Page 49 of Arianna

Does he not have a family?

Parents?

A girlfriend?

Children?

And why does the thought of my not-so-savior having a family of his own trouble me? Before I give the absurd feeling much thought, the loud and desperate cries of a child sound in the distance, making my heart stop dead, taking me back to a time I wish I could erase from my memory and my heart.

I don’t think about it.

I move rapidly in the direction the sound is coming from.

I run towards the end of the narrow hallway that leads to the right wing of the house, completely opposite side of where I am staying. Taking the stairs two at a time, it does not take me long to find the door where the crying is coming from.

From outside, I can hear whimpers that pull at my torn heartstrings, and I make myself stop to think before I act impulsively. One thing I don't usually do, but then the child screams louder, a scream that lets me know he or she is in pain.

Fuck it.

Pushing the door open, I step inside the room, and I am stunned to see a young woman in the corner of the room with her phone out, taking photos of herself inside what is a little girl’s room while the child screams.

I see red.

I might have lost my mind. That is the only excuse that explains what I do next. Not caring if she is the child’s mother or Mother Theresa reincarnated herself, I step between her and the tiny bed. “Get the fuck out.” I have always been unapproachable and cold, but the sound that comes out of my mouth surprises even me.

She turns stunned, dropping her phone in the process, and when she goes to grab it, I move first and step on it. “I said get the fuck out. Now!” I hold onto my cool, not wanting to scare the child more than she is already.

The idiot gapes at me for a second, not saying anything, probably too stunned to come out with a proper response from the top of her head. Then her eyes narrow, and if looks could kill, I would still be here. The woman cannot even do that right. “You have no right! Where is Mr. Kenton? And who the hell are you?” She looks over my shoulder, most likely thinking someone will come to her defense. They can try, but the outcome will still be the same. The bitch was taking pictures while a child cried and screamed at the top of her lungs, and instead of comforting the toddler, she took pictures and posted them God knows where.

I calm my breathing and step forward until I am crowding her space. She is a pretty woman, that is certain. Your typical good girl with pretty eyes and a nice smile. Wearing a demure dress with bright colors. Her choice of wardrobe is hideous. What can you expect of a woman wearing lemon-themed jewelry with a collar polka dot orange dress?

She is likely not the child’s mother or family since she referred to Sebastian as Mr. Kenton, but who knows? These god-awful days anything is possible.

Bending over, I pick up the phone and pull back when she moves to snatch it from my hands. The little girl starts hiccuping and whimpering, causing a mix of emotions inside of me. Giving the hideously dressed girl my full attention. “Don’t make me repeat myself. You won’t like what happens if I do.” I say it with so much venom, the same one I use for the ones that piss me the hell off, and she leaves the room huffing and murmuring what a cunt I am.

Idiots resort to cursing when their low-IQ brains can’t come up with anything clever to say.

Turning towards the tiny bed in the shape of a princess chariot, I look inside to find the source of all the screaming. I never liked children. I find them extremely irritating. All they do is cry, poop, eat, and nap.

And when kids start talking back…

The horror.

The only children I could tolerate were my sisters, and they, too, sometimes tested my love for them with their tantrums when they were younger. That was mostly Kadra since Mila was an easy child.

A sweet child.

The whimpers of agony coming off this baby girl take me back to a colorless nursery where a beautiful baby was left to fend for herself because no one other than her sisters cared.

Maybe that is the reason why my heart leaped, and I felt the need to rush in here and make sure this kid was all right.

A soft sniffle snatches my attention, and that is when I see the little girl.

I never believed in love at first sight. Not really. Only fools believe it is possible to feel something so strong for a stranger in mere seconds, but… something weird takes hold of me as my green eyes clash with teary blue ones. Eyes the same shade as a man that looked at me once and disarmed me for only a second, he still managed to do it, just like this child.

A baby girl.

A little girl that looks just like her father because there is no doubt this kid is related to Sebastian.

---