(Aya’s POV)“Think, Sherrilyn,” I chuckled nervously. “The restroom is small for me to trip. And wait! Are you threatening me?”I thought of different ways to run toward the door, but Sherrilyn’s plan of possibly pushing me would be more realistic than the one in the restroom. I took a deep breath to calm myself and hoped Red would come on time. If I weren’t pregnant, I would care less about what she planned to do, but my sole concern now is my child.“Mom, will you please stop!” Scarlett grabbed her mother’s arm, stopping her.“Stop?” Sherrilyn hissed at her daughter. “As long as she’s here, she’s going to be the end of you.”“What do you plan to do with her, huh?” She asked annoyingly. “We’ll only make Red furious. Mom, all my life, I did what you wanted. Will you listen to me once? Let Aya go.”“What’s happening with you?” Sherrilyn brushed off her hand and gave her daughter a dagger look. “Have you gone mad?”“No!” Scarlett stood before her, blocking Sherrilyn from coming to me. “
(Aya’s POV)Almost eight months ago, when I first came here to the Carlington Residence, I believed I was born a selfless person with no ‘me’ time in my system. I had never expected to be part of this family when all I wanted at that time was to get a job and replace the parure Ryan gave me. I was not qualified for the job, but I had to lie to Red. The pieces of jewelry, the need for money, and the hope of finishing my studies and getting a good job for my father and Katie were the forces that pushed me to pretend to be someone else. Who knew I would meet Red, the man who had told me many times I was not qualified, had given me a chance because of his love for his children? It was not even a year, but a lot of things had happened in my life. I turned my head and gazed lovingly at my husband. He didn’t have to say it, but I knew deep inside he was hurting. I might not have witnessed their long years of marriage before the plane crash, but I saw how he tried to cope, live for his chil
(Red’s POV)“Are you sure?” Mike asked me as Emmet and Scarlett went to the playroom to talk to Rosie.“You said it yourself, Mike, that even if I don’t press charges, she will still go to jail,” I muttered, sighing as I eyed Aya sitting in the living room, murmuring words to our little one as she caressed her belly.I hoped it was still because of her pregnancy that she was soft-hearted, sobbing over the story she heard from Scarlett. She lived poorly with Emmet, who worked as a security guard in a warehouse in the province he mentioned, but she never looked sad, not even regretting marrying him. If asked, she said she wanted to stay dead in her family’s eyes rather than go back, but Sherrilyn found her again, threatening her of hurting Emmet and Rosie if she didn’t help her with money. Sherrilyn must have forgotten that even her daughter signed a prenuptial agreement before our marriage, and the few gifts I gave her as a gift would take time to repossess because of her death. “But
(Aya’s POV) Three months later... I raised my hand, my fingers trailing my little one’s soft skin as she had her milk from my breast. I smiled when she stopped, a habit she seemed to have whenever she heard something familiar. “You heard daddy’s voice, Athena?” I asked lovingly. When I raised my head, my lips curved into a sweet smile seeing Red stopping and leaning on the doorframe. He kept his cell phone inside his pocket and gazed at us. “Cora left already?” I asked as I fixed my nursing bra and thought to pump milk later. I could not believe I was blessed with lots of milk. He shook his head. “She’s hiking with Ariana tomorrow. Can you believe it?” He chuckled. “Or should I call a rescuer in advance?” I chuckled, shaking my head. “Don’t say that in front of your sister. She might think of something else, like camping there for the night. So, please...” As Roman promised, his two children, Ariana and Red, stayed until I gave birth, and they seemed to have changed their mind
(Aya’s POV)“Aya, are you sure you’re heading to the right address?” Addie asked me.“Rose Hills, right?” I gritted my teeth. I was glad we were only talking over the phone; if not, I would have strangled my cousin. “And guess what? I was literally walking on a hill!” I growled, hating that I rode the bus instead of a taxi.I had to use GPS to help me find the address she gave, and before I knew it, I was already walking through a long winding road because the Carlington Residence was sitting beautifully on the hill.“Ah!” Addie chuckled, not expecting this would happen to me. “Tell me, where are you now?”“I’m now in front of Buckingham Palace,” I answered, squinting at the luxury villa behind the majestic and elegant metal railing of the gate and checking my cell phone, telling me I had reached my destination.After an hour of walking, I finally reached the end of my journey, only to be stopped by the guard as he asked for my purpose.“Interview,” I mouthed.“ID and letter,” he mutt
(Aya’s POV)My hands flew, covering my face, hoping they would hide me from embarrassment when my three interviewers stood up. Tears rolled down my cheeks, wishing I had the power to vanish from the face of the earth.“Is everything all right?” It was Liam’s voice, asking me worriedly.I shook my head, then nodded, unsure what to tell them, but there was no other way to get out of this place except to walk the long hallway to reach the main door, hike down to get into the gate, and go on foot to the bus station unless I wanted to roll down from the gate.“My legs…” I cried, pointing at my right leg, not caring about the job anymore. I just wanted to get this over with and run away from them. “Oh!” Ariana exclaimed. “Did you walk here with those really beautiful shoes?”I could imagine her suppressing a smile, but I had to answer her, so I nodded. Then, I heard a sigh, and my body jerked when someone knelt before me and took off my shoes.“Ariana, ask for the heating pad. Liam, get m
(Red’s POV) “She’s trouble, Liam,” I sighed. I didn’t know if I would be relieved that her choice was a woman, not my kind or me. I was tired of women chasing me after my wife died in a plane crash. “How can you say she’s trouble? You haven’t seen her with your kids yet,” he chuckled, narrowing his eyes at me. “Don’t tell me you’re attracted to her.” I opened my mouth to lie, but he raised his index finger, stopping me from talking. “I’m a man too, Red, and I saw how you looked at her,” he clucked his tongue. “She’s one lad with perfect orbs inside her blouse and the legs, man! Don’t tell me you didn’t feel anything?” “I don’t know what you’re saying,” I denied. “Aya’s beautiful. She should be joining the pageants, not applying for a nanny.” He continued to pile the papers on the table. “Oh, by the way, your mother-in-law called, asking about the kids again.” He stopped what he was doing, crossing his arms to his chest as he looked at me. “Why don’t you allow them to have a va
(Aya’s POV)“Are you asking me if I want to accept the job?” I asked Red, clarifying if I was truly hearing it from him.“That’s just what I’ve said, Aya,” he said as he stared into my eyes.I blinked, wanting to tell Red to stop looking into my eyes because I could hardly think. I was sitting across the most handsome guy I had ever met, so gorgeous that if his lips kissed me, I might forget that I was here for a job and was under a pretense about my gender. He shouldn’t be my type, but her alluring sister. I just wished he would relax and show me those perfect teeth in his smile but smiling around this place seemed a mortal sin.Ariana was the only sinner.“If you accept the job, I will have the contract ready so you can review it,” He said, looking at my feet.When his forehead creased, I curled my toes and was relieved he was looking at my feet. At least he would not see my cheeks turning crimson. Good thing Leslie encouraged me to join her in the nail salon yesterday because it wo