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
"What do you mean my children are missing?" Lucas barked over the phone. He could not believe his ears."I came here with the driver to take them home as you instructed, but they are nowhere to be found," the nanny explained.Lucas fisted his hand and banged hard on his mahogany desk, letting out a grunt as he did so."I'm on my way," he finally said as he put down the phone and rushed out of the office.The ride to the school seemed longer than usual. All the while, he was restless, wondering where his children would have gone. He had not made so many enemies in his business that would warrant him to have his children kidnapped. Thinking about it now, a lot of people did not know that he had children. Others thought of him as a divorcee. But Lucas was not a man to care about what people thought about him. He was only focused on climbing the financial ladder. A thought crossed his mind and it relaxed him. A week ago, after Claire had been discharged from the hospital and he was still