Billionaire Granted His Maid's Toddler Three Wishes — Her First One Left Him in Tears

Ruby paused, her small finger hovering just an inch above the second ivory card. Her blonde curls tilted to the side as she studied Andrew with suspicion.

“What rules?” she asked, sounding entirely too much like a miniature negotiator.

“The rule is simple,” Andrew replied, a faint, rare smile touching his lips. “Wishes granted by a fairy—or someone pretending to be one—usually come with conditions. Your first wish was for Mommy to have a whole weekend off, with full pay.”

“And money,” Ruby emphasized firmly, nodding her head. “She needs the money for shoes.”

Andrew glanced down once more at the split sole of the sneaker dangling off Ruby’s foot, then looked back up at Denise, who was still clutching her apron in terror.

“Your first wish is already granted,” Andrew stated, his voice carrying the immovable weight of a royal decree. “Effective immediately, Denise is placed on a permanent, fully salaried management schedule. Saturdays and Sundays are strictly non-working days. Her weekly pay will be doubled to account for the overtime she has voluntarily sacrificed, and a retroactive bonus covering the past two years of weekend shifts will be deposited into her account by morning.”

Denise staggered backward as if she had been physically struck. Her hand flew to her mouth, and a ragged, choking sob escaped her throat. She sank against the back of a nearby chair, her knees suddenly refusing to hold her weight.

“Mr. Kessler... no... I can’t accept—” Denise choked out, tears finally spilling over her lashes and cutting tracks down her cheeks. “That’s... that’s too much money. That’s life-changing. I didn't earn—”

“Stop right there, Denise,” Andrew cut her off, his voice rising with a sharp, commanding edge that brooked no argument. He stood up from his chair, his tall frame casting a long shadow across the room. “Remember what your daughter told me out in the driveway last night? ‘We don’t take things we didn’t earn.’”

Denise stared at him, her chest heaving.

“Denise,” Andrew continued, his tone softening into something steady and immovable, “you have spent the last two years carrying the weight of this estate on your shoulders while raising a brilliant, observant child alone. You earned every single cent of that back-pay twice over. Consider it a late performance bonus from a company that has been exceptionally blind to its best employees.”

Ruby watched the exchange with wide, solemn eyes, not entirely grasping the financial implications, but sensing the massive emotional shift in the room. She turned back to the table, her small hand tapping the second ivory card with renewed excitement.

“Can I make the second wish now?” she asked eagerly.