Unbound (The Braille Club #2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

maybe she was right. A model herself, perhaps Clarisse saw something in her baby picture that others missed. Her adoptive father Craig was a photographer. A glamourous work-focused couple, they were not the normal type to adopt. Niven would find out later why they did.
    A few weeks after her adoption, Niven had her first modelling assignment. Everyone on the shoot was enchanted by her angelic face. She would become the most photographed baby of her time. She moved effortlessly into child modelling, very much in demand. It was not until her transition into fashion modelling that she drew real attention.
    Her eyes, they claimed, were simply remarkable. They called her the Mona Lisa of the model industry; it’s what she did naturally, her gaze following the camera but the effect in print was startling and her rise through the industry had been meteoric.
    Niven’s earliest memory was of her au pair Claudia, kind and loving. She hadn’t lasted long under Clarisse’s tutelage. Her adoptive mother didn’t like any display of emotion or staff getting too close to Niven. There were no hugs and kisses in Clarisse’s world and she ensured the same set of rules applied to her daughter, her thought process being her daughter would be better off without kindness. Kindness didn’t get you anywhere in life, especially in her industry. Niven had to be tough, had to be cold if she wanted to get to the top. No, it was better this way—at least Niven would be prepared.
    Helen came after Claudia. Niven liked her. She was bubbly, often meeting up with other au pairs and their charges. Meredith was her closest friend, and Niven remembered overhearing their conversation one day at the house, where they sat having coffee.
    “It’s got to the stage I actually hate her,” said Helen vehemently to Meredith.
    Her friend gasped in surprise. “I didn’t think it was that bad.”
    “I’m sick of her constant jealousy and interference. I want to quit. Every instinct I’ve got tells me that woman is unstable when it comes to the care of her child. She’s not hurting Niven physically, but mentally, the damage could be irreparable if something isn’t done soon,” she said angrily. “I loved Niven as soon as I saw her, but I was appalled by the cold and emotionless environment she lived in.”
    Meredith clucked in sympathy. “That poor girl.”
     
    ***
     
    Helen
     
    Helen looked at Meredith as if for the first time. Her only way of helping Niven was to get her friend involved. She knew she was not the right person for the job. She was too hot headed, but the more she thought about it, the more she realised her friend was perfect. Meredith had gone through a terrible breakup and had dropped out of her nursing course in New Zealand. She’d told Helen her instinct was to distance herself from the pain, and London fit the bill. Her emotions shattered, she needed time out to reassess her life and signed to be an au pair on impulse. She listened, appalled by Helen’s story, but agreed immediately to her idea. Helen quit, telling Clarisse she was moving abroad with another family. Enraged, Clarisse had no option but to look for another au pair. Meredith applied for the job. Coached by Helen, she didn’t smile or enthuse about herself in any way; her approach was cold, focused and professional. She got the job.
     
    ***
     
    Meredith
     
    When she met Niven she smiled encouragingly but got little response from the child. Niven must have learned quickly the people in her life left without warning and forming attachments was something she couldn’t afford. Things changed dramatically for Meredith when Clarisse became the face of a major skin care company. Meredith thought she had a cold beauty. Her natural blonde hair framed clear eyes and a classic nose. Perfect white teeth, radiant skin, and a tall willowy frame meant she was never short of work. Clarisse worked mainly for the health and medical industry. She was always in demand, her natural