Lana's POV
When Luna woke up, she took a deep breath, then slid out of bed and quickly tossed on a sweater and jeans. She knew she needed to hurry-it was time to get the kids ready for school.
As she made her way down toward their rooms, she could already hear Max and Lily giggling from down the hall.
"Good morning, sleepyheads!" Lana greeted cheerfully.
He was sitting up in bed, his hair a wild mess, while Lily was already by his side, poking him to wake up.
"Morning,Lana!" Lily squealed, hugging her tightly.
"Hey, we've got a schedule to keep, remember?" Lana reminded them, gently ruffling Max's hair. "Let's get you two ready for school!"
They began their joyous routine of brushing teeth, wrangling with clothes, coaxing them through breakfast, finally Lana got them outside just in time as the school bus pulled up. The kids ran excitedly toward it, waving to her as they disappeared inside; she smiled, feeling proud and accomplished.
Her first morning with the mansion was over, now she had to go to school.
She raced to her room, threw on her school uniform quickly, and snatched her bag. She was practically out of the house when her phone rang-Mabel.
"Hey, are you on your way?" Mabel asked.
"Yes, almost there!" Lana replied as she ran down the hall towards the garage, where Rusty was waiting.
Lana's heart was racing in excitement as she approached the car, she froze as she felt someone standing behind her. He was the last person she had wished to see there-Nikolai.
"Lana," he began, "I thought it was time for an upgrade.
He held the key out to her and motioned to a gleaming new silver sedan parked just a few feet away. Lana's jaw dropped as she saw the car. The new car glittered in the light, its surface perfectly clean and reflecting the luxury.
"For…me?" Lana stuttered, hardly able to believe it.
Nikolai nodded. "Let's just say I don't want my kids' nanny looking all too loose." He said.
“And please do something with your hair”. He concluded.
She took the keys from his hand, her fingers brushing his . "Thank you…this is incredible," she breathed, her eyes still wide with wonder. "But I… I think I'm going to miss Rusty."
Nikolai gave a slight, soft smile, "You can keep Rusty in the garage if you want, but trust me, you'll enjoy this one a bit more."
He didn't wait for anything else, just nodded lightly, his expression went back to a businesslike composure. "Now, I really need to get to work. Have a great day, Lana."
Turning, he walked away, leaving her standing there with the keys to a brand-new life in her hands.
It wasn't until she slid into the smooth leather of the sedan's interior that it truly dawned on her what had just happened.
Joy mixed with disbelief rolled over her, but she quickly pulled the door in, reminding herself it was just a car.
“Let's rock you baby”, she said.
The drive to campus was unlike any Lana had ever had-smooth, effortless, and more than thrilling. She pulled up and saw Mabel and her boyfriend Liam waiting outside of the building, as they always did. But when they saw her step from the silver sedan, their jaws dropped.
"Lana… Is that…?" Mabel asked, eyes wide.
Surprise!" Lana laughed, holding up the key fob ."Nikolai gave it to me this morning. Can you believe it?"
Josh whistled low. "That's one generous boss you've got there."
Mabel gave Lana a knowing look, one that her eyes narrowed slightly. "A generous boss, huh?" she teased, elbowing Lana playfully. "Or maybe he's a boss with a soft spot for his new nanny?
Lana's cheeks flushed. "It's not like that, Mabel! He's just a considerate employer."
"Uh-huh," Mabel smirked, not quite looking convinced. "Well, consider me impressed. You went from driving Rusty to rolling up in… whatever this beauty is."
Lana laughed it off, the faint blush rising to her cheeks. They entered the campus together, Mabel and Josh bombarding her with questions about her new life at the mansion. Her classes were over in abit; her mind was partially filled with the events of the morning. By the time it was the end of the day.
But just as she was about to leave campus, her phone buzzed, and she saw that a notification had come from her bank account. She clicked on it, and her eyes grew wide as she saw her first payment from Nikolai. The amount made her drop her mouth open; it was more than she'd ever held in her bank account at one time. She would finally be able to pay off her debts-maybe even save a little for herself.
She was still staring over the balance on her screen, when suddenly she felt a strong push from behind. Girls pushed her into the ladies' room next door before she could utter a word. She turned around to face Bianca, the bully on campus, smirking down at her.
"Look who thinks she's hot stuff now," Bianca sneered. "Got yourself a fancy car, didn't you?
Lana tried to pull away, but Bianca and her friends only closed their circles tighter, pushing her across to the row of stalls.
"Bianca, let me go!" Lana struggled, panic flashing through her. She had barely managed to stand up to Bianca in the past, and now it would appear the situation had only gotten worse.
"Perhaps a little dip in the toilet will remind you where you really belong," Bianca said with a nasty grin.
As Lana was about to reply, two of Bianca's friends clutched her arms, and Bianca pressed her hand to Lana's head, leaning it toward the toilet. The horror and humiliation twisted her stomach, she begged for them to stop and only to receive laughter.
"No! Stop! Please!" she screamed, the voice echoing off the cold bathroom tile. She felt her head dip close to the water - the sickening smell, calling a gag from her throat. She struggled with all her might, but the girls held tight.