She Millionaire Was Always Sick, Until The Cleaning Single Dad Discovered The Whole Truth
A Hidden Affliction and a Sudden Encounter
Blood dripped from Eliza Montgomery’s nose as she collapsed onto the marble floor of her mansion. This wasn’t the first time but it would be the last.
Today was the day Jake Collins, the single father she’d hired to clean her sprawling estate, would discover what was really happening behind the closed doors of the Montgomery mansion.
Eliza Montgomery had everything money could buy. At 36, she was the CEO of Montgomery Pharmaceuticals, a company she’d inherited from her father and transformed into a billion-dollar empire.
Her face had graced the covers of business magazines and her name appeared on lists of the most powerful women in America. Her bank account held more zeros than most people would see in ten lifetimes.
But money couldn’t buy health. For the past three years, Eliza had been plagued by mysterious symptoms like nose bleeds, migraines, and fatigue that left her bedridden for days.,
Dizzy spells came without warning. She’d consulted with specialists across the country, undergone countless tests, and tried experimental treatments, but nothing worked.
The doctors were baffled and Eliza was beginning to believe she was simply dying of some undiagnosible disease. Her sprawling mansion in the hills overlooking Seattle felt more like a prison than a home.
The rooms were immaculate but cold, decorated with expensive art pieces that meant nothing to her. The staff she employed kept their distance, following her strict instructions to maintain her privacy.
Eliza had always been private, but as her illness progressed, she’d become increasingly isolated. She pushed away friends and colleagues until she was completely alone with her mysterious affliction.
Jake Collins hadn’t planned on becoming a house cleaner. Five years ago, he’d been a promising environmental scientist with a beautiful wife and a newborn daughter.
Then came the accident that took his wife’s life and left him a widower with a baby girl to raise alone., The medical bills had drained their savings and his grief had made it impossible to continue his research.
He’d taken a job with an upscale cleaning service because it offered flexible hours. This allowed him to be there for his daughter, Lily.
At 34, Jake was still adjusting to single fatherhood. Lily was now five, precocious and curious about everything with her mother’s bright blue eyes and Jake’s unruly dark curls.
She was the center of his world and he worked tirelessly to give her the stability and love she deserved. They lived in a modest apartment on the outskirts of Seattle, far from the luxury of the homes Jake cleaned.
It was filled with laughter and warmth. When the cleaning service assigned him to the Montgomery mansion, Jake had been intimidated.
Everyone knew who Eliza Montgomery was. Her face was on billboards advertising her company’s latest breakthrough drug.
The mansion was three times the size of any home he’d cleaned before and the list of special instructions was extensive., There was to be no noise and no disturbances.
He was to clean only when Ms. Montgomery was out or in her private wing. He was never to enter certain rooms without explicit permission.
For the first month, Jake barely caught glimpses of the famous millionaire. He would arrive early in the morning, let himself in with the security code, and work methodically through the enormous house.
Sometimes he would hear her on the phone in her office, her voice sharp and authoritative as she conducted business. Other times he would find evidence of her illness.
He saw prescription bottles on the kitchen counter and tissues stained with blood in the bathroom trash. It was on a rainy Tuesday in October when everything changed.
Jake had brought Lily with him to work because her kindergarten class had been cancelled due to a water main break. He’d set her up in the kitchen with coloring books and strict instructions not to wander.
But five-year-olds aren’t known for following rules. While Jake was cleaning the library, Lily had decided to explore.
Eliza had been having one of her better days. The migraines had subsided enough for her to catch up on work, and she’d ventured out of her bedroom to her home office.
She was reviewing quarterly reports when she heard a small voice. “Why do you have so many pills?”
Eliza looked up, startled to find a small child standing in the doorway of her office. The girl was clutching a stuffed rabbit and staring at the array of medication bottles on her desk.
“Who are you?” Eliza asked, too surprised to be angry. “How did you get in here?”
“I’m Lily. My daddy’s cleaning your house, it’s really big, are you sick? My mommy was sick but then she went to heaven.”
Before Eliza could respond, Jake appeared behind his daughter, his face pale with panic. “Lily, I told you to stay in the kitchen.”
He scooped her up, turning to Eliza with an expression of mortified apology. “Ms. Montgomery, I am so sorry, my daughter’s school was closed today and I had no choice but to bring her.”
“I promise it won’t happen again.” Eliza should have been angry.
She valued her privacy above all else and this man had brought a child into her home without permission. But something about the little girl’s innocent question and the genuine concern in her eyes had caught Eliza off guard.
“It’s fine,” she said, surprising herself. “Yes, I am sick, Lily, but not the kind of sick that sends people to heaven, not yet anyway,” she added silently to herself.
Jake was still apologizing and promising to leave immediately when Eliza felt the familiar dizziness washing over her. The room began to spin and she gripped the edge of her desk.
The last thing she heard before collapsing was Lily’s frightened cry and Jake’s footsteps rushing toward her.
