A few hours later, the staff were on break and Stacy used the chance to quickly finish up her extra work instead of going on break.
"Aren't you going to have something to eat yet?” Samantha asked."No, I'm not. I need to finish up with these files first before having anything to eat,” Stacy said, fully focused on her PC.Samantha rolled her eyes and shut Stacy’s PC right before her."What are you doing? I don't want Mr. Yates to get mad at me for not finishing up with these files. Go, I'll join you soon,”Samantha paid no attention to Stacy’s words and grabbed her arm."You're following me no matter what you say. Do you know how many times your stomach grumbled beside me? Have something to eat first then you can return back to your work,” Samantha said, pulling Stacy towards the elevator.Stacy let out a sigh in defeat. "Alright,” Stacy pouted.On getting to the roadside outside the tall company building made of solid glass Samantha cussed."Dammit! I forgot to take my purse along with me. Hold up here for a little while, I won't take long,” Samantha said to Stacy and hurried back to the elevator to grab her purse from her desk. While waiting for Samantha, Stacy noticed a stray Pomeranian puppy with fluffy white fur hiding under a chair at the roadside.Captivated by the adorable sight, Stacy couldn't resist pouting at the little puppy's cute eyes and crouching down, making gentle sounds to attract its attention."Come here, come here," she coaxed, beckoning with her hands.Initially hesitant, the puppy warily emerged from its hiding spot and cautiously approached the unfamiliar but inviting stranger.As Stacy cradled the puppy in her arms, she lovingly stroked its soft white fur, prompting the puppy to shower her face with affectionate licks, eliciting giggles from Stacy."You're such a precious and lovely little one. I can't imagine who would leave such a gem like you out here," Stacy mused, her heart melting at the sight of the adorable puppy in her arms."Daisy! Where did you run off to?” A little voice scolded and Daisy immediately leaped off Stacy’s arm and ran to the little girl who was approaching them with worry. Barking excitedly, Daisy nuzzled against the girl's legs, who scooped her up into her arms with a mix of relief and scolding."You're being so naughty, Daisy. You had me so worried. I thought you were lost, but here you are in the arms of this lovely lady," the girl sighed, shaking her head in amusement. Stacy was touched by the bond between the two little ones. They made such a cute pair. The little girl had striking grey eyes and blonde hair styled in two ponytails held by a red bow. She wore a red flared skirt and a Barbie top that matched her vibrant outfit.As Stacy gazed into the girl's eyes, a sense of familiarity struck her. "Why do her eyes remind me of Mr. Yates's?" she pondered silently."Thank you so much, Auntie, for finding my Daisy. I was so scared I had lost her. I'm glad you found her," the little girl expressed her gratitude with a beaming smile.Returning the smile, Stacy replied warmly, "It was my pleasure, dear. Your puppy is absolutely adorable. I might have wanted to keep her if you hadn't shown up," she chuckled, sharing a light moment with the girl.Curious and drawn to Stacy's amber eyes and gentle demeanor, the little girl inquired, "Auntie, what's your name?""Yes of course! I'm Stacy Hills,” Stacy extended her hand to her with a genuine smile which the little girl shook with hers."What's your name, My dear? Where are your parents?” Stacy asked, wondering if she had gotten lost or something."I am Cherry Yates. My daddy works here in this company,” Cherry pointed at the tall glass building behind Stacy. Approaching them, a man clad in a security guard uniform bowed respectfully. "Young Miss, your father is requesting your presence in his office," he informed Cherry.Disheartened by the failed surprise, Cherry sighed, "I wanted to surprise him by visiting here for the first time, but it seems impossible to catch him off guard."Waving a quick goodbye to the slightly stunned Stacy, Cherry chirped, "Bye Aunt Stacy!"Startled out of her reverie by Cherry's departure, Stacy waved back gently. "Goodbye, Cherry."With her puppy cradled in her arms, Cherry followed the security guard into the building, disappearing from view. "Oops! You look out of space. I guess I wasted a lot of time to return. I'm sorry,” Samantha apologized."No problem at all," Stacy reassured her, though her thoughts lingered on the encounter with the young girl and her furry companion.Seeing Mr. Yates's daughter at the company for the first time surprised Stacy. The contrast between the cold and stoic CEO and his lively daughter intrigued her.Unbeknownst to Stacy, every moment had been observed by Mr. Yates through his PC, his stormy grey eyes reflecting his intrigue with a hint of a smile playing at the corner of his lips.*****A resonating slap ran across Stacy’s face, forcefully making her head turn to the other side, leaving her whole body trembling for his mercy.Tears rolled down Stacy’s cheeks as she held onto her reddened cheeks with her dad's fingerprints marked on her face."Why didn't you go to Mr. Hawk’s mansion as I had instructed you yesterday, Stacy?!” Stacy’s father barked at her furiously, glaring daggers at her. His mouth was filled with the stench smell of alcohol.Stacy’s body kept quivering, unable to look into her father's bloodshot eyes as she stared at her feet with tears in her amber eyes.Everything around her was a blur due to the tears and she could not hear a thing clearly cause the slap still had an effect on her eardrum.Her father let out an impatient hiss, completely furious at how timid and quiet his daughter was even after all the yelling and slaps she had received from him for her to speak up.He hated everything about his daughter and he felt like killing her in an instant cause she was a nuisance replica of her late mother both in looks and personality.Within a heartbeat, Ethan Hills curled his large fingers around Stacy’s slender neck, choking her up as he pushed her till her back slammed against the cold wall behind her and Stacy let out a yelp."Daddy, please. You're hurting me,” Stacy whimpered in a pleading tone, unable to breathe due to how hard he held her little neck in his large palms."What are waiting for? Aren't you the one I've been talking to, Stacy Hills? Give me an explanation now before I run my hand across your face and give a brain-resetting slap to get your mouth to start functioning!” Her father growled at her and Stacy let a whimper of pain. Her back ached due to the force of her dad's actions and her chest constricted in heartbreaking pain at the way her own Dad had always maltreated her like she wasn't human at all. As if she had no right to decide for herself and she was just some tool he used to make money. She was scared that her Dad might kill her if she told him the reason she refused to adhere to him. How was she going to tell him that her heart belonged to no one other than Bruce Yates? How on earth was she going to make her Dad understand that Dan Hawk was a monster who only wanted to get in between her legs and own her like she was some property of his? "Stacy!!!” Ethan roared out her name and raised his hand into the air to hit her acro
Stacy felt her heart hurt further, knowing she must sign the contract marriage when Dan Hawk came the following day. Her body trembled with small sobs filling up the room's atmosphere. { *If you don't want the contract or if you feel you are not ready for it then I won't force you, Stacy Hills** Fair enough. Take some time and think about this proposal. You have from now till two days time to agree to it. I'm not forcing you though. It's fine if you can't do it. I'll find someone else. Maybe a nanny will be fine* }Stacy’s whimpering cries stopped once she recalled her Boss’s words from the previous day at work in his office. Stacy raised her head from her knee with determination in her amber eyes. `What's the need for you to get a nanny, Mr. Yates? I can be the nanny and substitute mother of your child. That would be a far better option than for me to remain here as a slave or to get married to the wild beast in sheep's clothing’"I won't stand by and watch how they ruin my life
"I look so disorganized and unrecognizably horrible, what would Mr. Yates think of me?” Stacy remarked, not able to recognize herself in the reflection before her. She quickly undressed and went into the bathroom to have a quick shower before her dad returned to her room and forcefully pulled down the door cause she knew he was capable of doing it without feeling bad. It didn’t take long before Stacy became all dressed up and like she had expected, her dad had started banging at her door impatiently. "Do you have some sort of disease on you that’s making you waste so much time in there?“ Ethan yelled outside Stacy’s room as he continued to bang on the wooden door. Stacy opened the door swiftly and saw her dads hand frozen in the air, about to land another bang on the door. "I’m done, Dad,” Stacy whispered, staring at her feet as she fiddled with the hem of her dress. Ethan’s dark gaze scanned Stacy’s dress. He let out a scoff. "Lame as always,” He snickered, not impressed by he
Dan Hawk walked over back to the couch and sat on it, crossing a leg over the other. "Then you and your father have no choice but to pay me back for everything I've done for you guys” He pushed the center table out of place effortlessly with his feet and gazed darkly back at them with a pointed finger at Ethan. "Including all the money I gave to your godforsaken dad which he spends on alcohol and women!” Dan said decisively. Stacy felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach. Where would she get so much amount of money from? "I thought you gave those stacks of money to my dad out of your own will? Why are you then requesting it back?” Stacy asked with a trembling lip. "Out of my own will?” Dan repeated in a questioning tone. "Yes, I did that out of my own will. I did all that thinking you would end up becoming mine but now, you're being ungrateful to the almighty Dan Hawk who managed to get an interest in a naive countryside girl like you,” He spat venomously."You're not read
Beside her was Daisy, the little furry pomeranian puppy. "Cherry! Mr. Yates!” Stacy cried out with tears streaming down her cheeks from her amber eyes She managed to break free from her father's grip on her while he was lost in thoughts about the stranger who just barged into his home. She ran and hid behind Mr. Yates's overbearing silhouette."Who the hell are you? Who do you think you are to get yourself into my residence to intervene in my matters and still threaten me on what to do and what not with my own daughter?” Ethan thundered angrily. He didn't know who was the wealthy and formidable man before him but he would stop at nothing to make sure Stacy got married to Dan Hawk by any means possible! Bruce Yates stared expressionlessly at Ethan, his anger boiling beneath the surface of his composure as his jaw gnashed together in irritation about the kind of abusive father Stacy had. How dare he force Stacy against her will and still raise his hand against her? Damn! "Stacy g
Moving her grey eyes to Stacy who was still hiding behind her daddy, she instructed, "Substitute Mummy, don't listen to him. He is a bad guy. Daisy is a detective and she told me he is an evil guy including this oldie here,” Cherry pointed at Ethan with an innocent pout at the side of her lips but Ethan threw a deathly glare at her. A smile curled up on Stacy’s lips. "They are indeed very bad guys. Daniel is a bully and my Dad…sigh. Should I call him a domestically abusive man?” Stacy felt sad as she thought inwardly. Ethan frowned at Cherry’s pointed little finger to his face. He would have hit her for that but his hand was still useful to him and he wasn't ready to wave it goodbye yet. Dan glared at Cherry like he was very ready to glue her nasty lips with a superglue or tape but he knew he couldn't do that in front of her influential Daddy if he had a love for his life. Chuckling, Dan tried to change the topic as he approached Bruce. "Mr. Yates, you're yet to let me know t
Dan was in slight disbelief that Bruce didn't make it hard for him. He stuttered a little, "Y-yes. That's all. Once you do that then you can have her,” He managed to continue with his act without being shocked as he snickered with a sly smile on his lips. "No problem. Come to my company tomorrow with the papers for a meeting with the board of directors and then I will sign them once we all have come to a conclusion,” Bruce instructed. "But..” "No buts. Come over if you need it. And stay back if you don't.” Turning to Stacy who stood timidly with her head bowed beside him. "Here is a pen. Sign it then you and Cherry will be driven home by Charles,” Bruce smiled and Stacy managed to raise her head, returning the smile with lots of thoughts running through her mind. How could she ever thank her Boss enough for his help? What would have happened if he hadn't been there to save her from the traumatizing future her dad was pushing her into? Was Bruce Yates making a wrong decision b
"Yes, Daddy! I'm going to be a good girl!” Cherry felt happy to finally have Aunt Stacy as her new Mummy. Bruce smiled, pinching Cherry on her cheeks and she let out a giggle. "Naughty Daddy,” She laughed, and Mr. Yates chuckled. "Daddy is a naughty lad when he is sweet right?” "Yes, he is,” Cherry giggled even louder, "He is a naughty sweet boy,” Cherry muttered, playing with Daisy’s fur with one hand as Daisy rested on her lap. Daisy barked at Bruce happily. "You see? Daisy agrees with me, haha,” She laughed. "Yeah yeah. You both have such a weird relationship. I wonder how you know what she says sometimes,” Bruce chortled as he shook his head. "By the way, I'm off to work and I'll be back very early today for my princess's sake. Remember your promise. Don't disturb mummy, okay?” "I won't disturb mummy. You don't have to repeat it to me. I have perfectly functioning ears,” Cherry rolled her eyes. Her Dad could be so bothersome at times. Always repeating instructions