08. Poppyseed

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 rock.

Remember Olivia Green stopped their wedding? That was enough to make his mood sour. 

“Are you good? Let’s go.”

“I-I can’t.”

His expression turned sour. "I. Give. You. Enough. Time."

This man was seriously giving me a slight heart attack. I wondered how his employees survived working with him. Were they still good now? Their stress tolerance was amazing.

Being in the same room with Sebastian Holding was already causing me a lot of headaches.

"That time is not enough."

You asked for it in exchange for a million dollars, Poppy. This man had already paid you. The least you could do is honor your agreement. Help him reconcile with Olivia Green. Help the two marry. Happy ending for Mr. Holding. 

“Why is that? I already give you ample time to call your friend,” he said in a stern voice. It looked like he was scolding me like a child. “You are seriously wasting my time, woman.”

I folded my arms in front of my chest.

Can I punch him even for a brief moment? 

Standing on my ground, I explained, “I won’t go unless my friend comes here and get my child. If not, I will not go with you. My baby is my top priority. If you consider yourself human, you would understand why I am doing this. However, if you cannot understand my situation, I also understand it because you don’t have a child yourself. You cannot empathize with me.”

“You think as if you know me a lot.”

Will, that was true, but based on my observation, he was the kind of man who would make anyone cry. This kind of man was dangerous, especially to my heart. 

He scoffed. “You talk too much, woman. Such a waste of time. Fine. I will give you another minute–”

“I don’t need a minute, but an hour at least. Christy has some things to do.”

She said she had to finish cooking some orders from the customers. 

Sebastian looked at me in disappointment. “You are lucky I have some use of you. If not, I will be tossing you aside. Make sure you are worth a million dollars.”

I forced a sweet smile on him. “I am more than worth it, Mr. Holding. I promise you.”

Be glad I need your money. If not, I will be asking my neighbors to teach you a lesson for being an asshole, I muttered in my mind.

"Try me."

We were still in the middle of our conversation when someone interrupted. 

“M-Mommy? Excuse me?” Sebastian and I both looked in the direction of the voice and saw it was Kelly who was peeking at the door. “C-can I talk to Daddy now?”

I did not want to break Kelly’s heart but correcting her now was the best thing to do. 

I groaned. “Love, you see…” I looked at Sebastian. I was glad he was not saying anything. He never corrected Kelly’s statement that he was not her father. It was as if he was considering my child’s feelings.

Before I could finish my statement, Kelly came running toward us and stopped in front of Sebastian.

“Are you, my Daddy?” she asked, her eyes blinking in amazement. 

“Love. I’m sorry, but…he is not your daddy.”

Kelly’s face fell. For a moment, but she was back with her bubbly attitude. “Oh, I thought he is my daddy. He looked like he came from abroad, Mommy. What’s your work?” she asked.

My eyes darted at Sebastian. I was expecting he would not answer, but he opened his mouth and gave a curt response. “I own a major share in a company. I am also a CEO.”

“CEO?” Kelly looked at me. “What’s that, Mommy?”

“Ahm…Come here, love. Let’s not bombard Mr. Holding with questions now, okay? You see, he is a very busy man.”

“I think Uncle Holding does not mind, Mommy. Am I right, Uncle?”

Uncle?

“Love.”

Sebastian nodded. 

The CEO of a company wanted to be called an uncle? Is this man for real? 

“Uncle… Can you be my Daddy, instead? I like her for you, Mommy. He's handsome and rich. You two are an item.”

My cheeks flashed red at Kelly’s statement, and I just wanted the ground to swallow me whole. Oh, my goodness. Why is this child putting me in an embarrassing situation? 

Sebastian raised his brows again. 

“An item? Where did you hear that?”

“From Aunt Christy.”

I made a mental note to remind my best friend to be careful with her words especially if she was with Kelly. Sometimes, that woman forgot herself, especially in the middle of ‘pleasure’. 

Kelly tugged my hand, forcing me back to the present. “Love. Mr. Holding is Mommy’s friend and he could never be your Daddy. You see, he will get married to another woman a couple of months from now.” That was my job and I will make sure I will do the job well. Sebastian Holding will marry Olivia Green.

“Is that so, Mommy?”

“Yes. I’m sorry, love. Mr. Holding is taken already.”

“What do you mean by taken, Mommy?”

My eyes shifted to Mr. Holding. Funny how he was not saying I already wasted a lot of his time by talking to my daughter.

“It means he is in a relationship, and he will have a wife sooner or later.”

Why did something sting in my chest? 

Kelly’s face fell. “Can you break up with her and choose Mommy instead? You see, Mommy has been lonely for quite some time now. I see her silently crying at night. I don’t want to see Mommy crying anymore.”

I laughed nervously while watching Sebastian’s reaction. “S-sorry about that. You don’t have to take her words seriously. She’s just a child.”

“I am not a child, Mommy.”

“You are, love. Please go to your room and get your bag. Aunt Christy will be here in a minute. You will be playing with her.”

Kelly pouted. "I don't want to go. I want to stay here with Uncle Holding. Mommy? Will you please tell Aunty I don't want to go?"

"I'm sorry, love but I already told her you will be going with her."

"Why?"

"Because Mr. Holding and I will be going somewhere."

Her eyes lit up and held my hand. "Can I go with you?"

"I'm sorry, but this trip is not for kids."

Seeing Olivia Green would only break her heart even more now that she already had a liking for Sebastian. 

Right on time, someone knocked on the door. 

Standing, my gaze went to the door. "It must be your Aunt Christy. Go to your room now and I will call you when you two will be going to your aunt's house."

"Goodbye, Uncle Holding," Kelly said and waved her hand. As usual, the man did not return my daughter's wave. However, I was still thankful he did not say anything ill to my daughter. 

"Go to your room now."

Kelly rushed to her room. 

"I'll open the door."

"I will be coming with you."

"You don't have—"

My words died when he stood and sauntered towards the door. 

"I will wait outside. Don't waste any more of my time. You're wearing my patience thin, woman."

Sebastian opened the door. 

"Poppyseed?" It was Nolan, holding a bouquet of flowers. Why did he return here again? "Who is that man?"