multibilliondollar trust fund and perfect life.

The extravagant venue spiraled into instant chaos. The champagne flutes in my parents' hands trembled, the amber liquid spilling over the rims as they stared.

I just took a slow step forward, staring down at this greedy woman drowning in her delusional victory. She had no idea.

She didn't know that twenty years ago, a fiveyearold boy watched her entire babyswapping scheme in the dark—and then quietly swapped those infants right back.

A dark thrill crawled up my throat.

I couldn’t wait to see the exact moment her sanity snapped, the second she realized the child she had spent the last two decades ruthlessly abusing was her own flesh and blood.

Chapter 1 I tagged along with the adults to visit her at the hospital, only to catch someone swapping her with the baby girl from the next room.

So, I quietly swapped them right back. Years later, at our engagement party. Cynthia, her family's nanny, lunged forward and ripped the joint trust fund asset list from the table.

She shoved a painfully gaunt girl right in front of us, cackling hysterically. "My daughter married the heir of the family! All these assets are mine!

Bet you didn't see this coming. The two babies were swapped back then! Why does your daughter get to be the pampered heiress while mine rots at the bottom?

This is the real daughter!" Both our parents went pale. I just watched her, my hands resting casually in my pockets. "Didn't see it coming, sure. But I watched it happen.

So I swapped them back. Cynthia, the girl you brought here is your own biological daughter." "Nathaniel, we are heading to the hospital right now to see Veronica and baby Seraphina.

Put your shoes on, now!" I stared at the pudding on my plate, my mouth watering. "Mom, can I finish this first?" My strict personal nutritionist only allowed me a small portion of sugarfree crème brûlée on Sundays.

My mom couldn't wait. She grabbed me by the collar and marched toward the door, her haute couture heels clicking furiously. "Absolutely not! Veronica is at the hospital all alone.

What if that scumbag Warren shows up and upsets her? We are leaving. Right. Now!" "Oh." I slowly put my shoes on and climbed into my car seat.

I kicked my short legs against the car seat, straining my neck to imagine what this baby Seraphina looked like. "Mom, what's a family alliance?" Miriam shot me a look but didn't say a word.

I turned to my dad. "Dad, what's a family alliance?" Jonathan kept his eyes on the road. "I have no idea." I shut my mouth.

I pressed my face against the car window to watch the streets roll by, completely missing the synchronized sigh of relief from my parents.

The second we stepped into Veronica's private hospital suite, my mom practically sprinted to the bassinet. I jogged right behind her. Inside lay a tiny, tiny baby, fast asleep.

She was so pale and soft. She looked even better than my crème brûlée. I wanted her to open her eyes and look at me.

I purposely breathed a little heavier, trying to make it seem effortless. She didn't even twitch.

I dragged my heavy feet behind my parents and greeted Veronica. "Hi, Aunt Veronica." While the adults were talking, I sneaked back to the bassinet.

I carefully wiped my hands on my pants and gently poked her cheek. Softer than pudding. Standing on my tiptoes, I carefully placed a piece of chocolate right next to her hand.

I didn't know how it happened, but the chocolate melted. Brown smears stained her little pink onesie. I tried to wipe it off, but I just made it worse.

The gooey mess spread all over her tiny blanket. I snatched my hand back like a thief. I darted my eyes around the quiet room, my heart hammering against my ribs. I was so dead.

None of the adults were looking my way. I stayed glued to the side of the bassinet, my stomach tied in knots. Even when my parents finally called me to leave, my heart pounded.

My palms grew slick with cold sweat as I waited for them to notice what I did. Veronica looked at me with a teasing smile. "Nathaniel loves his little sister so much.

Do you want to come live at my house?" Our families owned neighboring estates. I nodded hard. "I'll live at your house." I'd live there and wash Seraphina's clothes.

If I messed up, I had to fix it. My mom rolled her eyes at me. "Nathaniel! Why don't you just stay at the hospital with Veronica tonight?" I thought about it for a second.

I looked my mom right in the eye.

Chapter 2 "Then can I go home, finish my crème brûlée, and come back?" Miriam let out a dry, exasperated laugh. "Absolutely not!" She pointed at me. "You're just going to cause Veronica trouble here!

But you can help take care of your little sister after they go back to the estate." I chewed the inside of my cheek, staring at the sleeping baby in the bassinet. "Fine.

I'll come see Seraphina tomorrow." I planned to dig through my closet as soon as I got home to find clothes to pay her back.

Right before I stepped out of the suite, I saw Veronica's eyes drift shut. Her breathing steadied into a slow, rhythmic rise and fall.

Around the corner, Miriam's eyes narrowed into sharp slits as she looked me up and down. "Why are you being so quiet today?

Did you break something?" Her voice went up an octave. "School starts tomorrow. Did you not finish your homework?" My neck stiffened.

I shot back, "I finished it!" Then I pivoted. "Mom, I forgot something in Veronica's room. I have to go get it." If I messed up, I had to own it.

I needed to go back and apologize to Veronica. My mom wasn't even listening. She stared dead ahead down the corridor. "Jonathan, I just saw Veronica's exhusband.

Come with me, we need to see what he's doing." She looked down at me. "Nathaniel, you go stay right next to Veronica. Your dad and I will come get you in a minute. Sit quietly.

Do not wake her up." She wanted to see what that scumbag Warren was doing at the hospital.

Before I could even say another word, Miriam was already dragging my dad down the hall, her heels clicking furiously against the floor. I turned back towards the suite.

Just as I got close, a woman stepped out of Veronica's room—holding a baby! I froze, my small boots rooted to the floor. I remembered perfectly.

The only people in that room were Veronica and Seraphina. My eyes went wide. I didn't dare blink.

I watched that woman carry the baby into the room next door, then step back out emptyhanded. Oh no! Seraphina was stolen! A thief! I bolted back into the private suite.

My boots skidded on the floor. I looked down. There was a baby lying in the bassinet. I couldn't tell what different babies looked like. But I recognized that ruined pink onesie.

Veronica was still fast asleep. I frantically pulled at the infant's clothes. Nothing! There was a smear of chocolate on the pink blanket. But the pink clothes on this baby?

Spotless. Heat flushed my cheeks. Whose kid was this?! I didn't want to trade! I glanced at the sleeping Veronica, then remembered my mom's strict warning.

The blood drained from my face as I spun in tight circles, my small boots squeaking against the linoleum. I gritted my teeth. I made a choice. I was getting Seraphina back.

I didn't hesitate. I climbed up on the sofa next to the bassinet. Mimicking how my mom held babies, I scooped up this random kid and stumbled out the door.

I slammed open the door to the next room and rushed straight to the crib. There it was! The pink onesie stained with my melted chocolate! She was wrapped up in a blue blanket.

I frantically swapped the two infants. I wrapped the real Seraphina back in her chocolatestained blanket and ran. I dashed down the hallway.

Once I finally placed her back in her original spot, sweat dripped down my forehead. I gripped the edge of the bassinet, panting hard.

After all that, she still didn't even open her eyes to look at me.

I muttered under my breath, "If I didn't swap you back, you would have grown up in someone else's house." I hated staying at other people's houses.

I didn't want Seraphina to stay at someone else's house either. I stood in the quiet room, stressing over her crumpled, stained clothes. "Nathaniel?

Why are you back?" I heard Veronica's soft, gentle voice. I stared at her with wide eyes. "I'm so sorry, Aunt Veronica.

I got Seraphina's clothes dirty." I pointed at the mess. "I wanted to give her my chocolate, but it melted.

It ruined her outfit and her blanket." My voice dropped to a whisper. "I'm sorry." Chapter 3 I pointed at the brown stain, but tiny fingers wrapped loosely around my index finger.

I braced myself, fully expecting Veronica to twist my ear the way Miriam always did. Instead, she just gave a soft laugh. "It's fine.

Seraphina really likes Nathaniel." I rushed right up to Veronica's side. "Are you absolutely sure? I can wash Seraphina's clothes." Veronica ruffled my hair. "I promise, it's fine.

The nanny will take care of Seraphina's laundry." The nanny! That was it! The woman who tried to swap Seraphina was Veronica's nanny!

I opened my mouth to tell Veronica her nanny was a bad person, but the door slammed open. Miriam marched in. "That scumbag Warren is sneaking around doing God knows what.

I tore into him, and he didn't even argue back.

It looked like he was waiting for someone." She crossed her arms. "Then he saw whoever it was and smiled like a total psycho." Miriam's jaw tightened at the mere thought of Veronica's exhusband.

Veronica just watched her furious best friend. "Why waste your energy on him? He walked away with absolutely nothing.

He's not worth the spike in your blood pressure." She slipped out of bed and leaned over the bassinet to gently trace the baby's cheek. "Every single asset I own goes to Seraphina now." Because dividing their massive estate during the divorce was too messy, they had agreed to put everything into a trust under the baby's name, accessible when she came of age.

I tilted my head, letting the dull drone of the adult financial talk fade into background noise. My eyes were glued to the infant who had suddenly opened her eyes.

They were brighter than my favorite glass marbles. That nanny definitely saw how pretty Seraphina was and wanted to steal her. A smug little smile crept onto my face.

Thank God I secretly swapped her back. Ten years flashed by. I practically lived next door at Veronica's estate, making sure I always kept an eye on Seraphina.

Today was her tenth birthday party. We were celebrating at the most exclusive luxury hotel downtown.

Tenyearold Seraphina wore a white lace gown straight off a Parisian haute couture runway. A tiny Tiffany tiara encrusted with pink diamonds rested perfectly in her blonde hair.

She looked exactly like Manhattan's most dazzling little socialite. Seraphina and I sat in the VIP dressing room waiting for the adults, but her nanny walked in first.

My jaw tightened. I planted myself firmly between Seraphina and this woman who regularly hit her own kid. "Cynthia.

What do you want?" I had caught Cynthia secretly smacking her daughter around in the estate's massive kitchen once before.

When I reported it to the adults, she just calmly claimed she was disciplining her own flesh and blood. After that, I learned to look the other way.

At the end of the day, just like she said, it was her own kid. Cynthia shot me a sickeningly sweet, fawning smile. "Master Nathaniel.

I'm just here to drop off a birthday gift for the young miss." She pulled out an exquisitely wrapped box, popped the lid, and handed it to Seraphina. "Seraphina, sweetie.

I got this for your tenth birthday. See if you like it." Inside sat a vintage music box featuring a spinning ballerina in the center. It was a beautiful, completely harmless gift.

I exhaled a quiet breath and leaned back against the plush velvet chair. Seraphina’s eyes lit up as she took the box. "Thank you, Cynthia!

I absolutely love it." The chaos erupted without a single warning. Smack!

No one even saw Bethany standing behind Cynthia until the scrawny girl suddenly lunged forward, smacking the music box right out of Seraphina's hands. Her eyes were bloodshot.

She pointed at the fallen toy. "That is mine!

Mom, didn't you promise that if I got straight Apluses in all my classes, you'd buy me that exact music box?" She glared at Seraphina. "Why is it suddenly her birthday present?!" Chapter 4 She scanned the room, her eyes landing on the mountain of designer birthday gifts piled up behind Seraphina.

Tears finally spilled over. "Today is my birthday too! Seraphina already has absolutely everything.

Why does she get to steal my one and only gift?" She turned to her mother. "Mom, who is your actual daughter?!" The exquisite music box rolled across the floor, coming to a dead stop against the baseboard