Page 97 of Bastian

You, stupid, stupid man. I love you… I think to myself. There is no way he has nothing to do with this.

He loves to be all over my business, after all.

* * *

“Boss…I tried to stop them from entering, but…” Oliver, my assistant, cringes when I raise the hand that is holding the coffee up to silence him. I hate excuses. Either you do what you’re told or stay silent.

“I’ll handle him. Hold my calls and cancel my morning meetings.” I mumble, walking past him. Not caring for the whispers and the flash of the cameras in my space. Once I’m in front of my office’s door, I turn and look around the room, seeing my employees talking amongst themselves instead of doing their jobs. Women giggling, men taking photos of Sebastian’s secret service sneakily. Sighing, “The last time I heard, this was a place of work. Now I suggest you put your phones away and carry on working before you find yourselves standing in the unemployment line.” I mumble, satisfied when they scatter to do as they say. I don’t run this place from fear but respect. Nodding to Oliver, I let him know that he may leave, which he does a second later. Turning, I come face to face with a smiling Benjamin. Sighing, “Your boss is like a bad rash that never goes away.” His gentle eyes crinkle at the corners every time I say something he finds amusing, just like his boss. Most people cringe or roll their eyes at me when I’m honest. Nowadays, people get offended way too easily, so is refreshing to find people who get me and are not so easily offended.

That is why I always felt at home with them.

Never felt judged or made to feel horrible for the way I was wired.

They get me, and I get them.

Maybe that is why it felt like death when I lost them.

It was like losing the home I never had before Sebastian, Ella, and Benjamin.

“You’re glowing, kiddo.” My friend says with a knowing grin. Oh, great. Of course. He knows he was there. I mentally cringe and narrow my eyes at him. “Shut it.” I pass by him to find the other guard, the silent and moody Shaw standing by my office’s door with his usual bored expression. Now that he’s not wearing a long sleeve shirt, his full sleeve of tattoos is on full display. “Shaw.”

“Ma’am.” He nods before opening the door to my office. Asshole. He damn well knows that I am around his age. Giving him a warning glare, I step inside my office, and the moment the door clicks shut behind me, the loud sound of horns startles me. At the same time, a pop sounds, and pink confetti explodes everywhere. What…

“Mommy. Mommy!” Ellaiza screams, running to greet me where I am standing paralyzed at the door. Pink balloons float around my office with pink roses and teddy bears all over the place.

In the corner of my office, next to my table with the chess set, stands Sebastian, dressed impeccably in a light gray suit and a pink tie.

The same pink as Ella’s dress.

“What is going on?” I ask, confused, looking down at Ella, hugging her closer to me as she holds on to my midriff and stares back at her father, who starts walking our way with a gentle smile on his stupidly handsome face.

“Tu es magnifique, mon amour.” His blue eyes roam my body, and suddenly, I am taken back to Greece. To the beach. The memory of our entangled bodies on the sand and the echo of our hisses and moans flash through my mind. Nope. A child is in the room.

Ignoring the heat creeping up my neck, a reaction to Sebastian’s hot gaze, I ask instead. “I don’t understand. What is going on here?” I never know what to expect from the man, and he takes me by surprise every time. Every. Single. Time.

A high-pitched bark makes me turn and when I do, I spot a tiny ball of fur. A dog with a pink vest is peeing on my white rug. Holding back the thousands of cuss words that come to mind, I fake a smile and look at Sebastian with a look that says ‘You opportunistic bastard. Stop using Ella to get back into my good graces.’ He only chuckles and shrugs unapologetically. Ignoring the beautiful tyrant, I focus on Ella. “You got a dog!” I feign excitement for her because what else can I do? Hurting her with the truth is not an option. Not to me. Never.

Baby girl nods excitedly, causing her perfect curls to bounce in the cutest ways around her face. “His name is Cupcake!”

Frowning, I ask. “Cupcake?” I look at Sebastian, who is now standing a foot away from us. “The dog is a boy?”

A boy dog with a pink vest and a name like Cupcake. Poor ugly mutt.

“He is.” Sebastian nods, looking down at the dog who has finished ruining my perfect and very expensive rug and is currently chewing on my Gucci shoes. With a fake smile on my face, I try to get him off me without letting it show how displeased I am with the new little member of the Kenton gang. “That’s enough, Cupcake.” Sebastian comes to the rescue and picks up the little nuisance. “Daddy got me Cupcake for being the best informen. Right, Dad?”

Informant, she means. Oh, you clever little darling.

“It’s Daddy to you, Ellaiza.” He narrows his eyes lovingly at Ella. “And yes. The best informant there is.”

I am caught off guard and not for the first time today, by the two of them looking at me with identical grins and an evil glint in their eyes.

Oh, I know that smile.

That is the smile of two tyrants who conspired against me.

Knowing that going against them is futile, I ask instead. “Why the pink balloons if the mutt is a boy?”

Ella gasps. “That’s rude, mom!” Her blue eyes grow big before she looks at me like an adult reprimanding their child. Her sass is a thing of beauty, really. “Not mutt. Cupcake.” She corrects me.

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