Billionaire Dad Pretended to Be Broke to Test His Daughter’s Nanny—She Had No Idea
Chapter 2
Emma first noticed something was wrong when Daniel sold the car.
The black Mercedes disappeared from the building’s private garage.
In its place sat an old blue pickup truck with rust around the wheel wells.
Lily stared at it.
“That’s our car?”
Daniel nodded.
“For now.”
Emma watched him load two suitcases into the back.
He was wearing faded jeans and a gray sweatshirt.
No watch.
No expensive shoes.
No tailored coat.
He looked like an ordinary man.
But Emma noticed something the others didn’t.
He was too comfortable pretending.
His movements were controlled.
His eyes constantly scanned the surroundings.
It made her suspicious.
Still, Lily was frightened.
She clutched Emma’s hand.
“Are we poor now?”
Daniel looked at her.
“Yes.”
Lily’s lower lip trembled.
Emma immediately crouched.
“Being poor doesn’t mean being unhappy.”
Lily looked at her.
“But what about my school?”
“We’ll figure it out.”
“My room?”
“We’ll figure that out too.”
“My mom’s picture?”
“You can take it.”
Lily hugged Emma.
Daniel watched silently.
The new apartment was in Queens.
It was clean but small.
Two bedrooms.
One bathroom.
A tiny kitchen.
No doorman.
No elevator.
No private security.
Daniel had arranged everything through Marcus.
The furniture was intentionally inexpensive.
The refrigerator was half-empty.
There were overdue-looking bills on the counter.
Everything was designed to look real.
But Emma didn’t care.
She unpacked Lily’s clothes.
She made her bed.
She placed Rebecca’s photograph on the nightstand.
Then she walked into the kitchen.
“We need groceries.”
Daniel looked embarrassed.
“I don’t have much cash.”
“I’ll pay.”
He stared at her.
“You?”
Emma shrugged.
“I have savings.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know.”
She picked up her purse.
“But Lily needs food.”
Daniel watched her leave.
Something inside him shifted.
He hadn’t expected that.
The test had barely begun.
That night, Emma cooked pasta.
Lily sat at the table.
Daniel sat across from them.
He looked uncomfortable.
“You’re really staying?”
Emma looked up.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“You know I can’t pay you what I used to.”
“How much can you pay?”
“Almost nothing.”
Emma thought for a second.
“I’ll work for free until you get back on your feet.”
Daniel stared at her.
“Why?”
Emma smiled.
“Because Lily needs me.”
She returned to her food.
Daniel didn’t know what to say.
He had expected questions.
Suspicion.
Maybe disappointment.
Instead, Emma had simply accepted the situation.
Later, after Lily went to bed, Daniel found Emma sitting on the small balcony.
“You should leave,” he said.
She looked at him.
“What?”
“You have a degree. References. You could find another job.”
“Probably.”
“Then why stay?”
Emma looked through the window at Lily sleeping.
“Because children shouldn’t pay for adults’ mistakes.”
Daniel’s chest tightened.
“You don’t even know what happened.”
“I don’t need to.”
“You don’t know whether I’ll recover.”
“No.”
“You don’t know if you’ll ever be able to pay you.”
“I don’t.”
Daniel frowned.
“Then what do you know?”
Emma smiled softly.
“I know Lily trusts me.”
She stood.
“And I don’t abandon children because their parents lose money.”
Daniel watched her disappear inside.
For the first time since starting the test, he felt uncomfortable.
Not because Emma had failed.
Because she had passed too easily.
But Daniel still wasn’t convinced.
Money could influence people in subtle ways.
Maybe she would stay for a week.
Maybe two.
Maybe she simply felt guilty.
So he decided to make the test harder.
The next morning, he would tell Emma something much worse.
His company wasn’t merely struggling.
He was supposedly facing bankruptcy.
And Lily might have to leave her private school.
Daniel expected Emma to panic.
Instead, Emma simply said:
“Then we’ll find her another school.”
She didn’t know it yet.
But Daniel was beginning to fall for the one person he had intended to test.
