Chapter 5
Nora
I’d spent over an hour with Cici, and by now, I was sure that I had already lost my job, but I couldn’t just leave her at the reception desk. None of the people there had time to look after a lost child and Cici seemed perfectly happy in my company.
For a while, we had walked around the different dining rooms on the ground floor and Cici said that she didn’t see her father anywhere. I tried to find out if she knew which room they were staying in and she told me that they lived in a house in the city. I was both shocked and upset that her father hadn’t come looking for her yet.
My plan was to wait a little longer because I was still hoping that someone from the reception desk might come looking for her soon. If they didn’t, I would have to take her to Jackson; I was sure that he would know what to do with her.
For now, we were sitting on an ornate swing in the back gardens of the hotel. Cici was trying to swing, while I was staring at my watch—hopeful that someone somewhere would turn up with an answer.
“You all right there?” I asked her from time to time, and Cici seemed like she was having an exciting adventure. For a six-year-old girl, she didn’t seem worried or upset that she was separated from her family.
“What did you say your daddy’s name was?” I asked her again and she looked up at me with her sparkling green eyes.
“I don’t know, I just call him daddy,” she replied and I sighed heavily. What six-year-old didn’t know her own father’s name?
“Cici!” We both heard the voice at the same time and I looked up to find the man in the suit bursting through the back French windows of the hotel and rushing towards us. The girls from the reception and a handful of other staff of the hotel were following him closely. Jackson was a part of the group and I jumped off the swing, my heart sinking to the pit of my stomach.
The look on Jackson’s face told me that I was in deep trouble.
“Daddy!” Cici cried and with a giggle in her voice, she went running to her father. She didn’t suspect the drama she had created.
I watched the man in the suit now, properly for the first time, since the last time I’d seen him was just a glimpse. There was no denying that he was jaw-dropping hot. His biceps bulged under his suit as he pulled Cici into his arms and held her tightly. Over his daughter’s shoulder, he was glaring at me with his narrowed, sparkling green eyes—the same as Cici’s.
He had a clean-shaven, ruggedly sexy face. His lips were taut with anger, his dark hair was stylishly brushed back from his forehead, and I could sense immediately that he was a rich and powerful man.
“Nora! Come over here!” Jackson barked at me. Dragging my eyes away from the man in the suit, I took small, slow steps towards Jackson. I could sense the group of staff standing behind him, whispering things about me to each other.
“What on Earth do you think you’re doing?” Jackson hissed at me when I stopped in front of him.
“I was keeping her company. She got separated from her father and we couldn’t find him,” I replied in a soft voice.
“Do you know who that is?” Jackson asked through gritted teeth, leaning towards me so that the man in the suit wouldn’t overhear him.
“No, I don’t. She didn’t seem to know her father’s name,” I whispered back.
“That is Felix Stone, the owner of this hotel. That is Cecilia Stone, his daughter!” Jackson replied, and it seemed like he was dripping fire from his eyes as he spoke.
I gulped; my throat had suddenly gone very dry. I couldn’t find the appropriate words to respond to him with.
“You should have come to me immediately! You had no right to roam around the place with Cecilia Stone in tow!” Jackson raged some more.
“I’m sorry, I had no idea…” I argued humbly.
“Jackson, bring her over here,” it was the man’s voice now, a commanding growl. Jackson’s eyes dimmed, and he grabbed me by my wrist and tugged me in the direction of the man, who still had Cici in his arms.
I tried not to meet his eyes; I could sense him boring a hole through me as he glared.
“Daddy, is Nora in trouble? Why? She didn’t do anything,” Cici came to my aid, wriggling to get out of her father’s arms.
“Cici!” her father exclaimed as she skipped out of his grip and ran over to me, throwing her small arms around my legs.
“Nora, I’m sorry, it’s my fault. Daddy is very mean to everyone.” Cici was crying now and I looked up at the man. His eyes were bloodshot; he was still glaring at us.
“Cici, stop it now!” he growled, and the little girl’s arms tightened around me.
“Can I stay with you? Just a little longer? Please?” Cici begged. Fat tears were rolling down her cheeks now.
“Cici!” her father barked again, and I looked up at him with a jerk. I knew I’d lost my job already. There was no point fighting this anymore. What I couldn’t bear was him being mean to his daughter for a second longer.
“Mr. Stone, you should probably listen to what your daughter is saying. You lost her. She was your responsibility as a parent and now you’re taking it out on her.” I spoke firmly, keeping my head raised up.
“Nora, walk away, now. Pack up your things,” I heard Jackson say behind me and Felix Stone raised a hand to silence him.
“What did you just say to me?” he asked, squinting his eyes at me and he took one slow threatening step in my direction.