The next morning came in a blink of an eye.
Scarlett didn't want to bump into Lucas, and at the same time, she wanted to go for the kids as early as possible.However, she remembered his cruel words and resolved to stay back for a while.At 7:00 am, Daphne knocked on her door and said. "You can come out now Scarlett, he just left."Scarlette's cheeks flushed red as she never expected Daphne to have easily read through her mind.As quick as she could, she hurried over to the kids' room and got them prepared for school as fast as she could.She ensured she prepared their meals according to their favorites as directed by Daphne.In a short while, the kids were off to school. Scarlett then returned to the kitchen to have her breakfast after some encouraging words from Daphne.Daphne soon requested that she headed back to her room to get some work done. It was still a wonder that she did not work in Lucas's company. She had mentioned one time that she did not want her personal life and finances all tied to the same tree. She worked as a social media manager for a few prestigious fashion brands, and Scarlett thought she was doing pretty well for herself. She admired her poise, her elegance, and the warmth of her presence."Are you sure you would be okay by yourself?" Daphne asked concernedly as she stood by the stairs. "I could come work here, you know," she added.Scarlett knew that she would not. She needed company. The house already felt cold and void with the children at school. If Lucas walked in by chance while she was away, she would be left at the mercy of a man who would not bat an eyelid if she was run over by a truck."Of course, I'll be fine," she said with a feigned smile and hoped that Daphne did not notice."If you need anything, I'm just a staircase away," Daphne replied instead and headed up the stairs hurriedly. She had a deadline to meet and it was obvious that she was running out of time.Once Daphne had retired to her room to get some work done, Scarlett was bored. She had done the dishes and had made preparations for lunch. She looked around the spacious living room. She had not yet taken in the ambiance of the house. It was as though Lucas was sitting on the fence when he was speaking to his interior designer. It was as though he wanted the house to feel warm, and yet, still have a piece of him associated with it. The dark leather cushions sat at the far end of the living room, while there were plush yellow sofas in the center of the living room, where the children would likely sit down if they wanted to watch the giant screen that sat elegantly on the wall.Scarlett had never understood it. She wondered why people bothered to get gigantic television screens when she could easily watch any show with her mini-sized television back at the crappy apartment she had just left.After long minutes of negotiation, Scarlett decided that it was time she gave the house a tour, just to get acquainted with the parts that she had not gotten accustomed to earlier.Almost everything worked with remote control, and Daphne had done her best to teach her the nitty gritty of using them. It was not so hard after all. It made everything easier instead.The spacious kitchen was associated with the living room in some way. Anything that was cooked there wafted to the living room very easily. The kitchen fittings sparkled in the bright light. She had seen Daphne doing some cleaning, along with a domestic staff earlier.The kitchen island was spectacular, and she tried everything, from the taps to the blenders and juicers, to the dishwashers. She wanted to know how everything worked, and she was fascinated by it all. She wondered how much money it took to fix all of it.The refrigerator was just beside the microwave. You only had to clap twice, and the lights turned on from within, putting its contents on full display, so you could know if you were interested in anything without having to open it. Scarlett smiled gleefully. She had never seen anything like it before.A dining area sat across the kitchen. The wooden table had been polished to a shine, and there were only five tables around it. It left Scarlett wondering how awkward it would be if she was in the kitchen making food and Lucas sat at the dining table watching her with his piercing green eyes. She shook her head as though it would brush off the thought from her head.When she was satisfied with her tour, she decided that it was time to explore the top floor that had all the rooms and Lucas's study.As she headed up the spiral staircase, she noticed the gold trimmings that she had not noticed before. Her eyes widened. It was pure gold. She knew because her mother had once worked as an attendant in an expensive jewelry shop before she passed.She realized that it must have cost a fortune to put it all together. She knew that there were still a lot more things she needed to explore, and a wave of excitement surged through her.As she climbed the top of the stairs, it reminded her of how grumpy Lucas had looked at her disgustingly earlier, and she mimicked him a little and laughed at how silly she looked afterward. It felt so peaceful being alone after all.She waltzed through the corridors, and she was drawn to the nature paintings that lay elegantly on the wall. Lucas seemed to love nature very much, she thought. It was a contrast to his cold personality. But Daphne had mentioned that he had a soft side within all that grumpiness. She wondered if it was only to make her feel better about his unruly treatment.The first room she passed by was hers. Daphne's own was next, and she was tempted to press her ears to the door to know if she would at least get a grasp of the nature of Daphne's work. She decided to continue her tour instead.The children's rooms were next, and Scarlett sauntered in. The children stayed in a single room, but they had their personal space, and it was well-defined. She wondered how everything was stacked in neat piles including their toys. The room was painted a shade of light pink at one end and sky blue at the other end. It was such a beautiful combination to behold, and she felt like she could relax there a little.She continued her tour instead. Lucas' room was next. The huge mahogany door alone was intimidating, and Scarlett wondered what it would look like inside, but she could only imagine. Lucas was never going to allow her the chance to see what it looked like.She did not mind either. It could not be more beautiful than the rest of the house put together. For a moment, she stood and relished in the possibility that the entire house belonged to her. The thought of it alone made her laugh hard. It was not a bad idea to dream after all.As she continued her tour, something struck her. A huge painting sat elegantly at the end of the corridor. She drew closer as if captivated by some kind of force until she got to where it was. As if acting on impulse, she took it down and touched it. It was a nude painting, but it was beautiful. The woman in it was elegant, and the painter had done a good job accentuating her features perfectly.Scarlett was held spellbound by it. She had not seen anything like it before. She stared at it, running her hand over it for some long minutes.As she made to place it back, it slipped from her hands to the ground. She heard the glass frame shatter, and her heart shattered along with it as she drew back in fear. She knew that she was in trouble already. She heard a door open in the distance, but she was too scared to turn around."Are you hurt?" She heard Daphne's comforting voice behind her, as soft hands held her shoulders. She shook her head as Daphne drew her back."I'll send for someone to come clean this up," she said. Scarlett was still too scared to speak. Her mind was on what Lucas would do to her if he found out that she had not just touched the painting, but broken it into pieces."What the hell is going on here?" A voice growled from behind them. Scarlet closed her eyes in trepidation without turning back. It was Lucas and he was seething with fury.Lucas' eyes fell to the shattered glass on the floor, and his heart broke into a thousand pieces. That was his most cherished work of art, not because he had spent a fortune to have a glass painting of a nude woman, but because it was his wife.It stood at the end of the corridor, so he would look at it before he retired for the night, and first thing in the morning when he stepped out of his room to begin his busy day.His wife cherished the painting just the same way he did. It was the only thing that still reminded him of her, and what she looked like.At first, he had shot Scarlett a ferocious look, but as he drew closer to the shattered painting, his eyes softened.Scarlett saw something glint in his eyes, something that looked like a tear, as he crumpled to the ground and rummaged through the shattered glass as though he had suddenly run mad.She felt sorry for him immediately as he knelt there. Lucas was a well-muscled large man, and seeing him this way, she felt entirely remors
Lucas stared at Scarlett and the kids for a long five minutes, and he could barely have words to describe how peaceful they looked in their sleep.He had been worried about his kids the whole night. He knew how much they were scared of the thunderstorm, and Daphne could barely keep her eyes open at the first drop of rain.For the first time since she started work, he was grateful that she was there, and the children felt so at peace with her. He watched them snuggle up to her, and it warmed his heart.When Scarlett looked up at him, he quickly looked away, but it was already too late to feign anger. She sat up with a start, and it almost made him chuckle. She was so intimidated by him, and he liked it so much. He did not like her one bit and did not want her to feel relaxed around him."I thought I said no contact with my kids," he said to her in an upset, but somewhat calm tone.Maybe if you stayed at home with them last night, they would not have to be curled up in my bed.Scarlett s
Scarlett woke up with a start immediately after her alarm went off, put a shirt over her head, and rushed downstairs. She would not want to attract any mundane talk from Lucas.Ever since Daphne left, he complained about everything she did, and how she could barely get a simple job done.She moved about with so much trepidation that made her bump into things, and sometimes, break things as she went."Don't you have any shame?" He would bark at her. She had once thought of leaving the job. She would be better off as a barista in a peaceful coffee shop than in a luxurious home, with good pay but a grumpy boss. But whenever she looked at the kids, and how much they warmed up to her, she would always have a change of mind. She loved them like her own and she would want them to remain in her care. Days had passed and they were only getting fond of her with each passing day.Scarlett flipped the eggs in the pan carefully to avoid a break. It was the way Lucas loved his breakfast. The idea o
Chapter 10"Scarlett, would you come to our school tomorrow?" Callan asked as she served them lunch. She had had a long nap after the kids were gone to school, and now that they were back, she was more than energized to care for them."What for, baby?" Scarlett asked softly, placing the food bowl down for a bit."Tomorrow, our parents are supposed to come to school for a meeting," Claire replied to her."Did you tell your father about it?" She asked them in a concerned tone and the children shook their heads. It was not like she would not want to go to their school, but Lucas might have a different opinion, and she was trying so hard not to annoy him further."Dad has never been to our school for the meeting. Aunty Daphne has always been the one with us, but now that she is gone, we do not know who should go with us," Claire rambled on, and Scarlett listened fixedly."I will have to ask your dad first then," she said, and they nodded happily. She thought about it. Lucas was a jerk and
Lucas sat back on his study desk, the huge mahogany desk secluding his huge frame. Scarlett's voice rang in his mind. The last thing she said to him suddenly haunted him like a plague.He never thought about it in the past. He had loved his ex-wife so much that after her death, it was as though his whole life crumbled with her.He had become emotionally unavailable to everyone around him. He had secluded himself for months after her death and he had to see a therapist before he could move on. Her death still hurt him but he dared to get back to work.To take his mind off the loss, he immersed himself in work. His children were the only ones he still bore some form of emotional attachment to, but he had been so busy with work that he barely saw them.He never knew that Callan had qualified for the kids' baseball team in school and that Claire had learned how to write the alphabet without any help. He only found out these things from their teacher.He constantly ached with a feeling of
Scarlett shivered as she heard his voice. She resolved to apologize to him but he was not taking a chance to look at her or hear whatever she had to say. He rushed over to his daughter as she lay unconscious. Doctor Ezra came in just then."I heard you were around and I decided to come over," he began smiling sheepishly, as though he sought some kind of favor from Lucas."How is my daughter now?" Lucas asked him in a low voice, ignoring his sycophancy. "She is stable now but we would keep her here for a few days, just for further observations," the doctor replied.They soon stepped out for a few words, and Scarlett watched them through the blinds, as though they were deciding her fate. She saw him glance at her once but she looked away.Lucas was livid when he stepped back into the room and he did not utter a single word. He took a seat and Callan curled up to him. He took him in his hands and Scarlett just looked on as he seethed. She was at a loss as to what to do or say next. She
Claire's eyes fluttered open but the bright ward lights forced her to shut them close again. She stirred and it alerted Lucas. He rushed to her immediately and stood over her."Are you okay, baby?" He asked her as he patted her hair softly. She nodded as she gently opened her eyes again, little by little until she fully adjusted to the bright lights. "I'm fine, Daddy. I missed you," she said quietly and looked around. Lucas' eyes grew teary and he looked away immediately and forced them back. He would not be so vulnerable before his children, not after three years of trying to hold back his pain before them.Claire sat up on the bed and a nurse examined her. She looked around the ward. It was beautifully decorated. It had balloons that said 'Get well soon' on them.She looked at the toys that rested on the bed table along with the cards that were brought to her. Her schoolmates and her teacher had visited a day before and they had brought her 'get well soon' cards. Her eyes lit up a
Lucas had had enough of their demand to bring Scarlett back. He was also getting overwhelmed with taking care of them all by himself. He had told Daphne about it, and she only agreed with the kids that Scarlett should be brought back to the house.If they all agreed that Scarlett was who they wanted, then he had to agree that she was good at her job after all. But his pride would not let him. It would seem degrading for him to go back and ask her to resume. He had even sent her a severance package that signified that he would not need her services anymore.He barely had any idea of how to take care of his children, and when he got fed up, he contacted the agency that provided nannies. They assured him that one would be sent to him the next day.When she arrived, she introduced herself as Martha. Lucas had looked over at her. She had a pale expression and he was unsure about how she would handle his kids, but he had put security cameras installed in the whole house, and he would know i