The Bond Between Us ( Anastasia and Herman) novel Chapter 903

Caterina’s face lit up as she took the cash, her grin stretching ear to ear. By her guess, it was a solid ten grand. Now that’s what you call generous.

Autumn was desperate to see her grandson and build a real connection. So, on the sly, she slipped the nanny some extra cash to sneak Daria out and set up these “accidental” meetings.

“Thank you, Mrs. Walker,” Caterina beamed, nearly losing her face in all that smiling.

Autumn leaned in, voice low and secretive. “Keep this between us, alright? Just you and me. And trust me, stick with this and there’s plenty more where that came from.”

“Don’t worry, my lips are sealed.” Inside, Caterina could barely contain her excitement. Easy money for doing almost nothing? Who would say no to that? “Go on and spend time with Daria. I’ll just make an excuse to use the restroom.”

Caterina had a knack for reading situations. She didn’t know exactly what Autumn was after, but as far as she could tell, Autumn adored Daria and meant him no harm. And the money was too good to pass up.

She waved at Daria. “Sweetie, I’m just popping to the restroom. You play here, and I’ll be right back.”

Daria was a confident, social kid. Even without an adult glued to his side, he could entertain himself just fine.

Before leaving, Caterina checked in with the play area manager and made sure Autumn was allowed to stay and watch Daria. Only then did the manager let Autumn in to join them.

Autumn’s excitement was impossible to hide—it was her first time bringing her grandson to a play center. Wanting to win him over, she’d come prepared with gifts.

“Daria!” she called, smiling as she approached. “Remember me? I brought you a present. Want to see what it is?”

Knowing how boys loved cars and robots, Autumn pulled out a limited-edition Transformer from her bag.

Daria’s eyes lit up at the toy, but as soon as he looked at Autumn, his little face turned stubborn and he spun away. “I don’t want anything from a bad person. Go away.”

Autumn froze, confused and hurt. Why did this kid dislike her so much? She’d never done anything to deserve it.

She crouched down, voice soft. “Daria, I’m not a bad person. I really like you. I can get you anything you want. Why don’t you call me Grandma Walker, just once?”

She didn’t dare call herself his grandmother outright.

“No way,” Daria shot back, arms crossed, lips pressed into a pout.

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