Chapter 6
Felix
Now that I was seeing her standing so close to me, I could see what I hadn’t seen before—that she was a beautiful young woman. The usual staff uniform looked different on her: the black pencil skirt fit her perfectly, making her hips appear shapely; the gray blouse, tucked in, stretched over her ample breasts. She had a long, delicate neck, and her shiny golden hair was tied up in a loose bun at the back of her head.
Unlike the usual faces I saw around me every day, this girl wasn’t caked with makeup. She had light, glossy pink lips and fresh-looking blue eyes, which were wide and they sparkled with pride as she stared back at me. I’d noticed a midwestern twang in her speech right away.
“I was just…I think that maybe Cici deserves some attention,” she replied, in a weaker, faltering voice. She seemed to be quickly losing the courage with which she’d spoken to me before.
“Are you trying to teach me how to parent my child?” I growled and she met my eyes, forcing herself to not look away.
“Sir, Mr. Stone, I apologize on behalf of her, she’s not trained yet; in fact, this is her first day and she’s still on trial. I’ve made my decision on whether this trial has been successful.” Jackson was speaking now, but I wasn’t looking at him. My eyes were stuck on this girl, who Cici had called Nora.
“Sir, I think maybe we should…” Jackson began to speak again, and I snapped my face around to look at him.
“Get back to work. All of you!” I barked.
“Of course, sir,” Jackson murmured and I tracked them with my eyes as he scurried away, with the rest of the staff in tow.
“I should go. I’m sorry for the confusion I’ve caused,” Nora said and I turned to look at her again. She was trying to peel Cici off her, where Cici was still stuck to her legs.
“I need you to repeat what you just said to me in front of all those people,” I said in a deep growl. I was trying to control my rage and the strange feeling of being disoriented because of how beautiful she was.
“Mr. Stone, I apologize. I spoke out of turn. I wasn’t trying to teach you how to parent, I was just…I’m just sorry. You won’t have to see my face in here ever again,” Nora replied, and this time, she had successfully managed to peel Cici away.
“No! You’re staying with me! I want to stay with you!” Cici was throwing a fuss now, with her arms up in the air and pouting to get her way.
“Honey, I’m sorry, I need to go. You take care of yourself,” Nora was speaking to Cici in a cooing voice and I could see that the two of them had formed a genuine connection in the past hour that they’d spent together.
“Sorry again, Mr. Stone. I hope you have a good day,” she said and turned from us.
“Wait!” I exclaimed and she stopped in her tracks.
“Sir?” Her voice was meek and quiet as she looked at me again.
“You don’t have to go,” I found myself saying.
“Yay! Thank you, Daddy! Thank you. You don’t have to go!” Cici squealed with excitement again and threw herself at Nora.
Nora looked surprised as she stroked Cici’s hair, who had attached herself to Nora’s legs again. She met my eyes, confused about what I really wanted from her.
“Take my daughter home. She needs someone to keep her company till the evening, till the housekeeper comes back,” I said and I slipped my hand in my pocket and took out the spare key.
Nora didn’t say a word, just reached for the key. Her eyes were wide with surprise, while Cici cheered and jumped around with excitement.
“My car will be up front, waiting to take you both back to the house,” I said and she nodded her head. If she was confused, which she obviously had to be, she wasn’t showing it.
“And when will you be back?” she asked and I crossed my brows. Nobody had asked me that question in four years and it was strange hearing it again. “For Cici, I mean,” she added.
I cleared my throat. I wasn’t prepared for a question like that. My plan was to get on the first flight to New York after lunch. I wasn’t planning on returning home for at least a week. Cici and Nora were both looking at me now, and I felt like I was put on the spot.
“In a few hours…shortly,” I replied. I didn’t even know where those words appeared from.
“You’re going to be home tonight, Daddy?” Cici asked as Nora took her hand.
“I’ll see you later, baby girl,” I told Cici and I watched as they turned and started walking back into the hotel.
I stood in the garden for a few minutes longer, with my hands in the pockets of my pants, just staring up at the tall building in front of me. I had built this, I had built a luxury hotel empire through sheer hard work and good business sense; and yet, somehow, a simple question like the one Nora had just asked me had struck me with confusion. I had felt tongue-tied. When was I going home?
How long had it been since I’d spent an evening with my daughter? Today, when I thought I’d lost her, that I’d seriously fucked up…I was dying to see her again. I had just hoped that she was safe.
I shook my head as I stood there. Nora, this girl I had never met before, who had dared to stand up to me, was right. I was the one responsible for my daughter and yet I was blaming everyone but myself.