POPPY:
“Mommy, I’m bored,” Kelly muttered while licking her lollipop. She kicked her feet continuously and it hit the feet of the chairs in front of her. She was back at the house the next morning. It was Saturday. No school. We can have all the time in the world for our bonding.As always, Christy had done a great job of taking care of my child.After cleaning the kitchen, I walked towards Kelly and hugged her back. "Do you want to go to the park, love? The other children are playing there."Kelly faced me, frowning. Her cute little lips pouted. I was thankful she resembled me instead of my good-for-nothing ex-husband. There were no traces of Nolan on her physical looks. The only thing she got from her father was liking tomatoes and could even eat them raw, something I could not do. And speaking of that bastard, he never called me again. Good for me. If he continues making my life chaotic like what he did six years ago, I will make sure I will be asking John to give him the best scare of his life.“The park?”“Yes, love. You said you wanted to go there on the previous day. I remembered that. Why? Did you change your mind? Or do you want to do something else? I’m free as of the moment, love. Come on. Be open to Mommy and tell her what you want.”Kelly thought for a moment. “I’m not in the mood right now. Maybe later.”I raised my brows while watching her lick her lollipop.Now that I noticed it, Kelly was sad today. She was not in her usual happy mood.“Hey. Is there something troubling my little pumpkin?”To lighten the mood, I tickled her on both sides, and the house was filled with her giggles. “C-Can’t breathe, Mommy!” she exclaimed. “P-please,” she begged as her tears fell from her eyes. I stopped and sat next to her. “O-okay. I will stop now. So…can you tell Mommy the things you want now?”My phone beeped. Wiping both of my hands, I fished the phone out of my side pocket. Someone sent a message. Another unknown number. Nolan? Maybe he already knew I blocked his number and bought another SIM card.[Prepare, woman.]The words were familiar.My phone beeped again.[You read my message? Don’t waste my time and reply. ASAP!]I exhaled a long sigh.Sebastian Holding. Right. Who else would always remind me not to waste his time?Despite my irritation, images of his handsome face resurfaced in my mind. His soft lips which had no traces of cigarettes. His clean shaved face. His cold eyes which made you shiver. I typed a few words, erased everything, and pressed the send button.[Thumbs-up sign.]There. It was considered a reply, right?"Mommy?"I blinked a couple of times when I realized Kelly was tugging my apron. "I’m sorry, love. Someone sent me a message. What is it again, love?"“Was it Aunt Christy?”I shook my head. I wished it was. “It’s someone else.”“Who is it, then?” Kelly asked, with puppy dog eyes. “Is that your boyfriend?”I chuckled and pocketed my phone. Sebastian could wait. He should wait. My daughter was more important. “Boyfriend? Where did you even hear that? I have no boyfriend, love.”Sebastian Holding my boyfriend? That man was out of my league. He will never choose a pauper like me. What he was looking for was not a princess, but a queen and that was Olivia Green for you.Realizing the train of my thoughts, I chastised myself. Why would I be thinking of being in a relationship with that man? I was already happy with Kelly and having a man in my life again would only bring nothing but heartaches.Kelly’s smile widened. “Is it Daddy?”My heart skipped a bit while my hands turned cold. I chuckled nervously, looking for a way out. The topic I had been dreading talking about–Nolan. Oblivious to my internal conflict, Kelly leaned in, and inquired, "When will I be seeing Daddy? I want my Daddy."I was stunned for a moment. Kelly rarely asked about her Dad. It looked like she knew I did not like talking about her father. Was I considered a bad mother if I never allowed her to see Nolan's face? That every time she asked about her real father, I would say he was out of the country working? That was better than killing him, right?However, as Kelly grew, she became persistent in asking about her Dad's whereabouts and I had a feeling she already knew that I was lying to her. It will only be a matter of time before she will know the truth that her biological father, Nolan did not want her. I will protect my baby as long as I live. She will never know she was unwanted by her own father. "Mommy?" she asked again.I chuckled nervously. "Y-yes, love?"She stared at me with her wide eyes. "My classmates are asking about my daddy. They said they haven't seen him. Not even once."My chest tightened. Hiding my nervousness, I combed her hair using my fingers. "And what did you tell them?"I sat beside her while I looked for a comb to brush her blonde hair. Kelly pouted and shrugged her shoulders. "I said Daddy is out of the country. And he is working. Like what you said. You did not lie to me, Mommy? Miss Abby said lying is bad."I exhaled. "G-good. Good. Y-you were right. Daddy is working abroad."She was no longer listening to me. After a couple of seconds, she muttered, "Mommy?""Yes, love.""Why do we never call, Daddy? Not even once? My friends and classmates, whenever they miss their mom and daddy, they will be calling them....what do you call that, Mommy?""They use social media.""Yes! That's it, Mommy." Her eyes lit up as if an excellent idea came into her mind. "Why don't we call Daddy, Mommy? I want to see him! I want to hear his voice!" she exclaimed and jumped on her seat.A lump formed in my throat. Calling Nolan was no longer an issue. He was the one who wanted to see his child. All I had to do was scan through my call history, press that number, and viola! He would certainly answer his phone. But...until now, I cannot forgive him for what he had said before. For voicing out his solution to the problem. "L-love? M-maybe, Dad is busy right now? Can we call him again next time?"Tears swam in her eyes. "Why do you always say next time, Mom? Maybe...my friends are right.""What did they tell you?""That I don't have a father and he doesn't want me. He doesn't love me."My breath caught in my throat. I was about to tell her another set of lies, but the doorbell rang. Technically saved by the bell. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she exclaimed, "Is that Daddy, Mommy?"Before I could stand, Kelly was already running towards the doorway. I called her name a few times, but she never listened. My heart thumped wildly against my ribcage. Nolan! What if it was Nolan? What if he never gave up?No! I won't let him see Kelly! I won't let him steal Kelly away from me!Forcing my feet to go after her, I ran."Love. Do not open the door. Let Mommy open it! If it’s a stranger, what did I tell you about talking to strangers?""No, Mommy! I want to see Daddy!" she exclaimed while dancing with joy. "Why did you not tell me Daddy will be coming here? Oh. Was it your surprise, Mommy?"It was too late. I could no longer stop her from turning the knob. "Love! Please don't—"My words froze when I did not see Nolan, but Sebastian Holding on our doorstep.Kelly gasped, her mouth falling open upon looking at our visitor. I knew, love. I had the same reaction when I saw Mr. Holding. Until now, he still looked like a god in my eyes. “Love. Wait!”And before I could stop Kelly, she ran into Sebastian's arms, hugged him tight as if she did not want him to let go, and blurted, "Daddy! I found you!"POPPY:My mouth gaped open wide upon hearing my daughter.Daddy?My head spun and got dizzy as I stared at my baby hugging Sebastian. She wrapped her little hand around the man while sniffing at him."You smell so good, Daddy!"Sebastian cocked his eyebrows and looked at me. His eyes ordered me to remove Kelly away from him.But…I could not move.How could I do it?For the first time, I saw my baby smiling from ear to ear. How could I extinguish the fire from her eyes and dampen the mood? How could I hurt her feelings right now?Mr. Holding continued looking at my baby. He glanced at his back and his bodyguard automatically stepped forward.No! No one will embarrass my child. I would kill anyone who dared to. Clearing my throat, I went to my baby and carefully untangled her away from Mr. Holding. "L-love? Come to Mommy."Kelly shook her head continuously and held Mr. Holding tightly. My heart tightened at seeing her hug Sebastian like he was indeed her father. I forgot these were t
POPPY:After making a few calls and calling Christy, I was back in the living room. The woman said she will be coming here to fetch my daughter.I did not know what to do if I did not know her. She was always to the rescue. With my heart at ease, I returned to where Mr. Holding was waiting for me. Sebastian was folding his arms and upon seeing me, his sharp eyes looked sharper than ever. His eyes looked bored. "I thought I would be sleeping here," Sebastian greeted me, his voice full of sarcasm. "This house is only for me and my daughter, Mr. Holding.""That's sarcasm."I know. I'm not dumb.I faked a surprise look. "Oh, really? I did not know it was."If this was the kind of employer I had right now, I would be peeing my pants. His piercing eyes could cut the hardest metal in the world.Maybe he did not love Olivia Green. If he did, he won’t be giving me a death glare right now. They said love could transform the hardest steel including Sebastian, but this man, he was hard as a r
POPPY:My heart skipped a beat. Nolan. This bastard. What was he doing here? I thought he had already given up on pursuing me after lying to him.“Poppyseed?” Nolan called again. The pain was evident in his eyes. Fuck.Of all the days, he had come here while Kelly was inside the house? What if the two met? It may be a sin or unfair on Nolan’s side, but I did not want the two to see each other. I was not prepared for that. My breathing rate accelerated.Damn you, Nolan! How dare you make me feel fear. No! You won’t be taking Kelly away from me!Fear crawled over my body, prickling my skin. Inhale. Exhale. You still have your child, Poppy. This bastard cannot take Kelly away from you. I will ask the best lawyer that could defend me if Nolan continues to insist on taking my child away. I glanced over my shoulder. Kelly was nowhere to be seen. Good. I did not want to see her good-for-nothing father. I was free to say whatever I wanted to this bastard. “Did you forget? I told you
POPPY:The car was thick with silence and it was suffocating for me. Both men were not even saying anything as if they both agreed that talking was already a waste of their time.To make it less awkward, I pretended to check my phone every now and then, waiting for Christy’s message.When I left Kelly to her, I was already appeased that nothing would happen to my daughter. It’s just that… I always missed the feeling of being around her.“I don’t want you casually holding me whenever you please. It makes my skin crawl.”Staring at the rearview mirror and meeting Sebastian’s gaze, my brows furrowed in confusion. What was he talking about again?“I beg your pardon, Mr. Holding?”"I don't waste my time explaining what I just said. I thought you were not dumb," he snapped. I folded my arms in front of my chest. "Well, if touching you offends you so much, I want to offer my apologies, Mr. Holding."If Sebastian was silent and rarely talked, the more was his bodyguard. He was always observa
POPPY:Oh, no. Sebastian's going to kill me.His patience was already to the highest limit and everything was because of me. His edge of irritation returned. "Y-yes, Mr. Holding?" I asked, acting innocent. "Does it look like a joke to you? When will you take this seriously? If you don't want to do this job, return my half million this instant!" he demanded.I bit my lower lip. Even if I could, I won't, despite not having plans on how to spend it. But I had an initial plan of saving it for Kelly's education. “Chill. I will go with you. I will do it. I will focus on my job, okay?”My eyes lingered on Rowan Carter. He had a big butt, I could not help but notice. See you next time, Rowan Carter. The next time I meet him, I will ask for his picture. I had a feeling this would never be the last time our paths would cross. I was certain this would not be the last time that we would be seeing each other.“You better be, woman. I am starting to get tired of you.”“Where is Olivia Green
POPPY:My heart jumped at the rage I drew on Sebastian's face. Why could I not stop myself from blurting out whatever was on my mind? This mouth will be the death of me. "N-nothing, Mr. Holding. I said break. You only misheard it.""I'm not buying it. You said something."His ears were sharp as his eyes. I must control myself around this man.“I did not, Mr. Holding. However, no matter what I say, I cannot change your mind, right?” I pouted my lips. “If I offend you at any cost, could you forgive me, Mr. Holding?” Sebastian looked at me as if he was going to puke. “Why are you giving me that weird look, woman?” he asked. “Nothing. To clear up some misunderstanding?” I blinked a couple of times and tried to act cute even if I felt sick doing this myself. Sebastian waved his hand. “Erase that look. It does not look good on you.”“If Miss Olivia pouted like this, does it look good on her?” I inquired. "Does it make your heart race?"“I do not like a woman who acted like a child. Who
POPPY:It was only a simple question, but my mind could not find the words to answer Olivia Green.Seeing the conflict on my face, Olivia covered her mouth and looked away. “Bastian, she is your woman, right? Why are you hiding it from me? All I wanted is to hear the truth from your mouth. But why could I not have it? The truth, Sebastian. The truth!” she exclaimed in frustration. Sebastian’s eyes narrowed at me. He was also disappointed.Shit.Why would my mouth refuse to cooperate at the moment? Knowing Sebastian could not get any help from me, he closed the distance between him and Olivia. “Olivia.""Do not touch me, Bastian." Olivia hugged herself and stepped backward. "I hate you for cheating on me.""That woman is only a friend. You don’t have to be jealous of her. She is nothing compared to you. You are elegant. Sophisticated. Rich. Powerful. Beautiful. You almost have everything in this world.”Ouch.Why did Sebastian have to slap me with reality? I knew I was far from this
POPPY:There was only one word that would describe Mr. Holding right now. Rude. And oh jerk. Impatient. Disrespectful. Acts mighty and high. I did not believe all wealthy people were like him. I wanted to believe that those were only for him.I looked like a fool extending my hand while wearing a smile on my face, but he never bothered to accept it even if it will only take him a few seconds to shake it. Not wasting his precious words at all, and his efforts, he entered the door when Wyatt opened it for him. His personal bodyguard was about to close it, but I stopped him, went after Mr. Holding, and sat beside the billionaire.The man raised his brows at me, moved farther away, touching the window, and I did the same.I was still embarrassed by what he did.Damn him!Angrily, I blew the strands of hair blocking my eyes while glaring at the road as we exited the infamous hills. Recognizing the car of Sebastian, the security guard saluted which Wyatt returned. I was glad that despite