《His Nanny Mate (Moana and?Edrick Morgan)》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 1 Betrayal Moana It was a hot summer evening, and I had just spent the entire day job hunting. Finding work as a human in a world dominated by werewolves, especially in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city, wasn¡¯t easy. Even though I had a degree in Early Childhood Education, no schools wanted to hire me because I was a human. Werewolf parents were outraged at the thought of a ¡°worthless human¡± teaching their children, as if my skills, drive, and education meant nothing. So, I was now limited to service jobs, which were also unfortunately hard toe by because the job market was oversaturated with other humans who were also desperate to pay their bills. If I didn¡¯t find a job soon, though, I would lose my apartment. Myndlord had already given me a thirty- day notice. If I didn¡¯t pay my rent ¡ª and the three months of rent that I already owed ¡ª by the end of the thirty days, he was going to evict me. At least I still had my boyfriend, Sam. He wasn¡¯t extraordinarily well-off either despite being a werewolf, but at least he had a job and could pay his rent. We had been together for three years now and had known each other for five, so maybe it was time to talk about moving in together soon. As I was walking down the packed city street, a thinyer of sweat caked to my forehead from spending the day running from business to business as I tried to find someone who would hire me, I started to realize how hungry I was. I couldn¡¯t afford to eat out, but the delicious smellsing from the restaurants I passed began to make my mouth water. One particr restaurant across the street caught my eye, but not because of the smell of food. I stopped in my tracks, my eyes widening. Inside the restaurant, right in the window, was Sam. He wasn¡¯t alone; he was with another woman, and they were¡­ Kissing. ¡°You¡¯ve gotta be f*****g kidding me,¡± I said out loud, causing a few passersby to turn their heads and give me weird looks. Sam had told me that he was busy recently, that he had a lot of work¡­ Was this what he was really doing? Cheating on me with some other woman? The fury bubbled up inside of me, and without thinking, I stormed across the street and toward the restaurant window. My stomach turned as I came closer. This woman was gorgeous ¡ª basically a supermodel ¡ª and that didn¡¯t make me feel any better about the situation. Not only was Sam cheating on me, but he was cheating on me with someone who looked like that. She was thin, blonde, and tan with long legs, wearing a skimpy evening dress and high heels. I do get looking at Sam and his mistress. How could he do this to me? I stopped in front of the window. Neither of them even saw me standing there, they were so absorbed in their makeout session. So, I banged on the window. Sam and the mystery woman both jumped, their eyes widening when they saw me. I stormed over to the entrance and ran inside, ignoring the strange looks from the restaurant staff and customers, and ran up to where Sam and the woman sat. ¡°How f*****g dare you?!¡± I yelled, my hands curled up into fists at my sides. ¡°We¡¯ve been together for three years and you¡¯re cheating on me?¡± The woman looked back and forth between Sam and I with an embarrassed expression on her face as the restaurant fell silent, but Sam¡¯s face showed only anger and resentment. Without saying a word, Sam stood and grabbed me by the arm, dragging me out of the restaurant. He was too strong for me to resist, so I stumbled after him and back out into the busy street with tears streaming down my cheeks. ¡°You¡¯re making a fool of both of us, Moana,¡± he growled once we were outside. ¡°I¡¯m making a fool of us?¡± I replied, my voice still raised. ¡°You¡¯re making out with another woman in public!¡± Sam merely rolled his eyes and pulled me further away from the door. His werewolf eyes burned a bright orange color and his face was wrought with anger. ¡°Control your temper,¡± he whispered, pushing me roughly up against the side of the building. ¡°You¡¯re just an ordinary human. You should feel lucky that I even entertained you for three years.¡± His words stung, and my vision became clouded with tears. ¡°Why her?¡± I croaked as a s*b caught in my throat. Sam, the man who had told me he loved me for three years, merely chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re useless to me,¡± he snarled. ¡°She¡¯s a Beta. Her family is incredibly wealthy and powerful, and thanks to her, I¡¯ll be starting a new job at WereCorp next week.¡± WereCorp was the biggest corporation in the world. Not only did they control all of the banks, but they also developed the newest and most widely-used cryptocurrency of the 21st Century: WCoin. I never used it ¡ª humans weren¡¯t allowed to ¡ª but it made a lot of werewolves extremely rich when it first came out. He continued, ¡°What have you done for me aside from mooching off of me because you can¡¯t even get a job of your own? You¡¯re nothingpared to her. How dare you even question my decision to move on.¡± There was nothing else I could say; nothing else that coulde to mind aside from getting the hell away from him. I shoved Sam away finally, pushing myself away from the wall. ¡°f**k you,¡± I growled, my rage taking over as I raised my hand and pped him hard across the face. Passersby were looking at us now, but I didn¡¯t care. Without another word, I turned on my heel and stormed away without looking back. As I walked numbly down the street and wiped the tears from my eyes, I thought about what Sam was like when we first met; he had been nothing more than a bullied Omega in high school with no confidence, no prospects, and no friends. I had helped him gain confidence with my love and support, and this was how he repaid me? By leaving me for some blonde, all for a job at WereCorp? Nothing angered me more than knowing that my boyfriend of three years, and best friend for five years, had left me so easily over money and power. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. I was still fuming when I stepped out into the intersection, too numb to look properly before crossing. Just then, I heard the sound of a car h*nking and looked up to see a luxury car driving straight for me. Cursing to myself, I stumbled backwards and fell into a puddle just before the car hit me. The car came to a screeching halt next to me, which was surprising since I assumed that they would just drive away after nearly hitting me, but what surprised me even more was the person who sat inside the car when the window rolled down. Edrick Morgan, CEO of WereCorp. Edrick was known not only for being the youngest CEO in the history of thepany and the heir to thergest fortune in the world, but also for his stunning appearance ¡ª and although I was incredibly hurt and angry about everything that had happened today, I couldn¡¯t help but notice his strong jawline, his muscr shoulders and arms, and his incredibly handsome face. I opened my mouth to say something about how he had nearly hit me, but before I could, he looked me up and down and tossed a w*d of cash out the window, driving away with a rev of his engine. Edrick Morgan, the CEO of WereCorp, had nearly hit me with his car¡­ and tossed me money like I was some beggar. All werewolves really were arrogant as*holes. I threw the cash on the ground and stood, cursing under my breath as I realized how soaked and dirty my clothes were. I¡¯d have to go home and see if I could scrounge up some change to take them to the sorrows. I walked for a few blocks, finally spotting a bar that seemed nice and quiet.Taking a deep breath and smoothing down my stained shirt, I walked through the doors and approached the bouncer. The bouncer narrowed his eyes at me and looked me up and down, taking in my dirty appearance sniffing the air in front of me. ¡°No humans allowed without a member escort,¡± he growled, folding his arms. I frowned. ¡°Member?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m a paying customer. Just let me buy a drink.¡± The bouncer shook his head and began to usher me toward the door like I was some sort of nuisance. ¡°Is this even legal?¡± I said, raising my voice. ¡°You can¡¯t just discriminate against humans like this! Is my money worthless here just because of¨C¡± ¡°She¡¯s with me,¡± a stern and clear voice suddenly said from behind. The bouncer and I both looked up and turned to see a man in a suit standing on the stairs. Edrick Morgan. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 2: The Werewolf CEO Moana ¡°She¡¯s with me.¡± The bouncer whipped around to face the man standing on the stairs. I stood there, my eyes wide, as I realized that the man who was mysteriously helping me get into the bar was the same man who had almost hit me with his car on the street and then promptly threw me a w*d of cash like I was a beggar: Edrick Morgan, CEO of WereCorp. I considered just turning around and leaving, but before I could, Edrick came down the stairs and waved the bouncer away, fixing his steely gray eyes on me. ¡°Come on,¡± he said, peering around me to look out the door and onto the street. ¡°It looks like it¡¯s going This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . to rain again. You don¡¯t want to be walking around in the rain, do you?¡± I felt as though there was something a bit condescending in the wealthy werewolf¡¯s tone, but he was right: it had been raining for most of the day, and had already begun to sprinkle again. I didn¡¯t want to walk home in the rain and get more soaked than I already was, so I silently followed Edrick up the stairs. ¡°You¡¯re still wearing those dirty clothes,¡± Edrick said in a somewhat cold tone of voice as we reached the top of the stairs. ¡°I gave you money to rece them. Why didn¡¯t you use it?¡± I frowned. ¡°I may be a human, but I won¡¯t take money from rude and arrogant people who throw cash at me out the window of their car like I¡¯m a beggar on the street.¡± Edrick sucked his teeth and looked me up and down for a moment before curtly turning to a woman who stood nearby. She seemed a little older than me and wore a in ck staff uniform. He muttered something to her that I couldn¡¯t quite make out and she nodded, turning to me and smiling with one arm outstretched. ¡°Right this way, miss,¡± she said as Edrick turned and disappeared into the main room of the bar. I nced over my shoulder at him onest time as the woman guided me away, leading me upstairs to a private room. As she unlocked the door and opened it, my eyes widened. The room was full of racks of expensive clothing, shoes, and essories. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I asked, turning to face the woman. ¡°We like to provide the best for our patrons,¡± the woman replied with a smile. ¡°This room is specially designed for our female patrons toe and freshen up, touch up their makeup, or perhaps change their clothes in the event of a wardrobe malfunction. It¡¯s not normal practice to allow a¡­ human to use our facilities, but seeing as Mr. Morgan owns the majority share of this club, you¡¯re wee to wear whatever you like. Take your time.¡± Before I could say anything else, the woman closed the door and left me alone. I looked around at all of the expensive clothes and fine jewelry with a puzzled expression on my face; was Edrick Morgan not so arrogant and cruel as I thought? Did he feel badly about our encounter in the street and wanted to make it up to me, or was this all some sort of sick joke? Either way, I was still too distraught over discovering my boyfriend with his mistress earlier, and this seemed to be my ticket to having a good night¡­ I eventually emerged from the room wearing a simple ck dress that reached my ankles. It was made of a soft silk, with thin straps and a plunging neckline. I also picked out a pair of strappy ck heels and a clutch purse. When I came down the stairs with the woman, I felt my heart start to race as I noticed Edrick look up from his table. His eyes lingered on me for a few long moments that felt like an eternity before he looked back to continue his conversation with the other man who was sitting with him. ¡°Topensate for the ident earlier on the street, Mr. Morgan has agreed to cover the expenses of the evening,¡± the woman said. ¡°That includes any drinks and food you order, as well as the clothes. Please feel free to take a seat at the bar.¡± I looked down at my dress, feeling my face go a bit hot. Something like this was so far from what I normally wore, and now it was mine? I nced up to ask the woman if she was sure I could keep the dress, but she was already gone. Swallowing, I walked into the main area and slid up onto one of the barstools. ¡°What would you like to drink?¡± the bartender said. ¡°Um¡­ Gin and tonic, please,¡± I replied, fiddling with the sp on my purse as I nced around at all of the other bar patrons. Most of them seemed too preupied with their drinks and their conversations as a woman in a red gown softly yed the piano on a small stage. The bartender returned with my drink a few momentster. I muttered some words of thanks and swirled the liquid around in my ss as I attempted to settle into my seat and try not to act too out of ce. ¡°What¡¯s a beautiful girl like you doing sitting all alone?¡± a male voice suddenly said from beside me. I jumped a bit and turned to see a middle-aged man in a suit leaning on the bar next to me with a drink in his hand. He had salt-and-pepper hair, a somewhat stocky build, and smelled strongly of whiskey. I couldn¡¯te up with an answer, so I awkwardlyughed and took a sip of my drink in the hopes that the man would get the hint and leave me alone, but he persisted. Despite Edrick Morgan¡¯s burst of kindness in letting me into this bar and paying for everything, I was still uninterested in doing much more than having a drink or two and going home for the night. After finding my boyfriend with another woman, I wasn¡¯t interested in conversation. ¡°Let me buy you another drink,¡± the man said, leaning closer to me. ¡°Something better than gin and tonic. I¡¯ve got plenty of money, being a beta and all; you can have anything you want¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine with this,¡± I said with a weak smile, trying to hide my disgust overhearing the word ¡®beta¡¯. ¡°Thanks anyway.¡± ¡°Nonsense,¡± the man said, either not noticing or not caring that I wasn¡¯t interested as he sat on the stool next to me, his body ufortably close to mine. ¡°I¡¯m Mark, by the way. Mark Schaffer.¡± He stuck out his hand for me to shake, and when I did, his palm was a bit sweaty. ¡°Moana,¡± I muttered, pulling my hand away as soon as possible. ¡°Interesting name,¡± he said. ¡°You know, I¡¯m the Beta of¡­¡± My mind went nk as Mark continued to prattle on about his money, his lineage, his multiple vacation homes, this and that¡­ I tried my best to appear polite, but eventually, I couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°So that¡¯s why I prefer the gulet yacht¨C¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got to use the restroom,¡± I said suddenly, interrupting his spiel about which type of yacht was the best. He frowned as I abruptly stood and gathered my purse, clearly annoyed that I cut him off, but I didn¡¯t care. Without another word, I walked to the bathroom and shut the door behind me, taking a few deep breaths as I leaned on the sink. I stayed in there for a few minutes, sshing some cold water on my face and checking my phone, until I was certain that Mark had gotten bored of waiting for me at the bar, then headed back out. Thankfully, he was gone when I walked back to my seat. I let out a small sigh of relief as I sat back down, but that relief turned to annoyance when the bartender approached me and handed me a red drink in a c*cktail ss, informing me that Mark had paid for it. Sighing, I picked up the ss and looked over my shoulder. Mark was sitting at a corner table, watching me like a hawk; not wanting to cause any sort of fuss, I raised my ss and mouthed the words ¡°Thank you¡± before turning back and sipping on the drink. As my head started to get light and the room started to swim around me a few minutester, I realized that taking a drink offered to me by a strange man at the bar was a horrible idea¡­ but I was too far gone already, and as I tried to get up from the bar, I felt myself stumble into a man¡¯s body. ¡°Whoa there,¡± Mark¡¯s voice said as his arms wrapped around me. ¡°Looks like I need to get you home.¡± I felt my heart start to race as Mark began to guide me away, too weak and disoriented to tell him no. Just then, as my vision began to fadepletely, I felt another hand on my shoulder; cool, and not sweaty like Mark¡¯s. ¡°Where are you taking her?¡± Edrick¡¯s stern voice said, so low it was almost a growl. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just taking her home,¡± Mark stuttered. ¡°S-She had too much to drink. We¡¯re old friends.¡± ¡°Is this true?¡± Edrick said, leaning down anding into view. As his gray eyes locked on mine, all I could do was shake my head. I wasn¡¯t sure what happened after that, but the next thing I knew, I was in Edrick Morgan¡¯s warm embrace in the back of a car. ¡°Where do you live?¡± he asked. I tried to answer but he stopped me after I mumbled a few unclear words. ¡°I¡¯m taking you to a hotel then.¡± In my semi-conscious state, the feeling of Edrick¡¯s warm arms around me made my body tingle. ¡°Stay¡­¡± I slurred, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. Edrick jolted away, muttering something about my state of mind, but something about the smell of his cologne made me persist¡­ And soon, I felt Edrick Morgan, the wealthy and handsome CEO of WereCorp, rx into my touch. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 3: One Night Stand Moana I woke up to sunlight and a fresh, warm summer breeze streaming in through arge set of open French doors. As I cracked my eyes open, the sound of the city street below filled my ears, and the feeling of my throbbing head on a plush pillow alerted me to the fact that I was not in my own bed. Groaning, I slowly pushed myself up onto my elbows and scanned the room as shes of what happened the night before began to flood my mind. I remembered being at the bar, in the silky ck dress that I had picked out¡­ I remembered drinking a gin and tonic, and being osted by a middle- aged man with sinister intentions¡­ Other memories came flooding back, too. I remembered being in the back of a car with a handsome man. His neck was warm and soft as I pressed my lips to it. He tried to hide his arousal at first, but he eventually gave in to his desires as he led me to the elevator that led up to the expensive hotel room he had booked. We made our way to the room, stopping periodically to press our lips together and touch each other¡¯s bodies in the hallway. I remembered how electric his hands felt on my body as he gripped my waist through the silky ck dress, and how quickly he removed that dress once we were safely inside the hotel room. He carried me over to the bed while I kissed his neck and nibbled at his ears, his body pressing into mine as heid me down on the soft nkets. I clung onto his chest like my life depended on it, fumbling to unbutton his shirt; he eventually became tired of waiting for my clumsy fingers to undo the buttons and did it himself, revealing thick, toned muscles as he pulled his shirt off. We spent the night in ecstasy, moving as one in the moonlit hotel room. As I came to the realization of what happenedst night, I slowly turned my head to face the man who pulled down around his waist to reveal his chiseled torso and the top of his groin, making my face get hot and turn red. But¡­ He was Edrick Morgan. He was my cheating ex boyfriend¡¯s new boss. I bit my lip and quietly climbed out of bed, searching for my panties. ¡°Ahem.¡± I spun around with my panties in my hand to see Edrick sitting up in bed, his cold gray eyes fixed on me. Without a word, he stood ¡ª making me blush as hepletely revealed his nude body ¡ª and walked over to where his pantsy on the floor. I quickly pulled my panties and my bra on as he put on his boxer briefs, then watched as he picked up his pants and dug into his pocket for his wallet. ¡°Here,¡± he said darkly, digging into his wallet and pulling out a thick wa d of cash. He walked over to me and thrust it toward me. ¡°Take it, but keep in mind that this is a one-time deal.¡± ¡°Here,¡± he said darkly, digging into his wallet and pulling out a thick wa d of cash. He walked over to me and thrust it toward me. ¡°Take it, but keep in mind that this is a one-time deal.¡± I took a few steps back, my sheepish expression turning to one of anger and resentment. ¡°You¡­ think I¡¯m a prostitute?¡± I snarled. Edrick merely shrugged and tossed the cash at my feet. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you are or you aren¡¯t,¡± he said coldly, walking away and pulling his pants on with his back turned to me. ¡°No one sleeps with me without the expectation of getting something extra in return. Your aloof demeanorst night faded away pretty quickly as soon as I dressed you up and paid for your drinks, so I know what you¡¯re after. Just take the money and leave.¡± I frowned, narrowing my eyes. ¡°I never wanted your money,¡± I said, my voice shaking out of anger as I picked the dress up off the ground and put it on. If I still had my own clothes, I would¡¯ve left the dress on the floor, but I had no idea what happened to my stained outfit at this point. ¡°By the way,¡± Edrick muttered, ignoring what I said and buttoning his shirt with his back still turned to me, ¡°you should learn not to take drinks from strangers. You¡¯re lucky I was there to save you from that guy. Learn from basicmon sense next time.¡± I paused, gritting my teeth, and pulled the dress on the rest of the way before answering. ¡°You¡¯re just as cold and heartless as they say.¡± Edrick didn¡¯t answer, and I didn¡¯t care to stick around to see if he woulde up with one. With a hmph, I grabbed the strappy heels from the night before and stomped barefoot over to the door. My hand rested on the doorknob for a moment as I fumed, and when I swung the door open, I called over my shoulder onest time. ¡°You can¡¯t just throw money at everyone when you have a guilty conscience,¡± I growled before walking out and mming the door behind me. ¡­ As soon as I got home, I tore off the dress and the heels and threw them in the corner as the anger over both Sam and Edrick bubbled up inside of me. Frowning and muttering to myself, I stomped over to the fridge in my underwear and pulled out the milk to pour myself a bowl of cereal. Cereal was just about all I had to eat, but the thought of taking Edrick Morgan¡¯s money after a one night stand made me feel worse than going hungry. As I was just about to take my first bite of cereal, my phone started ringing. I rolled my eyes, anticipating for it to be Sam trying to beg for me toe back, but squinted when I noticed that it was an unknown number. ¡°Hello?¡± I said, stirring my cereal with my spoon, half expecting a spam caller to be on the other end. ¡°Good morning. Is this Moana Fowler?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I replied. ¡°My name is Nancy Grace. I¡¯m calling from the Au Pair Agency.¡± My eyes widened, and I dropped my spoon, not caring as it sank down all the way into the milk. I had been trying to find a nanny job through the Au Pair Agency for months now, but they hadn¡¯t found any suitable work for me yet. It had been so long that I hadpletely lost hope at this point. ¡°We found an assignment for you,¡± Nancy said in a sing-song voice. ¡°It¡¯s a full time, live-in position with a single Alpha father. Are you avable to make a house callter today to meet the family and This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . ¡°Y-Yes,¡± I said, using all of my energy to keep myposure. ¡°I¡¯d be happy to.¡± ¡°Great,¡± Nancy replied. ¡°You¡¯re expected at two o¡¯clock today. I¡¯ll text you the address once we end the call.¡± ¡°Thank you so much,¡± I replied. ¡°You¡¯re wee. Oh, and Moana ¡ª you should know that you¡¯re not going to be the only candidate for this position. I would rmend taking extra care to make a good first impression; working for this family is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and the pay is unparalleled.¡± I felt my heart sink at Nancy¡¯s words and opened my mouth to ask who the family was, but before I could, Nancy hung up and I was met with silence on the other end. Furrowing my brow at the abrupt end to the call, I set down my phone and stared at it as the notification with the address details popped up on my screen. What sort of family would be paying a nanny so well like this? Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 4: The Interview Moana I pulled up to the address of the house a couple of hourster wearing a brand new set of clothes. During the time between getting the phone call and arriving, I took out my credit card, which I only used for emergencies, and ran out to buy something new to impress the family. It was just a crisp button- down shirt, tailored pants, and loafers, but as I pulled up to the enormous mansion in the mountains and saw the line of women at the door, I was d that I had purchased the new clothes. I made sure to double check that the tags on the clothes were hidden, which I had kept on in case I didn¡¯t get the job and would need to return them. As I parked and walked up the pathway to the front entrance and got in line with my resume in my hand, my heart started to pound. My heart started to pound even more when I noticed that women were not only filing into the mansion, but were alsoing out with sad and defeated expressions on their faces. One girl, who was very pretty and looked a little younger than me, even had tears streaming down her cheeks as she came out with her resume crumpled up in her hands. Was the employer so awful that he was making these poor women cry during their interviews? As the line got shorter and I slowly made my way inside, I felt a lump rise in my throat. The inside of the house was stunningly beautiful, with dark Tudor-style wainscoting and creaky wooden floors. There was a massive double staircase in the front foyer, which was where the women would go when their names were called ¡ª up one side looking excited and confident, and down the other side looking defeated after their interviews. ¡°Name?¡± a woman¡¯s voice said from in front of me. I looked up to see an older woman with gray hair that was pulled back into a tight, slick bun. She wore a dark blue dress with a high cor that was buttoned all the way up and had a clean gray apron on top that looked like it was freshly ironed. Needless to say, as she stared at me with her thin lips pressed into a straight line, she made me nervous. ¡°Moana Fowler,¡± I said, feeling my voice cr*ck a bit under the pressure. The woman muttered something to herself and looked down at the clipboard in her hand, making a tick mark next to my name. ¡°You¡¯re human?¡± she said, shooting me a somewhat disgusted look. I nodded. ¡°Very well. Take a seat.¡± I walked over to the area where other women were sitting and found a spot in a plush armchair in the corner, where I sat quietly and mulled over my potential responses to interview questions in my head. My train of thought was broken a few minutester as an older woman came running down the stairs in hysterics. ¡°She¡¯s a little monster!¡± she said, tears streaming down her wrinkled face. ¡°In all my years of being a governess, I have never ¡ª and I mean never ¡ª met such a cruel little thing.¡± The room fell silent as the woman marched out, followed by a few other women who must have decided that whatever waited for them upstairs wasn¡¯t worth it. I, along with several others, decided to take the risk; I really needed this job, regardless of the child¡¯s behavior. The children at the orphanage I volunteered at absolutely loved me, even the difficult ones, and I was certain that I could find the good side in this child, too. I sat there for hours while I waited for my turn to have my interview, and eventually, as the sun went down and I sank into the plush armchair, I found myself involuntarily nodding off. My night out with Mr. Edrick Morgan left me more exhausted than I was willing to admit. I sat there for hours while I waited for my turn to have my interview, and eventually, as the sun went down and I sank into the plush armchair, I found myself involuntarily nodding off. My night out with Mr. Edrick Morgan left me more exhausted than I was willing to admit. ¡°Moana Fowler.¡± I jumped, awoken abruptly as the stern woman from before called my name and looked up to see her standing over me. ¡°Oh! I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, sitting upright and nervously wiping a bit of drool off of the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand. ¡°Is it my turn?¡± I looked around to see that the waiting room waspletely ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. empty. ¡°Go home,¡± the woman said sternly, stepping away from me and gesturing toward the door. ¡°But¡­ I haven¡¯t had my interview,¡± I said frantically, standing with my resume clutched in my hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I dozed off, but it¡¯s been hours¨C¡± ¡°E doesn¡¯t wish to see any more candidates,¡± she interrupted. ¡°Especially not young, pretty girls such as yourself.¡± I felt my heart drop into my stomach as I shook my head vehemently. ¡°No,¡± I pleaded, ¡°please let me see her. I promise you won¡¯t regret it if you just give me a chance.¡± The woman stared at me for several painfully long moments before sighing. ¡°Fine,¡± she said, turning and starting to ascend the stairs. ¡°But don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± I excitedly followed the woman up the stairs, where she silently led me down a wide hallway that was lined withrge, ornate wooden doors. Finally, we stopped in front of a door at the end of the hallway. She opened the door and let me in without a word. ¡°I told you I¡¯m tired!¡± a small voice growled from behind a high-backed chair that faced the empty firece. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see anyone else!¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to see you,¡± I said softly, stepping toward the chair. A small head of blonde hair poked out from behind the chair and red at me, appraising me, for several moments as I stood in the middle of the room. Suddenly, as if my appearance didn¡¯t meet her standards, the little girl leaped out of her seat and rushed toward me, her childish face twisted into an angry snarl and her werewolf fangs bared. Between the mop of messy blonde hair poked two pointed little ears on either side of her head, which twitched backward aggressively. I stood my ground and stared down at the little ball of fury, which only became more furious as I continued to ignore her disys of aggression. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you running like the rest?!¡± she shouted, her high-pitched voice turning into a squeal. I crouched down to meet the little girl¡¯s gaze. Her hair had fallen into her eyes. I slowly extended my hand to brush it away; she flinched, growling and baring her teeth, but let me do it when I persisted, revealing sparkling blue eyes. ¡°You¡¯re very pretty,¡± I said softly, watching intently as the little girl¡¯s ears pr*cked up and her lips slowly closed. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± She paused, staring at the floor, and when she spoke her face was still pointed down at it. ¡°E.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, E,¡± I said. ¡°My name is Moana. Can I ask why you want to scare me away?¡± ¡°My daddy is a handsome and rich man,¡± she said, her voice now a whisper. ¡°All of the young and pretty girls like you just want to work for him so they can marry him and take his money. No one wants to be here for me. I told Ms. Selina that I didn¡¯t want to see anyone else, but she brought you instead.¡± I paused for a moment, feeling tears pr*ck at the backs of my eyes at the little girl¡¯s words. ¡°You know,¡± I said softly, holding out my hand with my palm up and feeling the dread lift out of my stomach as E touched my fingers, ¡°I was an orphan when I was your age. I understand what it¡¯s like to not feel wanted.¡± ¡°Really?¡± E said, looking up at me with wonder on her face. ¡°You¡¯re not here to steal my daddy away?¡± I shook my head, holding backughter as I thought about how silly it would be for a wealthy Alpha werewolf to be interested in me, a human. ¡°No,¡± I said gently. ¡°I¡¯m here for you.¡± E and I both looked up as we heard the door creak open. I looked over my shoulder, still crouching, to see the woman from before standing in the doorway. ¡°It¡¯s past your bedtime, E,¡± she said, sping her hands in front of her. ¡°I want this one,¡± E said, walking cheerfully past me and ski pping out the door as if she hadn¡¯t just been threatening to bite my face off. The old woman ¡ª Selina, as I had discovered her name was ¡ª cast me a disbelieving look, her eyes narrowing as she sized me up. ¡°Hmph,¡± she said under her breath once E was out of earshot. ¡°What did you do to make her choose you?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Finding amon ground is a powerful thing,¡± I said, following Selina from the room. When we got downstairs, Selina opened the front door to let me out. ¡°We have your address on file, and a car will be waiting for you first thing in the morning to take you to sign your contract and begin your first day. Be ready at six o¡¯clock sharp, and not a momentter.¡± Smiling, I nodded and walked past Selina with a light feeling in my body despite her curt attitude, then paused and turned around to face her. ¡°What was the father¡¯s name, by the way?¡± I asked. Selina pursed her lips and looked at me coldly. ¡°You¡¯ll receive the details once you sign your contract,¡± she said, promptly closing the door in my face and leaving me alone on the doorstep. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 5: L¡¯affaire Au Pair Moana I woke up at 4:30 the next morning ¡ª a bit earlier than I needed to, probably, but I wasn¡¯t taking any chances with this job. I spent the next hour practically scrubbing myself raw in the shower, fixing my hair, ironing my clothes, and taking extra care to make sure that there wasn¡¯t a single stray hair or speck of dust on me, because today was the first day of the job that would change my life, and I had to be perfect. I then spent the final half hour of my preparations pacing and staring out the window, willing myself with all of the strength I had to not bite my nails, as I waited for the car that Selina had mentioned. Lo and behold, as soon as the clock struck 5:59, I saw a ck car slowly pulling up out front, and I practically flew out of my apartment and down the stairs so that I was opening the car door by 6:00 sharp. ¡°Hmph,¡± Selina said, looking at her watch as I mbered into the back. ¡°Six o¡¯clock on the dot. A little out of breath, but at least you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± I said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear and buckling my seatbelt. ¡°It¡¯s a bad neighborhood, so I didn¡¯t want to wait outside.¡± Selina didn¡¯t answer. The driver pulled the car away from the curb and started heading down the street. ¡°We¡¯ll be stopping to sign your contract with thewyer first,¡± Selina said, her voice t as she looked out the window with a modicum of disgust on her wrinkled face. ¡°Then, you¡¯ll get a tour of the penthouse apartment where you¡¯ll be spending most of your time. I suspect you won¡¯t be needing to return to your old home to collect your things?¡± I thought back to my apartment and its contents.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Well, I have some clothes and things there¨C¡± ¡°Your employer will supply you with anything you need: clothes, toiletries, books, and anything else you might need or want. Unless you have sentimental belongings you need to go back for, I wouldn¡¯t rmend wasting your time and energy on such a move.¡± I nodded, clutching the tiny silver locket around my neck. That locket was the only sentimental thing I owned, and it was always around my neck. Everything else in that apartment could burn, for all I cared. ¡°Very well,¡± Selina said. We spent the next several minutes of the car trip inplete silence. Although Selina was seated directly across from me in the back of the expensive town car, she didn¡¯t turn away from the window to look at me even once. I didn¡¯t let it get to me, though; growing up human in a world dominated by werewolves prepared me for this sort of treatment. There were many werewolves who saw humans as equals, but there were even more who saw us as an inferior race. Selina was likely one of them. The driver eventually pulled the car over in front of a brownstone withrge bay windows with a sign over the door that read ¡°William Brown, Esq.¡± Selina got out of the car without a word and started for the door ¡ª I did the same, standing behind her as she rapped on the door with the brass knocker. The door swung open a few momentster, and a young woman led us in. The office smelled like a sicklybination of mahogany and burnt coffee, and it was eerily quiet. Neither Selina nor the woman said a word; the woman only shut the door behind us and gestured toward a half-open door at the end of a short hallway, and when we entered, there was an old man sitting behind an enormous wooden desk. The door swung open a few momentster, and a young woman led us in. The office smelled like a sicklybination of mahogany and burnt coffee, and it was eerily quiet. Neither Selina nor the woman said a word; the woman only shut the door behind us and gestured toward a half-open door at the end of a short hallway, and when we entered, there was an old man sitting behind an enormous wooden desk. He was asleep. Selina cleared her throat loudly and sat down in the chair across from him, and when he still didn¡¯t wake, she swiftly kicked him under the desk. ¡°Wake up, William!¡± ¡°What? Oh!¡± the old man eximed with a start as he was unceremoniously awoken. I stifled augh as I stood in the doorway, but my smile quickly faded when Selina abruptly turned around and gestured with her head for me to sit. ¡°Right,¡± William said, putting on his sses with shaking old hands as he opened a drawer and pulled out a stack of documents. ¡°Now, let¡¯s see¡­¡± The c*ckoo clock on the wall behind him ticked in time with my racing heartbeat and filled my ears, driving me practically insane, as the elderlywyer licked his fingers and flipped through the documents. Finally, after a painstakingly long time and a curt ¡°ahem¡± from Selina, he produced the packet of paperwork for me and set it down in front of me with a pen. ¡°You¡¯ll just have to sign this basic contract and an NDA,¡± he said. I leaned forward and picked up the pen, scanning over the contract. My eyebrows raised as I noticed a couple of interesting uses thrown in: one mentioned that I was not allowed to be romantically involved with my employer at any point, and another stated that I was prohibited from bing pregnant with my employer¡¯s child without permission. ¡°Um¡­ What are these uses for?¡± I asked, pointing to them. William leaned over and nced at them, then waved his hand dismissively. ¡°All very standard.¡± ¡°But I¨C¡± ¡°Just sign the agreement,¡± Selina growled under her breath. ¡°Unless you think you will break the uses¡­¡± ¡°No, no,¡± I said, quickly scrawling my signature down on the dotted line and sliding the contract back to William. ¡°I would never. I was just curious.¡± Selina let out another ¡°Hmph,¡± and stood, smoothing down her skirt. ¡°Well, that¡¯s finished,¡± she said, nodding politely to William, who seemed already exhausted from our brief interaction. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Moana.¡± ¡­ We arrived at the location where I would be working and living a few minutester. It was vastly different from the Tudor-style mountain mansion I had visited the day before, but equally as massive and beautiful. Selina and I walked through the marble lobby and took the elevator up a few dozen storeys beforeing out into a gorgeous entryway with cherry wood parquet floors andrge, arched windows that were reminiscent of an expensive Parisian apartment. E was waiting for us when we arrived. She looked much more put-together and far less feral than the night before, wearing a prim baby blue dress with ruffles and a bow in her hair. Much to mine and Selina¡¯s surprise, E threw her arms around me in a tight hug and then took my hand, leading me away from Selina and around the massive apartment on a tour ¡ª which took over an hour since the ce was sorge, and I was thoroughly exhausted by the time it was over. E¡¯s bedroom alone was bigger than my old apartment. Finally, after she introduced me to the twin maids, Lily and Amy, E led me to what would be my room. ¡°This is your room!¡± she said, pushing open arge set of double doors with her tiny hands. I stifled a gasp as I saw how sp*cious and beautiful it was, with even a small balcony that overlooked the city below. ¡°This is¡­ mine?¡± I asked, unable to contain my disbelief. ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± E said, climbing up on the bed and bouncing a bit. ¡°Come feel the bed!¡± Smiling, I walked over to the bed and sat down next to E. ¡°Wow, it is bouncy,¡± I said, to which E giggled and flopped onto her back, arms outstretched. I took the silence and the fact that we were alone as an opportunity to get to know E a bit better ¡ª as well as to pry a bit for information on this mystery father to make sure that he wasn¡¯t aplete weirdo. ¡°So, can you tell me anything about your parents?¡± I asked. ¡°Do you have a mom?¡± E shook her head, stillying back and staring up at the ceiling. ¡°Nope. I never met my mom. She died when I was born.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I replied, my voice faltering. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± E merely sat up and shrugged, hopping off of the bed to walk over to the dresser and y with the ornate drawer kn*bs. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m happy with just my daddy. He¡¯s always nice to me¡­ I just wish he could spend more time with me.¡± I stood and walked over to E. She turned and looked up at me, her eyes just as blue as they had been the night before. ¡°I¡¯m sure he wishes he could spend more time with you, too,¡± I said. ¡­ That evening, after spending the entire day together ying games, E and I were sitting on the living room floor while Amy and Lily prepared dinner. I was watching as E drew a picture with crayons, helping her to draw things that she couldn¡¯t quite figure out yet for herself, when I heard the front door click open. E jerked her head up and suddenly dropped her crayons, jumping up and running out into the foyer. ¡°Daddy!¡± she yelled. I took a deep breath and stood, smoothing down my shirt and quickly fixing my hair as I prepared to meet my employer for the first time. ¡°Hey, princess. Did you have a good day?¡± My eyes widened as I heard his voice. It seemed I already knew this wealthy, handsome father I had heard so much about. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 6: Another One Bites the Dust Moana I stood frozen in the middle of the living room, my back turned to the door as I heard footsteps approaching. How did this happen? How did I wind up finally bing employed, only for it to turn out that my new employer was the same person who I had a one night stand with just two nights ago? The footsteps came closer. I felt like a deer in headlights. ¡°Good evening, Miss Moana,¡± that all-too-familiar voice said from behind me. ¡°Can we speak privately for a minute?¡± I slowly turned around to face Edrick Morgan, the handsome and wealthy werewolf CEO, the extremely well-known public figure, the man who I had slept with two nights ago¡­ The man who tried to throw money at my feet like I was a prostitute. He stood in front of me with E in his arms, the perfect picture of a loving father. ¡°Y-Yes,¡± I stammered. I watched as he set E down, then gestured for me to follow him; as I did, it felt like I was swimming through mud, like my limbs were heavy and useless. Was I dreaming? We walked through the living room and into his study; I remembered it from my tour with E earlier. It had enormous bookshelves lining the walls that rose all the way to the ceiling, with arge carved stone firece and two tall, arched windows. There was a mahogany desk in the middle of the room and a small seating area by the firece. At the time that E showed me this room, I had found it stunningly beautiful. Now, it felt like a coffin. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± I said as soon as the door clicked shut behind us. I stayed by the door, watching as Edrick casually walked over to one of the plush chairs by the firece and sat down. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you would be the employer. If I had known, I wouldn¡¯t have applied. I promise this isn¡¯t a ploy to get money from you¨C¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Moana,¡± Edrick said, rubbing his tired eyes. ¡°I knew it was you when I hired you. I did it on purpose.¡± I scrunched my eyebrows together. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°E may be stubborn, but I¡¯m notpletely detached from the hiring process,¡± Edrick replied. ¡°I wanted to give you a chance.¡± ¡°But¡­ You treated me like a beggar. Like I was a¡­¡± I lowered my voice so E couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°¡­a prostitute. And now you give me a job opportunity? What¡¯s the catch here?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t take the money I gave you on the street,¡± he replied coldly, standing. ¡°After that, you wouldn¡¯t take the money I tried to give you after our one night stand, because apparently your pride is more important than paying your rent. I may seem like an arrogant as*hole to you, but I do not owe anyone and I know a desperate person when I see one ¡ª so I did the next best thing since you don¡¯t seem to like handouts, and I gave you a job.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t take the money I gave you on the street,¡± he replied coldly, standing. ¡°After that, you wouldn¡¯t take the money I tried to give you after our one night stand, because apparently your pride is more important than paying your rent. I may seem like an arrogant as*hole to you, but I do not owe anyone and I know a desperate person when I see one ¡ª so I did the next best thing since you don¡¯t seem to like handouts, and I gave you a job.¡± I took a few steps toward him, clenching my fists. ¡°I passed that interview fair and square,¡± I said. ¡°Why are you making it out like I¡¯m a¡­ a charity case?¡± Edrick scoffed and folded his arms across his chest. ¡°Oh, please. Your application was tossed into the reject pile the first day you sent it. I decided to give you a second chance, when there were dozens of other people with better experience and a better education.¡± A lump started to rise in my throat as Edrick spoke. Was this all I was? A charity case? A pathetic example of someone who was just supposed to be grateful that the all-knowing and powerful Edrick Morgan gave me a chance to work for him after sleeping with me in a hotel room? ¡°You know,¡± I growled, taking another step closer, ¡°for a man whoined that his one night stand was just after him for money, it¡¯s awfully convenient that you would suddenly want me to live with you.¡± ¡°You signed the contract,¡± he replied, fixing his steely gaze on me. ¡°You know the stiptions of the uses. And I highly doubt you have the courage to break them.¡± Suddenly, the door creaked open. Edrick and I both looked up to see E standing in the doorway, tears streaming down her cheeks. ¡°You promised you wouldn¡¯t try to steal my daddy away,¡± she snarled. Even from where I stood, I could see her little fangs poking out and her ws extended. ¡°You¡¯re a liar!¡± ¡°E¨C¡± Before I could stop her, the little girl turned on her heel and ran away, sobbing. I whipped back around to re at Edrick, whose gaze had shifted from cold to concerned in a matter of moments. ¡°You should be ashamed of yourself,¡± I said, walking toward the door. ¡°You knew exactly what you were doing when you hired me.¡± I stormed out of Edrick¡¯s office and found E¡¯s room, but the door was locked when I tried to open it. ¡°E, please talk to me,¡± I said through the door. There was a brief silence, followed by an angry ¡°Go away!¡± Sighing, I turned around to see Selina standing at the end of the hallway, her thin arms folded disappointedly across her chest. No doubt she had heard the entire interaction and was looking down on me, too. I couldn¡¯t stay in a ce where everyone was suspicious of me, like I was some sort of grifter just trying to weasel money out of a wealthy CEO. I would rather be homeless. I stormed past Selina and went to my room, where my purse with my few belongings sat on the dresser. Hopefully, myndlord hadn¡¯t locked me out of my apartment yet. Without a word, I stormed out of the apartment building and back out onto the dark street, collecting my bearings for a moment before finding the nearest subway and heading home. Just as I feared, my apartment was locked up tightly when I returned, with an eviction notice on the door. I hit the door with my fist and cursed out loud before heading back out onto the street; it looked like I was going to be putting another charge on my credit card, this time for a motel¡­ And dinner, because I was starving. As I walked down the street, digging through my purse to see if I had enough cash to buy a couple slices of pizza, I suddenly stopped short and felt the hairs on the back of my neck raise as the overwhelming feeling of being watched came over me. I slowly turned my head to see tworge men walking toward me on the dark sidewalk. ¡°Evening, miss,¡± one of them said, his voice gravelly as though he smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. His eyes were a glowing orange color, which was utterly terrifying in the dark, and I realized as he came closer that there was a long scar running diagonally across his entire face. The other man was equally as frightening, with a long leather jacket and an almost hungry look on his face. ¡°U-Um, I don¡¯t have any money,¡± I said, starting to walk away briskly. My heart started to pound as they continued to follow me, and I began to swivel my head this way and that, looking for anyone who mightThis text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. be able to help. ¡°We¡¯re not here for money,¡± the man in the leather jacket said. ¡°We¡¯re here for you.¡± At that moment, every fiber of my being screamed for me to run. Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 7: Captive Moana ¡°Hey! Stop!¡± the scar-faced man shouted. I ran as fast as I could, willing my legs to pump harder, to push me further away from the imminent danger that I sensed. I could hear the sound of footsteps pounding on the sidewalk behind me; I was just a human, and these men were werewolves. I should¡¯ve known I wouldn¡¯t stand a chance trying to outrun them. I screamed for help, but no one came ¡ª no one ever came when a woman screamed for help in the city, and I cursed them for that in that moment. The sound of the men running behind me came closer. I felt as though my body didn¡¯t belong to me, like I was watching from a third person perspective as I ran for my life. The two men gained on me. They were so close now that I knew that one misstep on my part would allow them to catch me. I felt a hand brush my shoulder and I shrieked, pushing myself faster as I nced over my shoulder to look¡­ Whack! I ran into something hard and gritty: a corner of a brick building. As I stumbled backwards, my head reeling from the impact, all I could feel were hands grabbing me. My vision faded, and thest thing I saw was the scar-faced man¡­ I came to in the back of a car. My head was throbbing and I felt as though I would vomit, which kept me from being able to scream or fight. Where were these strange men taking me? ¡°She¡¯s awake,¡± the gravelly voice that belonged to the scar-faced man said. I groaned. I tried to speak, to tell them to let me go, but all that came out was garbled nonsense. They stopped the car and got out, opening the back door and lifting my limp body out of the seat. As they half-carried me toward whatever fate thaty before me, my head lolled back on one of their shoulders. Above me towered the massive apartment building where I had just been earlier that day. Edrick Morgan¡¯s penthouse. I felt myself go even weaker. The man in the leather jacket said something incoherent and picked me up fully, carrying me in through the brightly-lit lobby. I heard the sound of the scar-faced man saying something to the concierge, followed by the ding of the elevator. I cked out again. When I woke up again, I wasying on something soft. The room was dim, lit only by the glow of a standingmp. I groaned and attempted to sit up; somehow, I managed to do it, although the dizziness got worse when I did. ¡°You hit your head pretty good there, huh?¡± a familiar male voice said. I winced as I felt a damp cloth touch my tender forehead, another hand supporting my back from underneath as I struggled to stay upright. ¡°Where am I¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re back in the penthouse.¡± ¡°Where am I¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re back in the penthouse.¡± I blinked several times. Finally, Edrick Morgan¡¯s devilishly handsome face came into focus. He was crouching in front of me with a concerned expression as he dabbed at my forehead with a damp cloth. I thought, as I slowly came back to consciousness, that I secretly caught him showing a bit of concern ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. for me; under any other circumstances, I would¡¯ve felt like we had chemistry between us. ¡°Why did you bring me back here?¡± I whispered, too weak to speak any more loudly. ¡°Why did you run?¡± he asked instead of answering me, his face turning cold again as soon as he saw me looking. I didn¡¯t answer. Sighing, Edrick set down the washcloth and propped a couple of soft pillows under me to help me stay upright, then stood and walked over to the window to look out onto the city street. ¡°You already signed the contract,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s rude of you to run off like that. I¡¯m only trying to help.¡± ¡°Trying to help by sending two terrifying men to attack me on the street in the middle of the night?¡± Edrick turned back to face me. His expression was, unsurprisingly, cold and emotionless. ¡°What did you expect me to do? They were never going to hurt you. From what I heard, you took off screaming before they could even talk to you.¡± I groaned again and shut my eyes, tenderly touching my fingers to my forehead as a wave of dizziness took over me. Through my closed eyelids I saw Edrick¡¯s tall form approaching me once more and crouching down in front of me. He picked up the washcloth again and held it to my forehead. As he did, I heard the door click open. ¡°Thank you, Selina,¡± he said. I cracked my eyes open to see the housekeeper hand him a bottle of pills. He opened it and dumped two out into his palm, then held them out to me along with a ss of water. ¡°It¡¯s just Advil,¡± he said, noticing my hesitation to take the pills. ¡°For the pain. Don¡¯t worry, I wouldn¡¯t drug you.¡± I frowned, but gingerly took the pills and popped them into my mouth, washing them down with the ss of water. I heard Selina¡¯s footsteps receding, followed by the sound of the door clicking shut again. ¡°You know, we did try to call you,¡± he said, sitting on the arm of a chair across from me and folding his arms across his chest. ¡°Several times, actually. As it turns out, you left your phone here by ident.¡± He pulled my phone out of his pocket and tossed it onto myp. The screen lit up as he did so, showing five missed calls. ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, slipping my phone into my own pocket. ¡°But you should know that I don¡¯t have any intention of continuing to work for you.¡± ¡°I figured you would say that,¡± he replied. ¡°I suppose I could just as easily find someone else to fill your position, and would honestly prefer it myself at this point, but it seems E is quite taken with you.¡± I furrowed my brow. ¡°E seemed too upset by our¡­ brief history¡­ to want anything to do with me.¡± Edrick merely shrugged, then called over his shoulder toward the door. ¡°Come in, E. Tell Moana what you told me.¡± I sat up fully and looked over my shoulder to see E sheepishly walk into the room. She was looking at the floor and fiddling with a bow on her dress, looking embarrassed. ¡°Go on, E,¡± Edrick said softly. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I yelled at you,¡± she whispered. She looked up at me then, and her eyes widened when she saw me. ¡°What happened?¡± I reached up and touched my forehead, then shook my head and held my hand out for her to take. ¡°I¡¯m okay. Just bumped my head, that¡¯s all.¡± E tentatively shuffled up to me, cing her small hand in mine as she studied my face. ¡°I thought you lied to me,¡± she said. ¡°But then I remembered that you asked me about my parents, and daddy told me that you didn¡¯t know who he was when you came to see me yesterday. So I forgive you.¡± ¡°Do you want Moana to stay?¡± Edrick asked. E nodded vigorously. ¡°Yes. We had so much fun today. I want to have fun with you every day.¡± The little girl¡¯s words made me smile and forget about everything else. How could I say no to her? ¡°Alright,¡± I said to E, ncing briefly at Edrick as he looked on with an icy stare. ¡°I¡¯ll stay. But only if you promise to talk to me next time you get mad at me. Okay?¡± E nodded in agreement. ¡°I promise.¡± Then, she pulled me closer and cupped her hands around my ear. ¡°If my daddy is going to be with someone, then I suppose I¡¯m okay with it being you.¡± She pulled away with a smile on her face, then patted me on the shoulder and ski pped out of the room before I could respond. What she had said was so adult-like¡­ Children could be so strange sometimes! ¡°So, that settles it?¡± Edrick asked once she was gone. ¡°Will you stay?¡± His voice was t, but I could sense a hint of pleading behind it. Somehow, I knew that E wasn¡¯t the only one who wanted me to stay. ¡°Yes,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll stay.¡± ¡°Thonks,¡± I soid, slipping my phone into my own pocket. ¡°But you should know thot I don¡¯t hove ony intention of continuing to work for you.¡± ¡°I figured you would soy thot,¡± he replied. ¡°I suppose I could just os eosily find someone else to fill your position, ond would honestly prefer it myself ot this point, but it seems Ello is quite token with you.¡± I furrowed my brow. ¡°Ello seemed too upset by our¡­ brief history¡­ to wont onything to do with me.¡± Edrick merely shrugged, then colled over his shoulder toword the door. ¡°Come in, Ello. Tell Moono whot you told me.¡± I sot up fully ond looked over my shoulder to see Ello sheepishly wolk into the room. She wos looking ot the floor ond fiddling with o bow on her dress, looking emborrossed. ¡°Go on, Ello,¡± Edrick soid softly. ¡°It¡¯s okoy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I yelled ot you,¡± she whispered. She looked up ot me then, ond her eyes widened when she sow me. ¡°Whot hoppened?¡± I reoched up ond touched my foreheod, then shook my heod ond held my hond out for her to toke. ¡°I¡¯m okoy. Just bumped my heod, thot¡¯s oll.¡± Ello tentotively shuffled up to me, plocing her smoll hond in mine os she studied my foce. ¡°I thought you lied to me,¡± she soid. ¡°But then I remembered thot you osked me obout my porents, ond doddy told me thot you didn¡¯t know who he wos when youe to see me yesterdoy. So I forgive you.¡± ¡°Do you wont Moono to stoy?¡± Edrick osked. Ello nodded vigorously. ¡°Yes. We hod so much fun todoy. I wont to hove fun with you every doy.¡± The little girl¡¯s words mode me smile ond forget obout everything else. How could I soy no to her? ¡°Alright,¡± I soid to Ello, gloncing briefly ot Edrick os he looked on with on icy store. ¡°I¡¯ll stoy. But only if you promise to tolk to me next time you get mod ot me. Okoy?¡± Ello nodded in ogreement. ¡°I promise.¡± Then, she pulled me closer ond cupped her honds oround my eor. ¡°If my doddy is going to be with someone, then I suppose I¡¯m okoy with it being you.¡± She pulled owoy with o smile on her foce, then potted me on the shoulder ond ski pped out of the room before I could respond. Whot she hod soid wos so odult-like¡­ Children could be so stronge sometimes! ¡°So, thot settles it?¡± Edrick osked once she wos gone. ¡°Will you stoy?¡± His voice wos flot, but I could sense o hint of pleoding behind it. Somehow, I knew thot Ello wosn¡¯t the only one who wonted me to stoy. ¡°Yes,¡± I soid. ¡°I¡¯ll stoy.¡± Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 8: Sleeping Potion Moana After the entire debacle on my first night of employment, my first week went by smoothly and without a single hitch. E was a sweet little girl to take care of, and she caused very little trouble, if any at all. In fact, by the end of my first week, I started to feel a little guilty for epting such a high sry for such an easy job and started helping Selina and the maids around the penthouse when I wasn¡¯t busy with E. Helping out with cleaning, cooking,undry, and grocery shopping not only made me feel better about epting the sry, but also made me feel less bored when I had nothing else to do. It didn¡¯t make Selina and the maids any more friendly toward me, but it certainly seemed to soften their demeanors a tiny bit as the days marched on. I also kept a distant, but polite, rtionship with Edrick. He wasn¡¯t around very often, usually only I started to notice a strange urrence, though. There was a drawer in the kitchen that Selina would periodically open using a small key; I didn¡¯t pay it much mind, just assuming that it was something private, but I was helping out with peeling potatoes in the kitchen one afternoon while E was busy with her violin lesson when I noticed Selinae in with a paper pharmacy bag. I watched quietly as she discreetly opened the bag, unlocked the drawer, and dumped the contents of the bag into the drawer. ¡°Selina! Can you help me?¡± Amy suddenly called from the other room. She sounded like she was struggling to carry something heavy. ¡°Coming,¡± Selina replied. She left the empty paper bag on the counter and scurried away, inadvertently leaving the drawer open. I tried to focus on peeling the potatoes, but I was nothing if not a curious person ¡ª probably a trait I picked up during my upbringing at the orphanage ¡ª and couldn¡¯t help myself from quietly sneaking over to the mysterious drawer. My brows knit together when I opened it to reveal bottles upon bottles of pills. ¡°Ambien¡­¡± I whispered to myself as I picked up one of the bottles and read thebel. Why were there so many sleeping pills in this drawer? ¡°Ahem.¡± I jumped when I heard Selina clear her throat from behind me, identally dropping the bottle of pills in my hand and watching in horror as it rolled across the floor, eventuallying to a stop in front of Selina¡¯s feet. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± I muttered. Selina sighed and stooped to pick up the bottle. She brushed past me and tossed it back into the drawer, closing and locking it again. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to snoop,¡± I said in a rushed voice. ¡°I just saw you left the drawer unlocked, and¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Selina replied as she dropped the small key into her apron pocket. ¡°I suppose it was only a matter of time before you got curious.¡± I turned and watched as Selina walked over to the oven. She slipped a quilted oven mitt onto her hand and pulled out a steaming loaf of bread, then used the mitt to wave away some of the steam. ¡°May I ask who it¡¯s for?¡± I asked. ¡°The pills, I mean.¡± ¡°Mr. Morgan has been having trouble sleeping for years now,¡± she replied, her back still turned to me as she turned the loaf pan upside down and let the fresh loaf of bread inside plop down onto the cutting board. ¡°His dosestely have been getting stronger. I¡¯m not sure if the pills even help him at all at this point.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not good for his body,¡± the maid, Lily, said as she shuffled into the kitchen with a basket of clean linens. ¡°Those pills are too strong. And, they¡¯re addictive. I me it on that woman¨C¡± ¡°Lily!¡± Selina growled, whipping around to re at Lily. ¡°Sorry,¡± Lily muttered before continuing her work. I frowned, figuring I wasn¡¯t going to find out who ¡®that woman¡¯ was, and returned to peeling the potatoes as I thought about Edrick. Every time I had talked to him since I met him, he never seemed overly tired ¡ª and, now that I thought of it, he had woken up at almost the exact same time as I did when we spent the night together in the hotel. ¡­ I had the chance to witness Edrick¡¯s sleep deprivation firsthand that very night. I had just put E to bed. She insisted that I read her not one, not two, but three bedtime stories before she finally fell asleep halfway through the third story, so I was up muchter than usual. Normally I would be tucked away in my bedroom by the time with my headphones on, listening to quiet music while I drew in my sketchbook on my balcony, which meant that I rarely bumped into Edrick at this time of night. As I was walking back to my room, however, I heard the sound of ss breaking in the living room, followed by a mu ffled ¡°Sh it.¡± I hurried toward the sound of the noise, worried that Edrick had hurt himself; when I emerged into the living room, I saw him standing in the middle of the room frowning down at the floor. He had hisptop bncing in one hand and was staring down at the floor in front of him, where a wine ss had shattered on the wood and red wine pooled up around his bare feet. When he heard me enter, he jerked his head up to look at me. His face looked sickly and pale. There was something else behind his eyes, too. He was drunk. ¡°Do you need help?¡± I asked. Edrick shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s alright. The maid will clean it up in the morning.¡± I frowned and brushed past him to retrieve a towel and the broom from the kitchen. ¡°Nonsense,¡± I said, ushering him out of the way when I returned. I bent down in front of him to wipe the wine up off of the floor, then swept the broken ss into the dustpan and dumped it in the trash. ¡°See? It took five seconds.¡± Edrick swayed slightly in his spot for a moment before turning on his heel toward the kitchen. ¡°I need another ss,¡± he mumbled. My frown deepened. I grabbed him by the shoulder, taking him by surprise, and guided him over to the sofa. ¡°Sit here,¡± I said sternly, as though he was a child. ¡°I¡¯ll get it for you.¡± He didn¡¯t protest as I went into the kitchen to get him another ss ¡ª but as I got out the wine ss and lifted the half-empty bottle to pour, I decided against it and instead filled a ss with fresh, cold water. When I returned and handed the ss to Edrick, he frowned. ¡°This isn¡¯t wine.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not,¡± I replied. ¡°You¡¯re drunk enough as it is. Would you want your daughter toe out here and see you like this? Besides, alcohol won¡¯t help you sleep. If anything, it¡¯ll keep you up and leave you with a headache in the morning.¡± Edrick was silent for several moments as he stared at the ss of water in his hand. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You know about my sleeping troubles?¡± he asked, looking up at me with raised eyebrows. I nodded. ¡°I saw the pills,¡± I responded, pausing. ¡°Is it like this every night?¡± Edrick nodded hesitantly. ¡°Every night. Except, there was one time recently¡­¡± His voice faltered, and before I could tell him to continue, his face shifted back to its usual cold expression. He set the ss of water down on the coffee table and began typing on hisptop. ¡°Thank you for the water,¡± he said. ¡°You can go now.¡± ¡­ As I slept that night, I had a strange dream. I was standing on a cliff, looking out over the sea. There was a disembodied voice speaking to me. ¡°I am your wolf¡­ My name is Mina¡­¡± the voice said slowly and softly, like the wind. But when I looked for the source of the voice, there was no one there. I awoke with a start in the morning, feeling ufortable after my strange dream. Had I already spent so much time living with werewolves that their customs were starting to work their way into my dreams? Shuddering, I sat up and rubbed my eyes. As my sleepy vision began to focus, I nearly screamed. Someone was in my bed¡­ And it was Edrick. Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. #Chapter 9: Bedmates oana As soon as I saw Edrick sleeping on the other side of my bed, I immediately averted my gaze down at myself to make sure that I was still dressed. I was still fully clothed¡­ And this time, I knew for a fact that I hadn¡¯t h***ked up with him. I was So, why was Edrick in my bed? While I was still processing what was going on, Edrick¡¯s eyes suddenly opened and he stared right at me. I yelped and jumped out of the bed, running to the other side of the room. ¡°What are you doing in here?¡± I asked, my voice shaking. Edrick slowly sat up and looked around, looking equally as confused as I was. ¡°I have no idea,¡± he said, looking down at himself in the same manner I did; no doubt to also check to make sure he was fully clothed. ¡°I was really drunkst night. I guess I confused your room with mine.¡± ¡°Your room is all the way on the other side of the penthouse,¡± I growled. ¡°And it¡¯s an entirely different Edrick was silent for several moments before throwing the covers off of himself and swinging his long legs over the edge of the bed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said, standing and sying out his hands with his palms facing outward in a disy of surrender. ¡°I really don¡¯t know what happened. Last I remember¡­¡± His voice faded and his brow furrowed. ¡°What do you remember?¡± I asked incredulously. I was appalled that he would have me sign a contract stating I wouldn¡¯t get romantically involved with him, only for him to vite those terms within the first week by crawling into my bed in the middle of the night. He shook his head, frowning as he stared down at the floor. ¡°I was awake for quite a while after you went to bed. I couldn¡¯t sleep¡­ But suddenly I started thinking about you, and the night we spent together in the hotel.¡± My frown deepened. ¡°So, after all of the fuss you made with the contract and making me promise not to get romantically involved, you got sentimental over our one night stand and climbed into my bed while I was sleeping?¡± Edrick shook his head again, this time more vehemently. ¡°No,¡± he said, his face turning slightly red. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that. There¡¯s just something about you that helps me sleep. I remember when we slept together in the hotel, I slept like a baby that night for the first time in years. I don¡¯t know what it is, but it must¡¯ve drawn me to youst night. But I¡¯m sorry. It won¡¯t happen again. Unless¨C¡± I c****d my head to the side, partially frustrated by Edrick¡¯s back and forth attitude and partially intrigued by it. If he wanted to be involved with me so badly, why didn¡¯t he just say so without beating around the bush? ¡°Unless what?¡± ¡°Unless¡­ I¡¯ll pay you to sleep with me. With clothes on, of course. Nothing sexual.¡± I scoffed, folding my arms across my chest. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that go against the contract that was so important to you?¡± I asked. ¡°What, are you trying to make me break it so you can weasel a fine out of me or something?¡± ¡°Moana, I¡¯m a billionaire,¡± Edrick said with augh. ¡°I don¡¯t have any desire to ¡®weasel¡¯ any sort of money out of you. But I do need to sleep, and you seem to be the cure for my insomnia. We can write up a supplemental agreement ¡ª in exchange for a sry increase, we¡¯ll share a bed. Just until I can get back into a normal sleep schedule, and then maybe I won¡¯t need to do it anymore. It won¡¯t hurt your contract at all. ¡± I narrowed my eyes and thought back to the image in my mind of the drawer full of pills in the kitchen, followed by the image of Edrick drunkenly swaying in the living room while his daughter slept just a couple of rooms over. ¡°If you really promise not to make it sexual¡­¡± ¡°I promise,¡± Edrick said. ¡°I¡¯m only thinking about what¡¯s best for my daughter. Who, by the way, can never know about this.¡± I paused for a moment, still feeling hesitant about agreeing to something like this, but a sry increase for simply sleeping next to someone was tempting. I could just see it as a way to pay off my student loans more quickly, and maybe he was right about it only needing to be temporary. ¡°Alright,¡± I said with a pensive nod. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡­ I spent the remainder of the day feeling distracted by my new agreement with Edrick. E didn¡¯t seem to notice that my mind was wandering a bit as I helped her get ready for the day and attend her lessons, and if she did, she didn¡¯t say anything. Was this a bad idea? Thest time Edrick and I slept together, it had turned into a one night stand and a subsequent argument. I couldn¡¯t deny the feelings that arose in me when I woke up to find him unexpectedly next to me, even though we were fully clothed¡­ Would we be able to go through with this new arrangement without things getting too hot? Later that night, once E was sound asleep in her bed and Selina and the maids were asleep as well, I quietly made my way across the penthouse to Edrick¡¯s room. I made sure to put on an extrayer over my pajamas as an added barrier, just in case. I quietly knocked twice on the door before opening it and slipping inside. I had only been in this room once, very briefly, when E gave me her tour. While E¡¯s and my rooms were both light and airy, Edrick¡¯s room was more dimly lit. He seemed to like keeping the curtains shut, and there weren¡¯t any decorations inside. The furniture had a minimal feel to it, and everything was a dark color. It made therge room feel empty and deste, especially with its high ceilings. As I walked over to Edrick with the signed copy of the supplemental agreement in my hand and gave it to him, I pulled my cardigan closer around my body and shivered. I wasn¡¯t sure how I was going to sleep well in here. ¡°Are you cold? I have extra nkets,¡± Edrick said when he saw me shiver, eyeing my extrayer of clothing. I shook my head and walked around to the other side of the bed. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I pulled back the ck nket and hesitantly climbed into the bed, making sure to stay all the way over on the edge. ¡°You know, I¡¯m not going to touch you,¡± Edrick said with a scoff. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so far away. And there¡¯s no need for the extrayers of clothing.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to take my precautions,¡± I replied coldly, and stuffed an extra pillow between us as a barrier before turning away and going to sleep. When I awoke the next morning, it was almost as dark as it was when we went to sleep, save for a few slivers of sunlight peeking through the dark curtains. Instead of feeling cold as I expected, however, I felt surprisingly warm andfortable. Still half asleep, I nuzzled into the strong arms that were wrapped around me, hardly noticing that the pillow between us had fallen to the floor. Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 10: Mina Moana Smiling to myself with closed eyes, I nuzzled deeper into the warm embrace of my bedmate, inhaling the smell of his chest. Wait¡­ My eyes shot open, as did his at the same time. We stared at one another in disbelief for several long seconds before I felt my face get hot. There was no denying the chemistry in the air between us as we gazed at each other beneath the warmth of the sheets, but I knew deep down that this was wrong. Edrick was my boss, and I had signed a contract to not get romantically involved! Blushing, I quickly pulled away and climbed out of the bed. I noticed that the cardigan I had worn to bed the night before nowy on the floor, so I picked it up and quickly put it on to cover myself while Edrick sat up slowly in bed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, my back turned to him as I buttoned my cardigan. ¡°Maybe this isn¡¯t the best idea.¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± he replied. His voice was low and gravelly from sleep, and it admittedly made me feel even more attracted to him. ¡°But I have to say that I haven¡¯t slept that well in ages. Excluding our night in the hotel, of course.¡± As I finished buttoning up my cardigan, I felt my face flush an even deeper shade of red. No response came to mind, so without a word, I quietly slipped out of Edrick¡¯s room and hoped that no one would see me. Unfortunately, that wish did note true as I almost immediately bumped into E, who was standing outside of her father¡¯s room. ¡°Oh! Good morning, E,¡± I said, trying to act nonchnt as I smiled at the little girl. She stared at me for a few moments, processing, before she spoke. ¡°What were you doing in my daddy¡¯s room?¡± I felt a lump rise in my throat. How could I possibly exin to a child that her father was paying me to sleep with him? While the simple agreement was that I was only there to sleep beside him to help him sleep and not be romantically involved, there was no way to exin that to the wary little girl without making it sound like I was a prostitute. ¡°Um¡­ Your daddy just called me in here to tell me that¡­¡± My voice faltered as I tried toe up with an excuse. ¡°¡­That he wants me to take you out for breakfast before your training today.¡± E¡¯s face lit up, and I felt a wave of relief wash over me. ¡°Really?¡± she said, her excited voice turning into a squeak. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. I nodded. ¡°Really. Go get ready. We can have crepes for breakfast at the bakery next door. I know they¡¯re your favorite.¡± E squealed with delight and ran off. I pulled my cardigan tighter around myself, letting out a sigh of relief once she was out of sight. At least I had a way with children. I quickly went to my room and got dressed in something suitable for the summer heat: afortable cotton dress and a pair of sandals. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail, and by that point, E was already excitedly banging on my door and singing a made-up song about crepes. As we made our way downstairs and headed to the bakery, my strange new arrangement with Edrick Morgan felt distant in my mind. As we were eating our breakfast together, however, something new came to my mind¡­ A voice. It was clear as day, and sounded nothing like my own inner thoughts. It was a woman¡¯s voice, but it was fading in and out. ¡°Hello¡­Moana?¡± it said, sounding distant and weak. I jumped a bit in shock, nearly dropping the forkful of crepes as I lifted it to my mouth. ¡°Shhh¡­I¡¯m Mina¡­ Your wolf. You can just talk to me through¡­ our mindlink¡­¡± I tried to calm down. ¡°I had a wolf? But¡­ I was human! Well, if you are really my wolf..Where were you then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry it¡¯s taken me so long to appear¡­ I¡¯m still weak, but I¡¯ve been awakened by someone close to you. I¡¯m not sure who, but I sense a strong connection¡­¡± E c****d her head, speaking with her mouth full. ¡°Are you okay?¡± she said, breaking my train of thought. I forced a weak smile and nodded, not wanting to reveal what was really going on inside my mind just yet. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine,¡± I replied, reaching out to wipe a bit of whipped cream off of E¡¯s mouth with my napkin. ¡°Don¡¯t talk with your mouth full.¡± I can no longer connect to Mina after that, but what happened was real. I just realized that I never really knew who my real parents were. This ¡®Mina¡¯ said that someone near me had a close connection. I thought of E, of the housekeeper, the maids¡­ Could it be possible that I was rted to any one of them? ¡­ It was Saturday morning, which meant that E had her weekly werewolf training today. As Selina informed me, E had to go to these training sessions every week along with other werewolf children to learn how to use their abilities, control their wolves, and to get the chance to shift freely in a safe space. I had attended the first training with Selina and E, but this week, I took E alone and was allowed to leave her there for a few hours, which gave me some time to do whatever I wanted. I hadn¡¯t been to the orphanage in some time, so once we dropped E off at her training, I agreed to meet the driver when her training was finished as he had other work to do in the meantime, and decided to take a taxi to the orphanage. Not only was I missing the children there, but I also wanted to speak to someone about my records¡­ Maybe they would have some answers about my lineage, and could tell me whether I was human or not. When I arrived, the children seemed preupied with arts and crafts, but a few of them perked up when they saw me. ¡°It¡¯s Moana!¡± One little girl said, waving her tiny hand enthusiastically as I stood in the doorway of the recreation room. I waved back and smiled. ¡°What are you all up to?¡± I asked. ¡°Mr. Ethan is teaching us how to make papier mache,¡± a little boy, whose face was covered in glitter and the white water-flour mixture used for the project, replied. ¡°Ethan?¡± I said, c*****g my head and furrowing my brow. ¡°Ethan Bradley,¡± a male voice said from behind me. I spun around to see a young man about my age; he was tall and had long brown hair that was pulled into a bun at the nape of his neck, and wore a white apron over his clothes that was covered in paint. I immediately recognized him as a well-known artist from the city. My eyes widened. ¡°Wow,¡± I said, holding out my hand to shake his. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. I¡¯m a huge fan of your work.¡± Ethan smiled and shook my hand. ¡°The kids here tell me that you¡¯re quite the artist yourself¡­¡± I blushed, thinking about my sketchbook at home. ¡°I sketch now and again, but I wouldn¡¯t consider myself much of an artist,¡± I replied. ¡°But I do find thebination of art and child psychology to be very interesting.¡± Ethan paused, patiently mulling over my words, before replying. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe to my exhibit next week?¡± he replied, pulling a small card out of his apron and handing it to me. ¡°And bring your sketchbook. I¡¯d love to hear more.¡± I took the card, a grin spreading across my face. ¡°I¡¯d be happy toe,¡± I said. Ethan smiled and returned to his work with the children, leaving me in the doorway. ¡°Moana!¡± a familiar voice said from the stairway. I looked up and smiled to see the director of the orphanage, Sophia,ing down the steps. ¡°What brings you here? I heard you got a new job; live-in au pair, right?¡± I met her halfway, adjusting my purse on my shoulder with a nod. ¡°Yes. I had a little free time, so I thought I would stop by. And¡­¡± I bit my lip, looking at the floor for a moment. ¡°I discovered something recently. It¡¯s about my identity. I was hoping you could tell me about how I came to be here when I was a child.¡± Sophia¡¯s smile faded, reced by an expression that I couldn¡¯t quite read. She nodded slowly, turning to go back upstairs. ¡°Follow me,¡± she said. Chapter 11 Chapter 11 #Chapter 11: Tooth & Nail Moana ¡°Follow me,¡± the director of the orphanage, Sophia, said. Her sad expression when I mentioned my identity gave me cause for concern, and as I followed her blonde head of hair up the narrow wooden stairs to her office, I felt my heart start to beat faster than it had been before. Sophia led me into her office and gestured for me to sit as she closed the door behind us. I sat on the edge of the straight-backed wooden chair across from her desk, clutching my purse nervously in my ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you about your heritage sooner,¡± Sophia said as she walked over to one of the tall metal filing cabs at the back of the room that contained records of current and past children at the orphanage. ¡°It¡¯s our policy to not bring it up, for the sake of the children¡¯s m*ntal health. I hope you understand.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I replied. I watched as Sophia pulled open one of the drawers and began thumbing through the rows of man folders. Sophia had been here since I was a child; at the time, she was a spry young woman, around the same age as I was now. Now, as I watched her search for my file, I noticed the slight hunch developing in her aging back, the tufts of gray hair that hadn¡¯t been dyed yet at the nape of her neck, and the subtle wrinkles starting to form on her hands and forearms. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± she whispered to herself, rifling through the folders until she found one with my name on it. ¡°Here we go.¡± She pulled it out and walked over to the desk, setting it down in front of me. I nced up at her nervously for a moment, waiting for her nod of approval before opening the folder. Inside of the folder, aside from my basic intake files and other basic information, there was only one thing: a single, sharp canine tooth. I furrowed my brow and picked up the yellowed tooth, turning it over in my hand. There was a distinct cr*ck down the center, but no other identifying features. ¡°What is this?¡± I asked, looking back up at Sophia. Sophia sighed and sat down in her chair. ¡°As you know, we get a healthy mix of both human and werewolf children,¡± she said, leaning back and sping her hands together across her stomach. ¡°But what we don¡¯t often disclose is that werewolf parents will abandon werewolf children who were born without their wolves.¡± My eyes widened, and my fingers involuntarily closed around the tooth. ¡°Why?¡± I asked, feeling the resentment toward werewolves bubble up inside of me. ¡°Why abandon your child?¡± ¡°Often, it¡¯s because they¡¯re ashamed of producing wolfless children,¡± Sophia replied with a sad expression on her face. ¡°But not always. You see, children without wolves would also often be subject to an entire host of discrimination for their entire lives. Some parents believe that it¡¯s better for them to grow up as humans, oblivious to their heritage.¡± Sophia¡¯s words didn¡¯t make me feel any less resentful. If anything, they made it worse. ¡°So¡­ My parents left me because I was born without a wolf?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but that is my best guess.¡± Sophia said. There was a long pause as I processed everything. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean, necessarily, that they didn¡¯t love you,¡± she said. ¡°The way that they left you, bundled up tightly with this tooth proving your heritage in your possession, has always made me think that they did it thinking that it was for your own good. Perhaps they had no choice, even.¡± Sophia paused to take a breath, her lips spreading into a gentle smile as she began to reminisce. ¡°I can still picture your chubby little fingers wrapped around that tooth. You wouldn¡¯t let go of it, you know. We had to take it while you slept.¡± I opened my hand and looked down at the tooth again; I had been gripping it so hard that it left an imprint in my palm. ¡°Do you think they left me with this tooth so I could find them?¡± I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. Sophia was quiet for a few moments before she reached across the table and took my hand, squeezing it gently. ¡°That¡¯s up to you to decide,¡± she said softly. As I walked back down the stairs, I felt Mina¡¯s presence again and asked her in my mind, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ever show yourself before?¡± Mina didn¡¯t answer, but I knew that she was just as confused by herte appearance as I was. I passed the recreation room once more on my way out and decided to stop by to say goodbye, and to thank Ethan for his invitation. As I poked my head into the recreation room and saw Ethan sitting on the floor and helping the children with their papier mache, I couldn¡¯t help but smile. Even though what I had learned from Sophia made my resentment toward werewolves rise up inside of me, seeing an Alpha werewolf being so kind as to teach orphan children restored my faith once more. Maybe werewolves really weren¡¯t all so bad ¡ª and maybe I wasn¡¯t quite as ashamed to be one, myself. Ethan saw me looking and shot me a bright smile before jumping up and jogging over to me. ¡°I meant what I said about the exhibition, by the way,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯d love to see your work. The children talk so fondly of you.¡± I smiled down at the floor as I felt my face go a bit red at the Alpha¡¯s kind words. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, then bit my lip for a moment before speaking again. ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Ethan replied, sticking his hands into the pocket of his apron and c*****g his head as he leaned against the doorframe. ¡°Have you ever heard of werewolf parents abandoning wolfless children? And if so, have you ever heard of those children finding their parents again?¡± Ethan was silent for a moment, then nodded with a pained look on his face. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of that,¡± he replied in a hushed tone so that the children couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°But I¡¯ve never heard of the children trying to find their parents. I don¡¯t think most of them would even want to find them once they find out, and besides¡­ Most werewolf parents would im that the child died.¡± I felt my heart sink. Had my parents imed that I died? Would they even want me if I tried to find them again? ¡°Oh,¡± I said, turning to leave. ¡°Well, I was just wondering. Hope to see you again.¡± I walked out of the orphanage and gged down a taxi. As I settled into the back seat and watched the orphanage get smaller in the rear view mirror, I felt a pr*ck in my palm and looked down to see that I was still tightly clutching the tooth in my hand. I was clutching it so tightly that it broke my skin, and I watched numbly as a thin stream of blood trickled down my palm. ¡­ ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. When I returned to the training facility to pick up E, our driver was already waiting for us. I waved at him as I jogged up to the door to pick up E, but as I entered, I didn¡¯t see her amongst the other children who were still waiting to be picked up. ¡°Can I help you?¡± the attendant, a middle aged man, asked when he noticed the confusion on my face. ¡°Yes,¡± I said, walking over to him. ¡°I¡¯m here to pick up E Morgan.¡± The attendant scrunched his eyebrows together and looked down at his clipboard, shaking his head. ¡°She already left quite a while ago.¡± Chapter 12 Chapter 12 #Chapter 12: Missing Moana I felt my heart sink into the pit of my stomach at the attendant¡¯s words. ¡°She left quite a while ago. Did you not pick her up?¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± I replied, walking away briskly and trying to stay calm as I dialed the penthouse phone number into my cell phone and asked the concierge to direct me to Edrick¡¯s suite. This had to be some misunderstanding. Surely E was safely home. Maybe Amy or Lily got confused with the schedule and picked her up without letting me know. ¡°Hello?¡± Selina¡¯s voice said on the other line after a few rings. ¡°Selina,¡± I said, trying to sound as calm and collected as possible, ¡°did Amy or Lily pick up E from her training?¡± Selina was silent for a few moments before responding. ¡°No. That¡¯s your job.¡± Her voice sounded stern and cold, but I could sense a hint of fear behind it as she seemed to put two and two together. I knew that Selina cared for E just as much as I did, and thest thing she would ever want would be for something bad to happen to E. ¡°f**k,¡± I whispered. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Selina growled, irritated by my choice ofnguage. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I responded. ¡°I got stuck in traffic when I wasing back to pick E up, and¡­ She¡¯s gone.¡± I could hear Selina gasp audibly on the other end of the line. ¡°You weren¡¯t there for her when she was finished with her training?¡± I felt a knot form in my stomach. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just thought¨C¡± ¡°No excuses,¡± Selina said, her voice quivering with anger. ¡°Find her.¡± Before I could say anything else, Selina abruptly hung up the phone. The room spun around me as I stared down at my phone screen, but I knew I had to act quickly for E¡¯s sake. Collecting myself as best I could, I ran out of the training facility and sprinted up to the car where the driver was waiting, climbing into the passenger seat. ¡°Took you long eno¨C Are you alright? Where¡¯s E?¡± he asked, looking at me confusedly. ¡°She took off while I was gone,¡± I said hastily as tears streamed down my cheeks, trying to rack my brain as to where E might have run off to. Before I had left, I had mentioned to her that I was going to be at the orphanage¡­ ¡°Take me to the orphanage in the Waterside District,¡± I said to the driver. ¡°I have a feeling she went there to look for me. Nodding solemnly, and with an angry look on his face, the driver stepped on the gas and peeled away from the curb. I quickly buckled my seatbelt and held onto the door handle for dear life as he sped down the road, passing other vehicles at dangerous speeds. As we flew down the city streets, all I could think of was E. Would I get to her in time? All of a sudden as we were speeding through the city streets, I saw a familiar little head of blonde hair walking at an intersection a little ways away, all by herself¡­ And at the same time, I saw a ck sports car with tinted windows barreling down the road at breakneck speeds, swerving this way and that as a drunk girl stood through the sunroof, hooting and hollering like a maniac. ¡°E!¡± I screamed, pointing. The driver mmed on the brakes and came to a screeching halt. Without thinking, I leaped out of the car and started running toward E. Everything moved in slow motion. I found myself running faster than I ever had before. I lunged into the street, my arms outstretched for E as she stood frozen in the middle of the crosswalk just as the sports car was headed directly for her¡­ I felt an impact. I shut my eyes as my body mmed into E¡¯s, and together we tumbled to the other side of the street. I opened my eyes, panting, and looked down at E in my arms. We were safe. Somehow, I had managed to get both of us out of the way of the speeding sports car, which continued to careen down the city street as though they hadn¡¯t just been about to hit a little girl. ¡°Mina, was it YOU?¡± ¡°Yea¡­.I tried¡­¡± It took Mina a while to answer, and she seemed to be so exhausted. ¡°That was¡­ incredible.¡± Our driver came running as passersby stood murmuring to each other on the sidewalk, pulling out their phones to snap pictures. ¡°Are you two alright?¡± the driver asked, helping me stand as I held the crying E in my arms. Without a word as I was too stunned and relieved to speak, I nodded and followed him back to the car. ¡­ Edrick was furious when we got back to the penthouse. He came running into the lobby as we arrived and ripped E out of my arms, who only cried harder. ¡°You should¡¯ve stayed there for the duration of her training!¡± he shouted in front of the lobby staff. ¡°I should fire you on the spot!¡± E¡¯s wails grew in volume as tears streamed down my own cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Edrick,¡± I sobbed. ¡°I didn¡¯t know¨C¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t be mad at Moana!¡± E cried, wrapping her small arms around her father¡¯s neck and tugging on him. ¡°It wasn¡¯t her fault! I didn¡¯t listen and I left! I got lost, but then Moana came and saved me like a superhero!¡± Edrick¡¯s icy stare softened at his daughter¡¯s words, but I could tell that he was still furious, as he had every right to be after his daughter almost got kidnapped. Once we were back upstairs in the penthouse and E was passed out asleep in bed after the ordeal, I hesitantly walked over to Edrick¡¯s study as I feared the worst. If he was going to yell at me again like he did in the lobby, I considered quitting. It was an honest mistake, and I thought that I at least deserved to be treated with some basic decency since the situation had turned out alright in the long run. ¡°Where did you go?¡± he snarled through his teeth when I entered the study. ¡°Why weren¡¯t you there when she was finished with training?¡± ¡°I went to the orphanage,¡± I admitted quietly, omitting theplete reason why I was there. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just wanted to visit, and I thought E would be safe.¡± Edrick raised an eyebrow. ¡°The orphanage?¡± I nodded. ¡°I grew up there,¡± I responded. ¡°I like to visit the children sometimes.¡± Edrick was silent for a few moments before responding. ¡°Don¡¯t let it happen again.¡± His voice was cold, but at least he wasn¡¯t yelling at me any longer. ¡°If you are going to the orphanage again, make sure E has someone with her.¡± I nodded, a little surprised by how Edrick became forgiving. ¡°I will. I¡¯m so sorry, Edrick.¡± Edrick said nothing else. I watched as he silently turned his back to me, and took that as my cue to ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. leave. As I left the study, I felt hot tears pr*ck at the backs of my eyes ¡ª but at the same time, I was just relieved to have found E in time, and that I still had my job. Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 13: Birthday Outing Moana ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Despite everything that happened that day, Edrick still requested that I spend the night with him. I made sure to put more distance between us this time, hoping that we wouldn¡¯t wake up in each other¡¯s arms again in the morning. When I woke up, my cardigan was still on and Edrick¡¯s side of the bed was empty. I heard the shower running in the bathroom, so I let out a sigh of relief and took it as my chance to get up and leave the room before I would have to talk to him. Not only was it still awkward to look him in the eye with our new arrangement, but I was admittedly still a little upset with him for yelling at me publicly the day before. I quickly got up and made the bed, opening the curtains out of habit to let some sunlight into the room before I put my slippers on and headed out. ¡°Moana?¡± E¡¯s little voice said, the second I walked out of the room. It made me jump a bit. I wasn¡¯t expecting her to be standing right outside the door. ¡°Good morning, Miss E,¡± I said, managing a smile. ¡°Are you feeling better today?¡± E nodded, but her eyebrows were scrunched together and her eyes were narrowed suspiciously. ¡°What were you doing in my daddy¡¯s room again?¡± ¡°I, um¡­¡± I stammered, realizing that I couldn¡¯t use the crepes for breakfast excuse two days in a row. ¡°Good morning, Princess!¡± Edrick said from behind me, brushing past me to scoop E up off the floor. Her look of concern and confusion quickly turned into a wide grin. ¡°Daddy!¡± E eximed, giggling as Edrick blew a raspberry on her cheek. ¡°Where are you taking me for my birthday?¡± I let out a sigh of relief to know that E seemed to havepletely forgotten about seeing meing out of her father¡¯s room; I had also forgotten that today was her birthday. It had been mentioned in the packet of instructions given to me on my first day, but I had admittedly been too busy to look at it too closely since then. ¡°Well, Princess,¡± Edrick said, carrying E toward the dining room for breakfast, his muscles bulging through his white button-down shirt and his hair still a bit damp at the ends from his shower, ¡°Daddy has to work today.¡± E¡¯s smile faded and she began to pout. ¡°On my birthday?¡± ¡°I know, sweetheart,¡± Edrick replied. ¡°But Moana will do something fun with you today. And I¡¯ll be home ¡°And cake?¡± E asked. ¡°And cake,¡± Edrick replied. ¡­ After Edrick left that morning, E was ¡ª unsurprisingly ¡ª quite sad that her father couldn¡¯t spend her birthday with her, so I tried toe up with something fun to do that would lift her spirits. ¡°How about we y a game?¡± I asked, to which the little girl shook her head and folded her arm across her chest, sticking her lower lip out in a pout. I sighed, trying to think of something else, but every option I offered her was met with indignant refusal. I knew she just wanted to spend the day with Edrick, and nothing would really make up for that. Finally, I resorted to looking at some local attractions on my phone; although Selina and the maids were nervous about what happened before, they did finally concede to E¡¯s begging and told me that I could take her out so long as I stayed with her the entire time and didn¡¯t let go of her hand for one second, which was understandable. I knew that Selina still didn¡¯t trust me, but when I suggested going to a theme park for her birthday, E was too excited for even Selina to say no to the outing. ¡°The driver will take you there,¡± Selina said to me as I put E¡¯s sun hat on to protect her face. ¡°And the bodyguard will be watching at all times. Don¡¯t lose her again.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t nning on it,¡± I replied with a sigh, feeling a little annoyed at the housekeeper¡¯s tant mistrust of me. I knew I messed up royally by leaving E¡¯s training to visit the orphanage when I should¡¯ve been keeping an eye on her, but I wanted to prove to everyone ¡ª and myself ¡ª that I wouldn¡¯t make the same mistake twice. Selina shot me a worried look as I got on the elevator with E, and I was relieved to see her face disappear as the metal doors closed. Now, I could just focus on giving E a nice birthday. ¡°Have you ever been to the theme park?¡± I asked E as we watched the floors on the elevator slowly tick down. E shook her head, which made the big blue bow on the back of her sun hat wiggle adorably. ¡°Nope,¡± she replied, sticking her foot out to admire her brand new matching blue sandals ¡ª she clearly liked the color blue, as I was quickly learning. ¡°I don¡¯t really get to go anywhere except for special asions and to my training.¡± I frowned, imagining what it would be like to be a little girl who wasn¡¯t allowed to go anywhere. Even growing up in the orphanage, Sophia took us on the asional field trip or ice cream outing. We even went to the local swimming pool twice a month in the summer. ¡°Howe?¡± I asked. ¡°Daddy says it¡¯s too risky,¡± she replied, practically dragging me across the lobby as soon as the elevator doors opened. ¡°He says that too many people will know who he is, so he has to stay hidden. Because of the¡­ pa¡­ pa-pa¨C¡± ¡°Papa ra zzi?¡± I asked, stifling augh at E¡¯s childishnguage. E nodded her head affirmatively, appearing very serious. ¡°Yes, that,¡± she said. We left the building and climbed into the back of the town car where our driver waited for us, and the bodyguard shut the door behind us before getting into the passenger seat. The driver took us to the theme park and bought our tickets, and soon E was bursting with excitement as we looked around. Getting off from the roller coaster the second time, I started to feel sick. And it was broiling hot outside in the summer sun, so hot that I had resorted to fanning myself with a pamphlet I picked up at the information booth. But E hardly seemed to notice the heat and my sickness as she was too excited about all of the rides. ¡°Hey,¡± I said finally, spotting an ice cream stand. ¡°How about some ice cream first?¡± E stopped in her tracks suddenly and squealed excitedly before running off toward the ice cream stand, pulling me along behind her with surprising strength for a little girl. We stopped at the ice cream stand and the man in a striped red and white uniform and a straw boater hat smiled down at her. ¡°What would you like, little girl?¡± he asked. ¡°Vani, please!¡± E said. The man looked at me next. ¡°I¡¯ll have the same,¡± I replied. E waited patiently while the man got her ice cream, sticking her grabby little hands out greedily as he handed it to her and immediately starting to lick it as it was already beginning to melt. ¡°That¡¯ll be five dors,¡± he said, looking at me expectantly. I smiled and patted my pocket, my eyes widening as I realized that I hadpletely forgotten to bring any money with me. In fact, it had been so long since I had needed any money of my own that I didn¡¯t even have any, and would have to ask the driver to spare me some cash until I got my first paycheck and could pay him back. ¡°Oh¡­¡± I murmured, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­ I left my wallet in the car. I¡¯ll be right back ¡ª is that okay?¡± The man narrowed his eyes and gave me an icy stare. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that trick a thousand times,dy,¡± he growled, his sunny demeanor quickly turning sour. I stammered as I tried to exin that I really did have money, I just had to get my wallet, but was quickly interrupted by a familiar voiceing from behind me. ¡°I¡¯ll pay,¡± the voice said. E and I both turned around to see Edrick standing behind us with his face covered by sunsses and a surgical mask, holding out his credit card. Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 14: Family Event Moana ¡°I¡¯ll pay.¡± E and I were both shocked when we turned around to see Edrick standing there, credit card in hand, his face covered by sunsses and a surgical mask. ¡°Daddy!¡± E eximed. Edrick handed the ice cream salesman his credit card and ruffled E¡¯s hair. ¡°Eat your ice cream before it melts,¡± he said, guiding us away from the stand and the people behind us who were getting quickly annoyed at us for holding up the line to get ice cream. ¡°I thought you had to work,¡± E said. ¡°I decided toe home early so I could spend your birthday with you after all,¡± Edrick replied. ¡°But you weren¡¯t home. Selina told me that you went on an outing¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t see his eyes through his sunsses, but the way his head slowly turned toward me told me everything I needed to know. I felt my shoulders droop and looked embarrassingly down at my rapidly-melting ice cream. We approached a bench and Edrick instructed E to sit while she finished her ice cream, then he stood next to me and lowered his voice while she happily swung her legs and got ice cream all over her face. ¡°Why did you take her out if you had no money?¡± he asked, his voice sounding cold and annoyed. ¡°It was an honest mistake,¡± I replied. ¡°I haven¡¯t had to take out money in a while. And besides, the driver is close; it would¡¯ve only taken a minute for him to pass me the money.¡± Edrick shook his head and said nothing else. E, who had been listening the entire time, suddenly jumped up from her bench. ¡°This is the best birthday ever!¡± she said very quickly. ¡°Please, I want to This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. stay.¡± It seemed that E was afraid that her father would make her go home, and Edrick¡¯s next words made my heart sink. ¡°I don¡¯t know, sweetheart,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s really not safe for us to be out in public.¡± E stuck her lower lip out in a pout. ¡°But it¡¯s my birthday,¡± she whined. ¡°You never want to go anywhere, and I¡¯m having fun here with Moana!¡± ¡°She¡¯s a little girl, Edrick,¡± I said quietly. ¡°Let her enjoy her birthday. And please¡­ Join us.¡± Edrick was silent for a few moments before letting out a deep sigh and crouching to wipe the ice cream off of E¡¯s face with a napkin. ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll stay.¡± E squealed in delight and, taking both of our hands, began to drag us around the theme park with just as much ¡ª if not more ¡ª fervor as she had when it was just the two of us. As we spent the afternoon walking around the theme park, I couldn¡¯t help but take out my phone to secretly snap some sweet pictures of E and Edrick together. It was so sweet watching them y games together, and seeing E sitting on Edrick¡¯s shoulders while we walked that I couldn¡¯t help myself. Edrick didn¡¯t seem to mind the photos, either, although I wondered why he was so adamant on keeping his mask on; would he really want to look back at photos with his daughter and see that his face was covered for all of them? As the sun started to get down, Edrick and I began to feel tired. E, however, still had just as much energy, and insisted on one more ride before we went home. I suggested the ferris wheel because it was slow and rxing, and both of them agreed. We climbed into the basket on the ferris wheel. Edrick sat across from me with E on hisp. As we started to go up, now that we were safe from prying eyes, Edrick took off his sunsses to reveal steely gray eyes that appeared surprisingly happy for the first time since I had met him. Maybe the Alpha billionaire needed a fun outing just as much as his daughter did. As we rose up above the theme park under the setting sun, an involuntary gasp came out of my mouth. The way that thest rays of sunlight refracted across the treetops as they swayed in the hot summer breeze, and the way that the string lights lit up the park below us, made the city feel even more dazzling than before. Not only that, but the breeze ruffled through my hair and cooled the sweat on my hot skin. I looked across from me to see E giggling and peering out over the crowd. And behind her, her father wasn¡¯t looking at the crowd¡­ He was looking at me. His eyes darted away quickly, as though he had only nced at me on ident. Soon, the ferris wheel began to roll us back downward, lowering us back into the crowd. The ferris wheel went around a few times more. When it finally came to a stop at the bottom, the attendant let us out. Edrick put his mask back on then got out with E in one of his arms. Then, he turned around and held out his other hand for me to help me out. My blush deepened as I felt his cool palm, but we both quickly pulled away when E looked at us. ¡°Alright, Princess,¡± Edrick said as we walked away from the ferris wheel. He set her down and crouched down to her level. ¡°I think we¡¯ve had enough fun for one day. Are you ready to go home?¡± E nodded, although she looked a little disappointed. I remembered being that age still; I would¡¯ve wanted to spend my entire life running around theme parks when I was a little girl. We started to head back to where the driver was waiting. As we did, one of the theme park staff ¡ª a teenage girl wearing a screen printed t-shirt that had the theme park logo on it, khaki shorts, and a long brown ponytail ¡ª came up to us with a smile and a flyer in her hands. ¡°Hi folks,¡± she said, holding the flyer out. ¡°We¡¯re hosting a special family event tonight with prizes. Would you like to participate?¡± E quickly sna tched the flyer away, her face lighting up at the concept of prizes. Edrick and I, shooting each other a tired nce, leaned down to look at the flyer over E¡¯s shoulder. The prizes were limited-edition dolls ¡ª I remembered seeing a collection of some of those very same dolls in E¡¯s room at the penthouse ¡ª but the catch was that two parents had to participate in the event, which meant that we were technically not supposed to y. Edrick, seemingly noticing the same detail I did, stood and looked at the girl. ¡°Is there any way to just purchase one of the dolls?¡± he asked. The teenage girl shook her head, making her ponytail swing back and forth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯re not allowed to sell any prizes. If you want one of the dolls, you have to participate with two parents.¡± E turned around and pouted, tugging on both of our heartstrings as she looked back and forth between the two of us. Edrick opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, a mischievous look came over the little girl¡¯s face. She whipped back around to face the staff member and took both of our hands again, holding them up triumphantly. ¡°My parents and I will y!¡± Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 15: The Game Edrick Moana and I both shot each other a somewhat annoyed nce as E decided, against our wills, to volunteer us to participate in the game as her parents. I didn¡¯t know how to exin to the staff member standing in front of us that Moana was just E¡¯s au pair, not her mother ¡ª and we were certainly not married, nor would we ever be. The teenage staff member looked back and forth between Moana and I with a somewhat disbelieving expression on her face. I knew she could tell that Moana was human and I was a werewolf, but thankfully she didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Right this way,¡± the girl said, stepping out of the way and gesturing toward the center of the park where a group of parents and children had gathered in front of a gazebo with a small stage. Moana and I followed reluctantly, E tugging on our hands with even more excitement than she had all day, if that was even possible. As we approached the crowd, we started to get some strange looks from other parents. I was still wearing my mask, so my identity as one of the world¡¯s most famous Alpha CEOs was still hidden, but I knew that people could tell there was something off about our pairing. I was still wearing my work clothes ¡ª a sleek white button-up shirt with the cor partially undone and the sleeves rolled up from the summer heat, a pair of tan trousers that had been freshly pressed, and my hair was well- groomed ¡ª but Moana appeared rather in next to me. She was a pretty woman, but wore a in linen dress and sandals. I hadn¡¯t quite gotten around to taking her shopping yet for some new clothes that would be more appropriate for an au pair of a wealthy family, although if I was being honest I wasn¡¯t quite sure if she would¡¯ve epted my generosity anyway. What was even more jarring for the other parents, aside from our differences in appearance, was that Moana was human and I was a werewolf. It was extremely rare for a married couple to have such differences, and it was often frowned upon. I was just d that my identity was hidden, because as attractive as I found Moana, I didn¡¯t want people thinking that I, Edrick Morgan, was married to¡­ a human. Regardless of the difort, we made our way to the waiting area and stood along with all of the other families. While most people gave us snide looks and pulled their children away, there were ¡ª surprisingly ¡ª a couple of women who approached Moana with warm smiles. ¡°My, what a lovely couple!¡± one woman eximed, making Moana¡¯s face turn red. ¡°And what a cute little girl¡­¡± she stooped down to E¡¯s height and pinched her cheek, which made E giggle. The woman stood, then, and eyed me up and down before turning back to Moana and whispering something to her that made Moana¡¯s face turn even more red than it was before. Moana nced over her shoulder at me with a sheepish look in her eyes for a split second before turning back to the woman, muttering a word of thanks, and staring embarrassingly at the ground with wide eyes as the woman walked back to join her family. ¡°What did she say to you?¡± I asked quietly, leaning a bit closer to Moana. She cleared her throat, obviously seeming embarrassed by the entire interaction. ¡°She¡­ congratted me on having such a handsome husband and a cute daughter,¡± she said. Below us, E, looked up with a mischievous look in her eyes and put her hand over her mouth, stifling Moana and I in a situation like this, but I simply couldn¡¯t bring myself to disappoint her on her birthday, so I would y along with it for now. E was right about her birthdays; I hadn¡¯t exactly been the best father because I was so afraid of our identities being discovered by the papa ra zzi in public, but it wasn¡¯t fair for me to make my daughter miss out on her birthday just because of my own nerves. The game announcer stepped up on stage then and cleared his throat into the microphone, quieting the small crowd and breaking me out of my deep thought. ¡°Good evening,dies and gents,¡± he said with a stic smile as he addressed the crowd. ¡°Thank you all for participating in our family event tonight. I hope you all have fun as youpete to win prizes!¡± The children in the crowd began to stir excitedly as one of the staff members pulled a sheet off of a table with a flourish. E gasped as the grand prize was revealed to be an extremely rare doll that she didn¡¯t yet have in her collection. There were other prizes as well, but I could tell already that she was going to be hell-bent on winning that grand prize. ¡°For tonight¡¯s game, you will all be trying to find your way through a maze,¡± the announcer said. ¡°But ¡ª not just any maze! One parent from each couple will volunteer to stand at various pre-assigned points throughout the maze, while the other parent will be tasked with finding them¡­¡± This sounds easy enough, I thought to myself. ¡°But there¡¯s a catch,¡± the announcer continued, holding up a small ck blindfold. ¡°Both parents will be blindfolded. It will be the child¡¯s job to use their Mindlink to guide their searching parent to the waiting parent, as well as the searching parent¡¯s job to use their child¡¯s advice and their own sense of smell to This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. find their partner!¡± ¡°Ooh, how fun!¡± the woman from before said, sping her hands together. I looked over at her to see her casting an almost condescending nce at Moana ¡ª she certainly knew that Moana was a human. This game was clearly geared solely toward werewolves, which put us at a major disadvantage. I let out a small sigh as I looked down at my excited daughter. If we didn¡¯t win, I would definitely have to figure out a way to buy her that doll or she would never forgive me. Staff members came around and handed out blindfolds next while other staff members guided the children toward a tall tform that allowed them to look down into the hedge maze. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll be the one to hide,¡± Moana said, looking a little embarrassed. I nodded and watched her follow the attendant that was leading the waiting parents to their hiding spots, then watched as she disappeared in the maze. ¡°Now,¡± the attendant said after a couple of minutes, once all of the parents were hidden. ¡°If all of the seekers could line up, we will begin. And please, put on your blindfolds.¡± I got into ce and nced up at E onest time, who shot me a grin and a thumbs up, before I put my blindfold on. ¡°On your marks¡­ Get set¡­ Go!¡± ¡°Go forward,¡± E said immediately using our Mindlink. ¡°Now left¡­ Now right¡­¡± Unsurprisingly, E seemed to have already studied the maze thoroughly before we even started, and I realized that it was thanks to her amazing intelligence that I was actually getting a lead on the rest of the parents. She guided me through the maze with ease, as though she had done this a million times before. ¡°You¡¯re almost there¡­ Just one more turn to the right¡­¡± I turned right, keeping one hand on the hedge to guide myself. ¡°She¡¯s there, daddy! Just go forward!¡± As I groped my way forward, I felt a strange scent fill my senses¡­ It was faint, but it was there, right in front of me. A sweet, pleasant smell that made my wolf perk up suddenly. This couldn¡¯t be Moana ¡ª she had no scent as a human! But as we lifted our blindfolds¡­ It was, indeed, Moana. Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 16: A Sweet Scent Edrick I lifted my blindfold, as did she. The sweet scent that I smelled was definitely Moana¡­ Or so I thought. It faded so quickly that I was no longer sure if it was her who I smelled, or someone else. It couldn¡¯t be her, anyway; she was a human. She had no scent. ¡°It looks like we have our first winners!¡± the announcer called over the microphone. As E squealed with delight on the tform above, I realized that I was holding Moana¡¯s hand. I saw her blushing and I quickly dropped her hand. When we re-emerged from the maze, E was standing at the entrance with one of the staff members ¡ª the same girl from before. The staff member gave Moana and I a strange look, but still said nothing and instead handed E the grand prize; the rare doll that E had so desperately wanted. As we walked back to the car, E couldn¡¯t stop chattering about how much she loved her doll, how amazing it was that she was able to make me find Moana so quickly, and how this was the best birthday she had ever had in her entire life. The driver was waiting for us by the theme park entrance and looked a little relieved to finally be able to go home after waiting all day. Once we were in the car, I finally took my mask off, breathing deeply and rubbing the backs of my sore ears from wearing it all day. The driver pulled away from the curb and started taking us in the direction of the penthouse, where, unbeknownst to both E and Moana, I had arranged for Selina and the maids to prepare a beautiful dinner with a special cake for E¡¯s birthday. For the entire duration of the ride home, E sat next to Moana with her new doll clutched tightly to her chest, humming and wiggling happily in her seat. I couldn¡¯t help myself from sneaking a nce at Moana every so often, who didn¡¯t seem to notice me looking at her as she focused solely on E. ¡°You did just a good job, Miss Smartypants,¡± Moana said, wrapping her arm around E¡¯s small shoulders. ¡°What are you going to name your doll?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± E thought to herself with furrowed brows for a few moments, tapping her chin with her index finger. ¡°I think I¡¯ll name her¡­ Momo! It¡¯s almost like Moana!¡± I stifled a chuckle as Moana¡¯s face turned red, but as I watched them, my mind wandered back to the strange scent I had picked up in the maze. I decided to ask my wolf if he had any sort of exnation. ¡°Were you able to recognize where that scent came from?¡± I asked my wolf. ¡°No,¡± he replied. ¡°It was too quick and faint. Although, I think it might have been a potential mate¡­¡± I furrowed my brow as I looked away from Moana and E and looked out the window instead at the city sights as they passed by. Was my mate at the theme park, and I somehow missed them? ¡­ After dinner, Moana put E to bed. Moana came to my room a little whileter due to our agreement ¡ª still bundled up in extrayers, of course, as if I would touch her against her will ¡ª and shot me a wary look as she shut the door behind herself. I was sitting on the bed, reading, when she entered. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said. ¡°I can wait a while¨C¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯m ready to sleep.¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Even though we had only been sleeping together as part of our arrangement for a few days now, I was already feeling immensely better. I thought to myself that the insomnia was just caused by being lonely in bed, but then I would think about other one night stands I had before Moana came into the picture and would remember that, even then, I would never sleep without pills or alcohol. What was it about Moana that helped me sleep? There wasn¡¯t anything particrly out of the ordinary with her, and her demeanor was often cordial with me ¡ª she was even a little cold with me sometimes, whereas I had had previous one night stands with women who were head over heels for me. Maybe there was just somethingforting about Moana. She was exceptionally good with children, after all, as I discovered from watching how naturally she handled E. She seemed like the nurturing sort; maybe nurturing was what I needed to fall asleep. Moana slowly came around to the opposite side of the bed, pausing to nce at the window. ¡°Do you want the curtains closed?¡± she asked, pointing. ¡°Hm?¡± I said, looking at where she was pointing. ¡°Oh. No, it¡¯s fine.¡± I hadpletely forgotten about how she had opened the curtains after our second night of sleeping together. Normally I liked to keep the room as dark as possible to try and help me sleep, but it didn¡¯t seem to be bothering me now. Besides, the fresh airing through the window felt nice on the hot summer night. Moana took out her earrings and ced them on the side table, then pulled the nkets back and climbed into bed next to me. She performed her usual ritual of stuffing a pillow between us and scooching all the way over to the edge of the king-sized mattress, leaving a space between us that was practically the size of the Antic Ocean, then promptly turned away and put her head on the pillow. Sighing, I shut off themp andid down myself. My eyes stayed open, however, slowly adjusting to the moonlit room, as I continued to wonder about the scent I had picked up earlier as well as Moana¡¯s strange ability to induce sleep for me. I remembered then that Moana had gone to the orphanage the day before when E was nearly lost¡­ Had she truly gone just to visit? When I had asked before, she seemed a bit pensive about it, like she wasn¡¯t telling me everything. ¡°You went to the orphanage yesterday, right?¡± I asked suddenly as I stared at the ceiling, unable to contain my curiosity. Moana paused for a moment before replying with a simple ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Do you mind if I ask why?¡± ¡°I already told you,¡± she answered. ¡°I like to visit the children there sometimes.¡± My werewolf sixth sense told me that she was still not telling the whole truth, but I didn¡¯t pry anymore. Besides, Moana must have fallen asleep already, because I suddenly found myself slipping into sleep as well. As sleep slowly pulled me into its clutches, I began to dream of mazes and a sweet, faint smell. Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 17: The Guests Moana When I woke up the morning after E¡¯s birthday, I was shocked to discover that it was already eleven o¡¯clock; three hours past my usual time to wake up in the morning. If it hadn¡¯t been for my phone buzzing on the bedside table, I likely would have slept in for even longer. As I awoke, squinting against the bright sunlighting in through therge window, I also discovered something else: Edrick and I were cuddling again. Feeling my face flush hot, I quickly climbed out of bed, taking care not to wake Edrick, and picked up my phone to see Selina¡¯s name on my screen. ¡°Selina?¡± I said quietly, walking away from the bed so as not to wake the still-sleeping Edrick. ¡°Where on earth are you?¡± she asked angrily, her voice quivering with rage. ¡°You should¡¯ve been up hours ago, and you haven¡¯t answered even though I¡¯ve been knocking on your door all morning.¡± I gulped, feeling a wave of embarrassment wash over me. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± I stammered, trying toe up with an excuse as the housekeeper was still oblivious to my new sleeping arrangement with Edrick, and she certainly wouldn¡¯t understand it if I tried to exin it to her myself. ¡°I-I was taking a shower just now. I¡¯ll be out soon.¡± Selina grumbled on the other end of the phone. ¡°Well, hurry up. We have guests who are expecting you, E, and Mr. Morgan downstairs in the lobby as soon as possible.¡± Before I could answer, Selina abruptly hung up the phone. It was at this point as well that Edrick sat up in bed, wide awake. Had I been talking so loudly that I woke him up? It always seemed that he fell asleep as soon as I did, and woke up as soon as I woke up, which was strange, but I didn¡¯t have time to think about it. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. ¡°Did I hear something about guests?¡± Edrick said confusedly as I slid my feet into my slippers and shuffled off toward the door. ¡°Yes,¡± I replied, quickly opening the door and poking my head out to make sure no one was around. ¡°I¡¯m not sure who, though.¡± Seeing that no one was around, I quickly ran out of Edrick¡¯s bedroom and scurried off to my room, somehow managing to slip inside without being seen. I washed myself up, still groggy and sore from spending my entire day yesterday at the theme park ¡ª with a sunburn across my nose to prove it ¡ª and then got dressed in clean clothes. I pulled my hair back into a low bun and, once I was satisfied with my appearance, I opened the door to my bedroom and quickly got E ready for our visitors. By the time I was finished getting E ready, Edrick was already waiting for us in the foyer. We took the elevator down to the lobby to greet these mystery guests. I hid my bashfulness around Edrick in the silent elevator as best I could and avoided eye contact at all costs, as it seemed that we would wake up cuddling every morning despite our agreement to not get romantically involved, and I didn¡¯t want him to think that I was trying to break the uses in my contract; nor did I want to alert E, Selina, or the maids to our arrangement. The elevator slowly ticked down the floors of the high rise building, finally opening with a ding at the ground floor. ¡°Grandma!¡± E called when we saw our guests standing in the lobby. I was taken by surprise as E ran away excitedly to greet them. As we approached, the two guests came into focus. One was an older woman with silver hair wearing an expensive-looking dress and arge sun hat, while the other was much younger with an equally expensive-looking satin dress and perfectly curled blonde hair that fell down her back, her eyes covered byrge sunsses. ¡°Oh, hello, darling,¡± the older woman said, bending down to kiss E on both cheeks. ¡°Happy bted birthday! Grandma has lots of presents for you.¡± E squealed delightedly. Both women looked up as Edrick and I approached, eyeing me up and down suspiciously. ¡°Say hello to Kelly, E,¡± Edrick said. E reluctantly turned toward the younger woman, who pushed her sunsses up onto her forehead to reveal dark brown eyes that stared at me icily for a split second before looking down at E. ¡°Hello, Kelly,¡± E said, sounding much less enthusiastic than she did when she greeted her grandmother. Kelly bent down and kissed E on both cheeks, who stiffened at the young woman¡¯s touch and stepped back toward me once Kelly stood again. The two women continued to eye me, so I decided to end the awkward silence and introduce myself. ¡°I¡¯m Moana,¡± I said with a slight, polite bow of my head. ¡°I¡¯m E¡¯s nanny.¡± ¡°Ah, the au pair,¡± Verona said coldly. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect a human, so I was unsure.¡± ¡°Mother,¡± Edrick said, stepping forward to kiss her on both cheeks. He then turned toward Kelly, who beamed widely at him, but she red at me coldly over his shoulder as they kissed each other on the cheek. Edrick took the two women¡¯s bags and carried them to the elevator. We all stood quietly in the elevator as it slowly carried us up to the penthouse. Suddenly, Kelly turned toward me, looking down her nose at me. ¡°So¡­ Do you have the right qualifications to be E¡¯s au pair?¡± ¡°Pardon me?¡± I asked, feeling as though Kelly was being rude. ¡°I only ask because I care deeply about E,¡± she said with a stiff smile. ¡°Sometimes I feel as though E is my own daughter.¡± ¡°E is the best nanny ever,¡± E chimed in. When I looked down at her, she was frowning up at Kelly with an angry glint in her eyes. Kelly merely nodded, not saying anything else; thankfully, the doors opened and the two women became too distracted by the penthouse and ordering the serv ants around to disturb me any longer, which was a relief. Edrick led Verona and Kelly to the dining room, with E trailing behind miserably. Selina beckoned for me to help her in the kitchen. Just before I lost sight of the group, I noticed Kelly attempting to talk to E, who was acting aloof and disinterested. ¡°Is Kelly Edrick¡¯s sister?¡± I asked Amy quietly as we worked side-by-side to prepare lunch. Amy shook her head. ¡°No,¡± she replied. I saw movement from the corner of my eye and looked over my shoulder to see Edrick passing by the doorway with Kelly on his heels. She appeared to be following him, chattering away about something. They looked to be headed in the direction of Edrick¡¯s bedroom. ¡°A friend, then?¡± I asked. Amy smirked. ¡°I think if E wasn¡¯t around, Kelly would already be Edrick¡¯s wife by now.¡± Selina shot Amy a disapproving look, abruptly ending the conversation. Even though I knew that I wasn¡¯t supposed to have any sort of feelings toward Edrick, there was no denying the pit in my stomach as Amy told me this. Was Kelly Edrick¡¯s girlfriend or fiancee? Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 18: The Case of the Mystery Earrings Moana I finished preparing lunch with the maids and helped them to set the meal out on the dining room table. Although I had already eaten a quick meal in the kitchen earlier as we prepared the food, it was still my duty as E¡¯s nanny to stay with her and help her if she needed anything. Besides, the grumpy look on E¡¯s face whenever Kelly was around only softened when I was near her, which made me want to be near her even more as support. I sat beside E for the duration of the lunch, helping her to cut her food, keep her clothes clean, and get her whatever she needed. Edrick, Verona, and Kelly spoke with each other about trivial things as though I wasn¡¯t even there, which was fine with me. If they had tried to involve me in their conversation, I likely wouldn¡¯t have known the right things to say. I¡¯d never dealt with such wealthy people in my life, let alone tried to have meaningful conversation with them. Not being personally involved in the conversation also allowed me to be more observant ¡ª and one thing that I observed was that Kelly was being much more quiet and reserved now than she had been before. She absentmindedly picked at her sd with her fork, hardly eating anything at all. ¡°Pour me some more tea, would you?¡± Kelly said suddenly, shooting me a look out of the corner of her eyes. N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°Right away,¡± I said, standing and walking around the table to pick up the teapot. I noticed that Kelly kept her eyes intensely focused on me the entire time as I walked back to pour her tea, but I pretended that I didn¡¯t see it. Kelly was silent for a moment as I poured her tea. I felt her gaze focused on the side of my head, burning furiously. When I sat down, Kelly took a sip of her tea before speaking again, this time looking at Edrick. ¡°Whose extra daily necessities were in your room earlier, Edrick?¡± she asked, setting down her teacup with a tter. Edrick raised an eyebrow. ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I saw earrings on your side table,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m assuming they weren¡¯t yours.¡± Verona let out a small gasp and instinctively looked at me. I felt my heart jump up into my throat, resisting the urge to feel my ears to see if I had put my earrings in that morning. As a knot formed in my stomach, I nced down at my own tea to see in my reflection that I had not, in fact, put my earrings back in. ¡°Earrings?¡± Edrick replied after an ufortable pause, sounding so nonchnt it made my stomach sick. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Sometimes E likes to y in there.¡± E slowly turned her head to look up at me, but said nothing. There was another long silence. I started to wonder if they all knew, and that Kelly would call Edrick out on his bluff and expose our unexinable sleeping arrangement. Thankfully, she didn¡¯t say anything else about it. Surprisingly, Kelly seemed somewhat pleased by Edrick¡¯s words and didn¡¯t ask again. ¡°Edrick,¡± Kelly said after a few more moments of silence, turning toward him in her seat. ¡°Do you remember when we were kids, and we used to drive our training coaches insane? We used to run off into the woods as wolves together and y instead of attending our training.¡± ¡°I do remember,¡± Edrick replied, almost absentmindedly, as he cut his food with his fork and knife. Kelly turned back to face me and E. ¡°I¡¯m sure you misbehave all of the time for your trainers, don¡¯t you?¡± she said, reaching out to pinch E¡¯s cheek. E frowned and pulled away. ¡°Actually, I always do my training,¡± she said, her little voice t and cold. With a slight hmph, Kelly returned to picking at her sd. As the luncheon continued, I couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty for my arrangement with Edrick after hearing about how he and his childhood sweetheart used to act together. It felt wrong of me to be participating in this agreement if he had love for Kelly¡­ And for some reason, hearing about Edrick¡¯s escapades with his childhood lover made me admittedly feel incredibly unhappy. ¡­ After lunch, Verona and Kelly stayed for a while. E seemed to get sleepy ¡ª although I suspected that she just wanted an excuse to be alone ¡ª so I took her to her room. When I finished tucking her in for her nap, I returned to the foyer to see Verona and Kelly preparing to leave. Verona and Edrick were talking quietly about something that seemed important, so I turned away to go to the kitchen and give them space. ¡°Ah! There she is,¡± Verona said when she saw me, waving me over before I could walk away. I still felt Kelly¡¯s cold gaze on me as I tentatively walked up to Edrick¡¯s mother. Verona, much unlike Kelly, was smiling a bit and seemed a little more open to my presence than the young woman. ¡°It was a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Morgan,¡± I said politely as I approached. ¡°And you as well, Kelly.¡± Kelly seemed to open her mouth to say something, but Verona spoke before she could. ¡°I was just reminding my son about our uing annual family dinner,¡± Verona said. ¡°It seems he¡¯s forgotten¡­ Or, he just thought he could get out of going this year.¡± Her eyes slid over to Edrick for a moment, who didn¡¯t seem to react at all. ¡°Anyway,¡± Verona continued, looking at me again, ¡°Of course, little Miss E¡¯s presence is always appreciated at these dinners. So, I thought it would only be appropriate to invite you as well; the dinners are usually reserved for werewolves, but seeing as you¡¯re E¡¯s au pair, it simply wouldn¡¯t feel right to exclude you. Miss E seems quite attached to you already, and she¡¯ll need you there to help her if she should need it.¡± I was a bit taken aback by Edrick¡¯s mother¡¯s generosity and respect. ¡°I¡­ Thank you, Mrs. Morgan,¡± I said with a polite smile. ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it.¡± Verona smiled stiffly, but cordially, and turned back toward Edrick. She reached out and squeezed his forearm, pulling him aside to speak to him privately. While they were absorbed in whatever conversation they were having, Kelly quietly sauntered up to me and stood beside me. ¡°Give me your hand,¡± she said coldly. Swallowing, I did as I was told. I felt my heart drop as she held out her hand and dropped my earrings that she had found on Edrick¡¯s nightstand into my palm, then leaned toward me and whispered into my ear. ¡°Know your ce.¡± Edrick and Verona finished their conversation and returned just as I closed my hand around the earrings, my eyes wide. ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon, darling,¡± Verona said to Edrick as the elevator doors slid open. I felt so shocked by Kelly¡¯s words that I continued to stand there, motionless, as the two women got onto the elevator. Thest thing I saw before the elevator doors closed was Kelly¡¯s icy stare, fixed on me. As I discreetly slipped my earrings into my pocket, I knew that I couldn¡¯t continue my sleeping arrangement with Edrick¡­ Not when he had a girlfriend. Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 19: The Alpha¡¯s Mistress Moana I decided not to go to Edrick¡¯s room that night. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it in good conscience after discovering that he had a girlfriend, and I wasn¡¯t about to be his mistress on top of being his daughter¡¯s nanny! At the usual time that I normally would¡¯ve been sneaking over to Edrick¡¯s room, I instead crawled into my own bed with my sketchbook for the first time in days. It felt a bit strange already to be sleeping alone, but it was also a relief from all of the stress of our strange agreement, and it was nice to have thete night to myself to have some time to draw. Like clockwork, however, my phone started to ring just five minutes after I picked up my pencil. I lifted my eyes from my sketchbook, letting out a deep sigh when I was Edrick¡¯s name on my screen. ¡°Yes?¡± I said after picking up the phone. ¡°Where are you?¡± Edrick said. His voice sounded agitated. ¡°I¡¯ve decided to unterally end our sleeping arrangement,¡± I replied. ¡°You can reduce my sry back to the original amount. I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m no longerfortable sleeping together.¡± Edrick was silent. I could hear him take in a sharp breath on the other side of the phone before he abruptly hung up. Rolling my eyes, I shut my phone off and tossed it down on my bed, returning to my drawing. A few minutester, there was a knock on my door; no doubt it was Edrick. I decided not to answer and to just pretend that I was asleep, which seemed to work as he didn¡¯t knock again¡­ Or so I thought. He knocked again, this time louder. I set my sketchbook aside and pondered whether I should let him in or not, but finally jumped up out of bed and scurried over to the door when he knocked for a third time, even louder and more aggressively that time. ¡°Can you not try to wake everyone up?¡± I asked in a hushed tone of voice as I opened the door. Without a response, Edrick brushed past me with an angry look on his face. Sighing, I quietly shut the door behind him and turned to face him with my arms folded across my chest. It was then that I realized I was only wearing my nightgown, thanks to Edrick¡¯s nce down at my bare legs. I quickly grabbed my robe off of the back of my chair and put it on, pulling it tightly around myself. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Edrick asked, quickly looking away from my body. ¡°You seemed fine with our arrangement. What changed so quickly? Don¡¯t tell me you suddenly found your dignity again.¡± I sighed and looked down at the floor, not entirely sure how to best phrase it. Finally, I looked back up to face Edrick, who was staring at me again with an agitated expression. ¡°I did find my dignity again,¡± I said, ¡°and I never should have made this agreement with you in the first ce. I¡¯m your daughter¡¯s nanny, not your sleeping buddy. Besides, if you have a girlfriend, you should be sleeping with her and not me. I didn¡¯te here to be your mistress.¡± Edrick furrowed his brow and shot me a puzzled look. ¡°What?¡± he said, running a hand through his dark hair. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Kelly found the earrings I left on your bedside table,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m afraid she misunderstood our rtionship.¡± Edrick was silent for several moments before shaking his head. ¡°You think Kelly is my girlfriend?¡± I c****d my head, suddenly feeling confused. ¡°Surely you two would¡¯ve been married already, if not for E¨C¡± ¡°You must¡¯ve listened to the maids,¡± Edrick said, rolling his eyes and walking over to the balcony, staring out at the city below with his back turned to me for a few moments before turning back to face me. ¡°Kelly is my childhood friend. She¡¯s like a little sister to me. I¡¯ve never thought about her in that sort of way. Our families are close, and we had the chance to be each other¡¯s chosen mates, but I decided against it. Yes, E also doesn¡¯t like her, but I chose myself not to be romantically involved with Kelly.¡± I froze, unsure of what to say. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said finally. ¡°The way she spoke to you, I thought¨C¡± ¡°Well, you thought wrong,¡± Edrick interrupted with a frown. ¡°Maybe you should talk to me next time before you go and gossip with the maids about my personal affairs.¡± There was another long silence between us as I processed everything Edrick had told me. My mind still raced as I thought about our arrangement. I guess I overreacted, but what if Edrick really got a girlfriend in the future? ¡°Fine,¡± I said, walking over to the edge of my bed and sitting down. ¡°If you want to continue the arrangement, we can. But under two conditions.¡± ¡°Go on,¡± Edrick said reluctantly, folding his arms across his chest with narrowed eyes. ¡°For starters, I want to sleep in my own bed sometimes,¡± I said. ¡°You can join me or you can not join me, but I should be entitled to sleeping in my own bedroom a couple of nights a week, and the responsibility of hiding our arrangement shouldn¡¯t be entirely mine. I also want one night a week by myself.¡± Edrick paused for a few moments. I wondered if he would refuse, but finally he nodded. ¡°That¡¯s reasonable,¡± he said, which gave me an immense amount of relief. ¡°What¡¯s the second condition? Or was sleeping alone the second condition?¡± I shook my head and stared at the floor for the next few seconds as I tried to formte my thoughts. Finally, I looked back up and bravely met the Alpha billionaire¡¯s icy gray stare. ¡°If you start seeing a woman and she bes your girlfriend, I want our arrangement to end immediately,¡± I said. ¡°Especially if you n on getting married. I won¡¯t have anyone questioning my rtionship with you.¡± Edrick suddenly looked somewhat amused for a split second before answering with a surprisingly light and nonchnt tone of voice. ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem.¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked. ¡°I won¡¯t ever get married,¡± Edrick replied. I frowned, confused by this statement. What could possibly be stopping a wealthy, handsome Alpha CEO from getting married? Before I had the chance to say anything else, however, Edrick circled around to the other side of my bed. ¡°We¡¯ll sleep in here tonight,¡± he said matter-of-factly, grabbing the nkets and pulling them down. He must not have seen my sketchbookying there, because it toppled to the floor as he pulled the nkets down. He paused for a moment, then picked up my sketchbook. I suddenly felt my face flush hot as he looked at my drawings, and I went to sn*tch it out of his hand ¡ª but he quickly pulled away, shooting me another amused nce, as he looked at the drawing I had been working on before he rudely barged in. ¡°Is this¡­ E and me? On the ferris wheel?¡± he asked, his smirk fading as he looked up at me. I grabbed the sketchbook out of his hands, then stuffed it in my bedside table drawer. Edrick said nothing. Without a word, he climbed into bed and turned onto his side, and went to sleep. Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 20: The Banquet Moana The day of the Morgan family dinner banquet finally came. Selina informed me that anyone attending these banquets was expected to dress formally, so I found a nice, dark blue dress with bows in E¡¯s closet and dressed her up with cute socks and shoes, then curled her hair and put a big bow in it. She seemed to havepletely forgotten Kelly¡¯s rudements at the luncheon the week before, and if she didn¡¯t forget, she at least didn¡¯t seem to let it bother her. ¡°Wow! My hair¡¯s so curly!¡± E said, bobbing her head to make her curls bounce. ¡°Thank you, Moana!¡± I smiled at the little girl in the mirror and squeezed her shoulders. All of a sudden, her gaze slipped over to my outfit, and her smile faded. ¡°Are you going to dress up?¡± she asked. I looked down at my own outfit with a slight frown. I had chosen the nicest clothes I owned that were also appropriate for a nanny at a family gathering: a simple dress, low heeled shoes, and no jewelry so as not to stand out too much. I thought I looked perfectly fine for my status, but now that E pointed it out, I felt incredibly in. ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m just wearing this,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°Nonsense.¡± I looked up to see Selina standing in the doorway. Her lips were pressed into a thin line as she looked at me, shaking her head with her arms folded across her chest. ¡°Is this inappropriate?¡± I asked Selina, stepping away from E to show my full outfit. Selina sighed. ¡°It¡¯s fine, but you can wear something a little nicer. You¡¯re a pretty girl, but it makes you look homely.¡± I blushed at the housekeeper¡¯s sudden kind words. She had never mentioned my appearance before, save for the night of the interview. She seemed a bit shocked, herself, when she finished speaking, and both of our faces turned a slight tinge of red. ¡°Come,¡± she said, quickly turning on her heel. ¡°We¡¯ll take care of this. Hurry up! You haven¡¯t got all day.¡± With that, Selina disappeared down the hall. I jogged after her, ignoring E¡¯s giggles. ¡°Now, let¡¯s see¡­¡± I looked around confusedly, not knowing where Selina went although I could hear her muttering to herself and the sounds of her digging through something. ¡°Hmm¡­ Too big¡­ Too showy¡­ Aha!¡± Selina suddenly emerged from arge closet in the hallway holding a long dress. It was a dark emerald green color and had short flutter sleeves. ¡°Here,¡± she said, holding it out to me. ¡°The green willplement yourplexion and your hair.¡± I took the dress. It felt like a light cotton material, perfect for the summer heat, but appeared luxurious. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, holding the dress up to myself and turning to look in the hallway mirror. ¡°Does this belong to one of the maids?¡± ¡°It was mine when I was your age, actually,¡± Selina said, taking me by surprise. When I looked at her, I noticed that her aging cheeks were a bit red and she quickly averted her gaze. ¡°I haven¡¯t worn it in years. You can keep it.¡± Once again, I was taken aback by the grumpy old housekeeper¡¯s kindness. For a moment, I imagined her as a young woman wearing this dress, and pictured her as being a beautiful young girl. I put on the dress in my room. It fit like a glove, and Selina was right ¡ª it suited my coloring perfectly, and brought out the green in my eyes. Although it was a dress that was appropriate for a nanny, it was still a bit s*xy and showed off my curves, and I was surprised that Selina would pick it for me. Next, Amy and Lily came into my room. They curled my hair and then pulled it back into a half-bun before giving me minimal makeup, with dark red lipstick that made me feel attractive. Once they were finished, I felt like an entirely new person. Edrick was waiting in the lobby downstairs, so E and I quickly took the elevator down once I was ready. As the elevator doors opened and I emerged with E¡¯s hand in mine, Edrick¡¯s eyes became transfixed on me for a fleeting moment. I felt my heart pulse suddenly as he looked at me, and for a brief moment, I felt Mina¡¯s presence inside of me, as though the way he looked at me made my wolf stir. Just as quickly as it began, however, it was over. Edrick looked away, returning to his usual aloof self, and got into the car. The house where the party was held was a pce. It had hundreds of rooms, countless staff, and dozens of garden courtyards with fountains and marble sculptures. As we entered the foyer, I couldn¡¯t help but feel out of ce in such an expensive mansion, and wondered to myself how huge the Morgan family must have been for them to need such a massive home. Indeed, the Morgan family was enormous. E was immediately osted by older aunts and uncles and cousins who all doted on her, and who also barely paid me any attention ¡ª not that I minded ¡ª before we were even able to take our seats at the banquet table. ¡°Come here, E.¡± A male voice boomed above the rest. I looked up to see an older man standing beside Verona; judging from the steely gray eyes and his tall, thin build, he was Edrick¡¯s father. E, somewhat nervously, walked up to the old man. ¡°Hello, Grandpa.¡± On Verona¡¯s other side, just as I had worried, stood Kelly ¡ª and the way that her eyes widened when she saw me told me all that I needed to know. The banquet soon began, and I found myself seated between E and Kelly. Across from me sat Edrick and Verona, with Edrick¡¯s father ¡ª I discovered his name was Michael ¡ª sitting at the closest end of the long banquet table. The luxurious meal was served, consisting of roast duck and countless other dishes. ¡°I don¡¯t like duck,¡± E whispered into my ear, making a face at her te. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± I responded with a gentle smile. ¡°You can eat something else.¡± ¡°So, tell me,¡± Kelly suddenly chimed in, grabbing my attention as she swirled her wine around in her ss, ¡°is such a dress suitable for a nanny?¡± I was taken aback by the curt question and didn¡¯t know how to respond; Verona, however, heard Kelly¡¯s ¡°You look beautiful, darling,¡± Verona said with a wink. ¡°I¡¯m so d you were able toe. Aren¡¯t you, dear?¡± she said, turning to her husband. Michael slowly chewed his duck, eyeing me up and down for several painfully long moments before swallowing. ¡°Hmph,¡± he said, before promptly turning toward Edrick. ¡°Edrick, have you found a mate yet?¡± Edrick stared down at his te. ¡°No, father.¡± ¡°Well, the clock is ticking,¡± the old man said, stabbing another piece of duck with his fork and waving it around a bit as he spoke. ¡°It¡¯ll only be so long before the public finds out about your illegitimate child. People will ask questions, and it won¡¯t look good for the WereCorp image.¡± Michael¡¯s backhandedment caused the table to fall into silence. Beside me, E abruptly stood This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. and pushed her chair back. I looked down at her to see tears rolling down her little cheeks, and before I could stop her, she stormed out. I tentatively slid my chair out; Verona, from across the table, cast me a subtle but approving nod, and I took that as my green light to follow E. As I searched for E, it urred to me that Edrick¡¯s cold and aloof demeanor must havee from his father. It was strange to me that Verona, who was such a sweet and warm woman, would have been married to such a brute for so many years. I eventually found E in the garden. She was sitting on a stone bench, swinging her legs with her hands folded in herp as she looked down at the ground. ¡°Can I sit with you?¡± I asked, to which she nodded. I sat and put my arm around E¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Grownups are mean,¡± she said finally after a few minutes. ¡°They sure can be,¡± I replied gently. ¡°But when you grow up, you¡¯ll be nicer than they are, and that¡¯s all that matters.¡± ¡°Ahem. Moana?¡± a familiar voice said suddenly. E and I looked up. ¡°Uncle Ethan!¡± E said, jumping up and running to the man standing in front of us. Ethan Bradley, the famous artist and the kind man who I met at the orphanage¡­ was secretly a part of the Morgan family? Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 21: The Secret Brother oana ¡°Uncle Ethan!¡± E jumped up and ran over to Ethan. Smiling, he picked her up and twirled her around in a circle. The quiet air of the garden became briefly filled with the sweet sound of the little girl¡¯s giggles before he sat her back down and patted her on the head. N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°I think your grandma is looking for you,¡± he said, to which E immediately perked up and took off to find Verona. I was still sitting on the bench, utterly shocked by Ethan¡¯s presence. ¡°Fancy seeing you here,¡± he said, walking up to me and standing in front of me so that his tall body blocked the light. ¡°Fancy seeing you here, too,¡± I said, standing. ¡°I had no idea you were rted to the Morgan family.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± he said, running a hand through his hair. Even now, dressed in his formal attire, I could see a small smudge of paint on the artist¡¯s left pinky. ¡°The whole ¡®Bradley¡¯st name is just a pseudonym. Well, sort of; it was my mother¡¯s maiden name. I use it now to protect my true identity.¡± I nodded, not sure of what to say. Ethan turned and walked over to the fountain, gesturing for me to follow, which I did. ¡°So¡­ You¡¯re E¡¯s au pair, right?¡± Ethan asked as we slowly walked together around the garden. The summer air was still and humid, but the feeling of the cool spraying off of the fountain was refreshing. ¡°Yes,¡± I replied, ncing over in the direction where E had just gone. ¡°I have been for a few weeks now.¡± We passed by a small grove of orange trees, their branches heavy andden with ripe fruit. From where we stood, I could smell the citrus in the air. As we passed underneath the trees, Ethan casually reached up and plucked one. I watched as he expertly peeled the orange while keeping the peel in one long strip, then tossed the peel into a nearby shrub and handed me a slice. It was warm and sweet from being in the sun all day, and the juices that burst into my mouth made me smile. ¡°Well,¡± Ethan said, his mouth full of orange, ¡°I can¡¯t think of anyone better to be E¡¯s nanny. I know how much the kids at the orphanage love you. E certainly seems to feel the same.¡± My smile widened. ¡°Thank you,¡± I replied. ¡°I love E. She¡¯s a good girl.¡± We walked a bit more around the garden, then passed through one side of therge colonnade, where the feeling of the cold marble permeated through my sandals and cooled my feet. The arched ceilings made the sound of the crickets chirping even more prominent. ¡°You grew up here?¡± I asked, leaning on the railing of one side of the colonnade that looked out over even more gardens below. ¡°I did,¡± Ethan replied, sounding almost a little embarrassed by it. ¡°I still live here now, part of the time, whenever I need to have some peace and quiet.¡± I turned around, leaning backwards on the railing now, and looked up at the pce behind us. The party sounded as though it had gotten more lively inside; I could hear music now, and the sound of silhouettes of people ballroom dancing. I was a bit d that I was outside just now, as I hadn¡¯t the first clue how to ballroom dance. Ethan quietly hummed along to the music, bobbing his head a bit for a few moments before turning toward me and holding his hand out. ¡°Care for a dance?¡± I felt my face get hot. ¡°I don¡¯t know how,¡± I admitted, staring down at my feet. ¡°Nonsense,¡± Ethan said, taking my hand and pulling me away from the railing. ¡°It¡¯s easy. Besides, no one is here to see if you mess up.¡± My blush deepened as Ethan took my other hand and ced it on his shoulder, then ced his other hand on my waist. I felt him firmly pull me in a bit closer so that our waists were nearly touching. ¡°It¡¯s like this¡­¡± He waited a moment for a beat in the music, then stepped to the left, then the right, and backwards and forwards. Surprisingly, with him leading me, it was easy to move along with him. Soon enough, we were spinning around the colonnade to the faint music and the sound of the crickets,ughing along with each other. The music came to an end, and with a final spin, Ethan dipped me. He hesitated at the bottom of the dip, our breathless faces hovering close enough to one another that I could smell the citrus on his breath. I felt my heart rate quicken and my face flush red again as his eyes flickered down to my lips. Then, just as quickly as it happened, Ethan ced me back on my feet and stepped away with a bow and a flourish. ¡°You¡¯re a good dancer,¡± he said. ¡°Some might even call you a natural.¡± I smirked and curtsied, feeling utterly ridiculous and enamored at the same time. My heart still pounded from our near-kiss, but I knew that it would never happen; not only was I just a human, but it would also be wildly inappropriate for me to get romantically involved with the brother of my one night stand and employer. ¡°Can I show you my studio?¡± Ethan asked suddenly, breaking my train of thought. I nodded and followed him as he led me through the dimly-lit colonnade and through arge set of double wooden doors, then up a narrow winding staircase that led out onto a dark corridor on the second story, lit only by the moonlight shining through massive, arched windows. At the end of this corridor was another set ofrge double wooden doors. He opened the doors and reached around, his hand feeling along the wall for a moment before he flicked on the lights and gestured for me to enter. The studio was just as I expected for a wealthy, famous artist: massive, with high ceilings, natural light, and concrete floors. The walls were lined with paintings, some finished and some in progress. There were severalrge, paint-sttered easels covered in canvases and supplies, and there was a huge wooden workbench in the middle of the room that was littered with half-empty tubes of oil paints and brushes soaking in jars of paint thinner. ¡°Wow,¡± I said, walking around in awe and looking at the paintings. ¡°This is amazing.¡± ¡°You should see it during the daytime, when the sun ising in,¡± Ethan said. He walked over to one of therge t files that lined the wall and crouched to pull out the bottom drawer, rifling through it for a moment before producing a ck portfolio. ¡°Come look at this,¡± he said, walking over to the workbench and cing the portfolio down. ¡°You said you like art and child psychology, so I thought you might be interested in seeing some of my childhood drawings.¡± Immediately intrigued, I walked over and gently opened the portfolio to reveal pages upon pages of charcoal drawings. ¡°May I?¡± I asked, to which Ethan nodded. I pulled out a few of the drawings and held them up to the light, furrowing my brow as I observed that each drawing had a simrly dark theme. Each piece depicted various scenes of a child, alone, in a dark room. ¡°Your childhood,¡± I said quietly, setting down the drawings, ¡°what was it like, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡± Ethan opened his mouth to speak, but before anything came out, a familiar male voice came from the doorway. ¡°Ahem.¡± Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 22: Family Ties Moana ¡°Ahem.¡± Ethan and I jerked our heads up from the portfolio of his childhood drawings, our train of conversation now broken, to see none other than Edrick standing in the doorway ¡ª and he didn¡¯t look happy. ¡°Oh, hello,¡± I said, feeling a bit nervous under the billionaire¡¯s strangely disapproving stare. ¡°Ethan was just showing me some of his work.¡± Without a word, Edrick slowly walked into the studio. His shoes clicked loudly on the concrete floor, echoing through the room¡¯s tall ceilings. For several long moments, the Alpha billionaire slowly circled the studio and looked at all of the art with his hands in his pants pockets. I noticed that he wasn¡¯t looking around with wonder, like I had when Ethan first turned on the light, but rather with an almost disgusted look on his face. He almost seemed repulsed by the art, which was surprising considering the fact that he had plenty of expensive artwork hanging in both his mansion in the mountains and his city penthouse. Finally, Edrick turned to face me and slowly walked up to where Ethan and I stood, stopping in front of me. He hardly paid any mind to Ethan, as though his brother wasn¡¯t even there. ¡°E is looking for you,¡± he said to me in a deep, irritated voice. ¡°You should be with her.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I replied, feeling even more nervous as the Alpha billionaire towered over me, looking down at me with an aggravated look on his handsome face. ¡°I thought she was with her grandmother.¡± ¡°She is,¡± Edrick said. His gaze finally slid over to Ethan. There was something dark about the way he looked at his own brother, as if he didn¡¯t trust him. Meanwhile, Ethan only looked back at Edrick with an almost amused sparkle in his eyes, as if he had been experiencing this behavior from his brother for a long time already. ¡°Hello to you too, big brother,¡± Ethan said. There was a long silence. I sensed a palpable air of difort, and it involuntarily made me take a step backwards. ¡°I¡¯ll go back to E, now,¡± I said, heading nervously for the door. ¡°Thank you for showing me your studio, Ethan.¡± ¡°It was a pleasure,¡± Ethan replied. Our eyes lingered on each other for a moment before I nced over at Edrick, who seemed to look at me with a hint of fiery jealousy in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯lle with you,¡± Edrick suddenly said. ¡°Come back any time,¡± Ethan called after us as we walked out of Ethan¡¯s studio. Edrick closed the door behind us, and thest thing I saw before the door closed was Ethan¡¯s face. He was smiling, almost knowingly, as if he could tell that there was something more between Edrick and I than meets the eye. As soon as the door shut, Edrick angrily took my arm and pulled me down the hallway. He was being a bit rough with me and his hard grip burned my bare arm, so I yanked my arm away and stopped in my tracks in the dark corridor. ¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡± I asked, feeling my hands curl into fists at my sides. ¡°I don¡¯t appreciate you touching me like that.¡± Edrick red down at the floor for a few moments, then back up at me. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be so trusting of him. He¡¯s not who he seems.¡± ¡°He¡¯s your brother¨C¡± ¡°Ethan is not my brother.¡± I was taken aback by Edrick¡¯s stern tone, and the way his face shed with anger as he said those words. We stood there silently in the dark corridor for a few moments. The ceiling, I was now realizing, was made of patterned ss, which allowed the moonlight to shine down onto the marble tiles and cast designs on our faces. It made Edrick look both incredibly handsome and incredibly frightening at the same time as he red at me. Before either of us said anything else, he turned on his heel and headed toward the stairs. ¡°Come on. I don¡¯t want you to leave my side for the rest of the night.¡± Sighing, I took onest nce over my shoulder at Ethan¡¯s studio before jogging to catch up with Edrick. We briskly descended the stairs back to the main floor, then passed through the garden to make our way back to the banquet hall. As we returned to the banquet hall, I felt everyone¡¯s eyes on me. The music hade to a bit of a lull by the time we entered, while the guests milled about and sipped their drinks. I felt my face flush hot as I crossed the room right next to Edrick, wondering if he noticed that his family friends and cousins were staring at us together. If he did notice, he didn¡¯t say anything about it. ¡°There you are, darling,¡± Verona said, holding her hand out for Edrick. Her smiling eyes flickered over to me, as well as E¡¯s, who was sitting in her grandmother¡¯sp. Edrick¡¯s father, Michael, merely shot me an indifferent stare before pushing himself up out of his chair and beckoning for Edrick to follow. ¡°Moana, look!¡± E eximed, holding out her hand as Michael and Edrick walked over to the bar. N?velDrama.Org (C) content. ¡°Grandma gave me a present.¡± On E¡¯s wrist was a delicate silver bracelet with a small charm that had the letter ¡°E¡± on it. Smiling, I took the little girl¡¯s hand and inspected the bracelet. ¡°It¡¯s very pretty,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s a charm bracelet,¡± Verona chimed in. ¡°As E gets older, she can add more charms to it.¡± Before I could answer, Kelly ambled over to us from where she stood at a table nearby, champagne ss in hand. ¡°Verona loves to spoil E,¡± she said. Her face was the perfect picture of sweetness, but I could sense a hint of what almost sounded like jealousy behind it. ¡°E is my only granddaughter, after all,¡± Verona replied, squeezing E¡¯s shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s my job to spoil her.¡± Kelly opened her mouth to speak, but Edrick suddenly returned. He had a sour look on his face as he stood behind his mother. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Eddy?¡± Kelly asked, c*****g her head and twirling a bit of hair around her finger. Edrick didn¡¯t answer, partially because it seemed he didn¡¯t want to answer, but also partially because the orchestra began to y again. I immediately recognized the song as one of my favorite ssical pieces: Vivaldi¡¯s Winter. Verona, seeing the smile on my face, suddenly spoke up. ¡°Edrick, Moana has never had the pleasure of attending one of our banquets,¡± she said, looking over her shoulder at him from her seat. ¡°I¡¯ll watch E. Why don¡¯t you two go and dance?¡± I felt my face get hot. Kelly seemed to tense beside me, but said nothing. Edrick, letting out a small sigh, held his arm out for me. As he led me toward the dance floor, I could feel even more eyes on me this time, so many that I almost considered refusing the dance and returning to sit with E and Verona. But it was toote; before I had the chance to refuse, Edrick firmly took one of my hands, wrapping his other around my waist, and pulled me so close to him that our waists were pressed soundly together. ¡°Have you danced before?¡± Edrick asked as we moved around the dance floor. I paused, wondering whether I should admit that his own brother gave me a crash course not long ago in the garden, but decided against it and shook my head as I felt my heart quicken its pace. ¡°Not like this,¡± I said. I felt how fluidly Edrick guided me around the dance floor, as though our bodies had melted into one ¡ª but I also felt the disapproving res of Kelly and Michael, as well as those of the other guests. ¡°Hm,¡± Edrick muttered. He held up our intertwined hands, allowing me to spin once before he pulled me back in. ¡°You seem like you¡¯ve danced before.¡± A lump started to rise in my throat. I opened my mouth to finally admit that Ethan had taught me some moves earlier, but before I could, the song ended. That is when I realized that our bodies were pressed so close together that I could feel his steady heartbeat and his breath on my face ¡ª instead of citrus, it smelled like a dizzyingbination of whiskey and cigars, and reminded me of our one night stand. I felt my heart flutter before Edrick stepped away from me, bowing. ¡°I-I need to use thedies¡¯ room,¡± I said suddenly, wanting to take a breather. Edrick nodded, pointing over to the door before wordlessly walking back to his mother and daughter. Without hesitation, I smoothed down the front of my dress and scurried over to the door, ignoring the feeling of dozens of eyes on me, and let out a deep sigh once I was in the dark corridor. Halfway down the corridor, I found the door that led to the bathroom. The bathroom was enormous, and had a long row of marble sinks and several stalls, as though this bathroom was often used forrge quantities of people; no doubt that the Morgan family often had all sorts of banquets and gs where they would find it necessary to have such arge bathroom. I walked up to the sink and ran my hands under the faucet, letting the cold water calm my nerves. As I was drying my hands on the plush hand towel, I suddenly felt someone tap my shoulder. I jumped, not realizing that there was someone else in here, and half expected Edrick to be impatiently standing behind me. When I turned around, however, it wasn¡¯t Edrick. It was Kelly. Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 23: The Alpha Pups Moana As I was drying off my hands on the plush hand towel, I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Kelly. ¡°Oh¡­ You scared me,¡± I said, taking a step backwards. ¡°Do you need something?¡± ¡°Why haven¡¯t you been doing your job?¡± she asked abruptly, her voice somewhat shrill. She seemed incredibly irritated, and her face was a bit red from alcohol. ¡°Um¡­ Excuse me?¡± I asked. Kellyughed and rolled her eyes abrasively, folding her thin arms across her small chest. I was never much of the type to judge other women negatively for their bodies, but it was apparent that she was wearing a pushup bra through her almost-sheer dress, and it wasn¡¯t working. In fact, now that I thought of it, I had hardly seen her eat anything at the luncheon the other day or at the banquet just now. It made me wonder if it was a regr thing for her to refuse food, which made me sorry for her. ¡°You¡¯re the nanny,¡± she said, stepping toward me and poking her index finger into the center of my sternum. ¡°You¡¯re basically just a glorified maid whose only duty is to y with children all day. So, pray tell, why are you spending the evening running around with Edrick and Ethan instead of doing your job?¡± I blinked, taken aback by Kelly¡¯s rude behavior. ¡°Don¡¯t just stare at me,¡± she snarled. ¡°When someone asks you a question, you answer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m entitled to spend a few minutes socializing when E is with her grandmother.¡± I attempted to step around Kelly, but she moved with me and stood in my way. She had her hands on her hips now. ¡°E is still with Verona,¡± she said. ¡°She doesn¡¯t need you, but I know someone else who does.¡± I watched, confused by what Kelly seemed to be getting at, as she held up her hand in front of her face and inspected her nails. ¡°There are children here who need watching, nanny,¡± she said, ncing up at me over her nails with an almost evil look on her face. ¡°Do you want me to take you to them?¡± I nced over at the door. ¡°Well, I promised Edrick I¡¯d stay with him and E for the remainder of the night,¡± I said. Kelly shrugged. ¡°I spoke to Edrick. He said that he doesn¡¯t care, so long as you¡¯re preupied and not trying to f**k his brother.¡± ¡°He¡­ said that?¡± I asked, my voice quivering slightly as I felt my face flush hot with embarrassment. ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to¨C¡± ¡°Come with me,¡± Kelly interrupted, turning on her heel and heading for the door. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to where the children are.¡± I still felt embarrassed at the thought of Edrick speaking about me like that to Kelly, but decided to follow her; I couldn¡¯t hide in the bathroom for the remainder of the night, but I also didn¡¯t want to see Edrick at the moment if that was what he was saying about me, so I figured that it would be easiest to just ¡°do my job¡±, as Kelly liked to put it. I followed Kelly through the winding pce hallways. She always stayed a few steps ahead of me, taking sudden corners and mming doors in my face, essentially making me jog to keep up with her so that I didn¡¯t get lost in this maze of a mansion. If I was being honest, I wasn¡¯t sure how I would find my way back to the party on my own if Kelly left me wherever she was taking me. ¡°Almost there,¡± Kelly called over her shoulder as she rounded a corner in a sh of long blonde hair. ¡°I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t mind the trek, though. You could use the cardio, right?¡± I wanted to shout back at Kelly that no, I didn¡¯t need the cardio and that I was actually quite fit, but I decided to keep my mouth shut and just follow her for the sake of keeping my job. If Edrick really thought that I was trying to sleep with his own brother after sleeping with him and bing his employee, then it would also be a risk to talk back to his childhood best friend. Regardless of how much Kelly aggravated me, one wrong word from her could potentiallynd me in the unemployment office¡­ And I didn¡¯t want to have to go there again if I could help it. Finally, we rounded onest corner and pushed open a set of heavy double wooden doors,ing out into another courtyard garden. This one wasrger than the other with a massive oak tree in the center, but it was much further from the banquet hall. In fact, it was so dark outside now that we were away from the glow of the party that I could hardly see, nor could I hear any sounds of music or people talking anymore. ¡°And here we are,¡± Kelly said, gesturing with a condescending flourish toward the two children who were standing in the middle of the courtyard. ¡°Good luck, nanny.¡± I went to ask Kelly why she was wishing me ¡°good luck¡± in such a sinister tone of voice, but when I turned around and opened my mouth to speak, she was already gone. ¡°Um¡­ Hello,¡± I said, approaching the two young boys that stood in the middle of the courtyard. ¡°I¡¯m This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Moana. What are your names?¡± The boys didn¡¯t reply. They appeared to be too busy ring at each other, their little fangs bared and their pointy wolf ears pri cked backwards. It was reminiscent of the way that E had looked the night that I had my interview, except these boys were a bit older and bigger, and were more frightening than E had been. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± I asked. Still no answer. I started to get concerned and looked over my shoulder, hoping to see Kelly standing nearby, or anyone passing by who might be able to help; but there was no one. I was too far from the party to call for help, nor would I be able to find my way back to the banquet hall by myself. I couldn¡¯t just leave these boys alone, either, since they appeared as though they were about to fight. Who knew what trouble two werewolf boys could cause on their own! The boys started snarling more loudly and began to approach each other, crouched down. My first instinct was to put myself between them in the hopes that they would stop, or that they would even sc atter, but I was met with a menacing growl as I made my first move toward them. I stopped in my tracks, my heart racing as I tried to think of some other way to stop this before anyone got hurt, but there was nothing I could do. I watched in horror as the boys shifted into their wolf forms. They wererger than I expected for such young boys, indicating that they were both going to grow up to be Alphas ¡ª which would also indicate that they could kill me in a matter of seconds if they tried. Gulping, I took a few steps back as the little Alphas began to circle one another. Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 24: Pup Scuffle Edrick I returned to the party with Moana, trying to quell my anger over seeing Moana and Ethan together. I wasn¡¯t quite so much mad at her, although she should¡¯ve been more professional, as I was mad at him. I knew that he was up to something¡­ Always. ¡°There you are, darling,¡± my mother said, reaching out and squeezing my hand as Moana and I approached. ¡°Edrick,¡± my father suddenly said, pushing himself up from his chair. He didn¡¯t like to admit it, but he was getting older and was starting to have some difficulty with sitting and standing. ¡°Come with me. I¡¯d like to talk to you.¡± I knew where this was going, but I also knew that I didn¡¯t have a say with it as I watched my father walk away. My mother, who also knew what he was about to say, gave my hand another squeeze before I followed him. We walked over to the bar, where he ordered us each a ss of whiskey. ¡°Here,¡± he said, shoving the ss of whiskey in my hand. ¡°Thank you,¡± I replied, swirling the brown liquid around a bit in my ss before taking a sip, steeling myself for what was about toe. ¡°Now¡­ I¡¯m sure you know why I wanted to speak with you,¡± my father said, fixing his icy gray eyes on me. I nodded. ¡°I know, father. It¡¯s time to find a mate. You¡¯ve been saying this for years.¡± ¡°I only say it because I worry about you,¡± he said, stroking his white beard with his hand. ¡°You¡¯ve already had one illegitimate child. It¡¯s only so long before you have another, given your track record.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried,¡± I replied tersely. ¡°Besides, marriage is a distraction.¡± My father scoffed. ¡°So is dealing with illegitimate children.¡± I watched as he slowly turned his head to look at E and Moana. I had tried my best for thest eight years to keep E a secret from the public, and it had worked so far; but my father wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. Not only was it taxing on such a little girl to be kept cooped up and hidden away, but it also became me ntally taxing to work so hard to hide her. Many journalists and papa raz zos had been paid off with hefty sums of money, not to mention her mother, who asionally showed up demanding N?velDrama.Org (C) content. more. But despite all of that, E was mine, through and through. I didn¡¯t consider her to be any less worthy than if I had a legitimate child with a future wife. ¡°You really don¡¯t want to end up like me,¡± my father said then, gesturing with his ss as he referred to Ethan. ¡°It¡¯s too much of a bother, and it¡¯s bad for thepany¡¯s image. Do something about your love life, and then you can im that E is your wife¡¯s child. Why not Kelly, after all? You know she¡¯d keep your secret.¡± I felt the anger start to bubble up inside of me, and I tried to quell it with another hefty swig of my whiskey. ¡°We¡¯ve been over this,¡± I said, setting my ss down on the bar. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in Kelly like that. And the more you entertain that idea, the more you¡¯ll stoke the fires of that fantasy in her head.¡± ¡°And?¡± my father said. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you think you¡¯d have a better chance with a human girl?¡± He nodded his head toward Moana, who was crouching in front of E and brushing a bit of hair out of her face. I shook my head. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that. She¡¯s a human, and she¡¯s just a nanny.¡± Without another word, I stormed away from my father. E looked up as I approached, softening my demeanor, although I still felt the fires of rage inside of me from my conversation with my father. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Eddy?¡± Kelly asked. I didn¡¯t answer ¡ª and thankfully, I didn¡¯t need to, because the orchestra suddenly began to y Vivaldi¡¯s Winter. I nced up to see a dreamy smile beginning to spread across Moana¡¯s face; she appeared to know the song. ¡°Edrick, Moana has never had the pleasure of attending one of our banquets,¡± my mother suddenly said, looking over her shoulder at me from her seat. ¡°I¡¯ll watch E. Why don¡¯t you two go and dance?¡± ¡­ I was surprised to find that Moana seemed to have some experience with dancing. As our dance came to an end, however, I felt Kelly¡¯s and my father¡¯s eyes on me, and stepped away from Moana with a bow. She said she had to use the restroom, so I pointed her in the right direction and returned to my mother and E. ¡°Eddy,¡± Kelly suddenly said, staggering up to me. She appeared a bit too drunk, and her face was red from the alcohol. ¡°Let¡¯s dance. I haven¡¯t danced with anyone all night.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m a little tired. Why don¡¯t you ask one of my cousins? I heard that Karl has a bit of a crush on you.¡± Kelly nced over my shoulder at the gaggle of my young male cousins, who had alle tonight without dates, then shook her head and abruptly turned on her heel. ¡°Nevermind,¡± she said brusquely. ¡°I¡¯m going to use thedies¡¯ room.¡± I watched as she stumbled off and disappeared through the door, before I let out a sigh of relief and sat down next to my mother. ¡°Moana is such a sweet girl, you know,¡± my mother said, watching with amusement as E wriggled off of herp to run off and join the other children. ¡°She¡¯s a lovely dancer, too.¡± I shrugged. ¡°She¡¯s a good nanny. E likes her.¡± ¡°But, do you like her?¡± she asked. I stared down at the floor, unsure of how to respond. Of course I liked Moana, to a certain extent. She was a good nanny and helped out around the penthouse, and her presence helped me sleep, but she was also a bit of a thorn in my side. Before I could answer, I was alerted by the sound of worried voices approaching me. ¡°Have you seen Lucas and Adam?¡± my older cousin, Maria, asked, stopping in front of me. She was referring to her two sons, who were often known for causing a bit of trouble. Her husband, Maurice, stood next to her looking equally as worried. I shook my head. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen them. Why?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve been fighting a lottely,¡± Maurice said. ¡°We¡¯re worried that they¡¯re off somewhere, probably in their wolf forms.¡± I realized now that Moana still hadn¡¯t returned from the bathroom. Suddenly, I heard the sound of heels clicking on the marble, and looked up to see Kelly running toward us. ¡°It¡¯s Moana!¡± she said, pointing. ¡°I tried to stop her, but she insisted on wandering, and now she¡¯s in the middle of a pup scuffle.¡± Maria gasped. ¡°Oh, no!¡± she cried. ¡°We have to stop them before someone gets hurt!¡± Of course. I should¡¯ve known that Moana wouldn¡¯t listen to my requests. It was foolish of me to assume that a human wouldn¡¯t be so awestruck by my family¡¯s home that she would insist on wandering. ¡°Where is she?¡± I asked, letting out a heavy sigh and passing my hand over my face. Kelly took my hand and began to pull me toward the corridor. ¡°She¡¯s this way,¡± she said, intertwining her slender fingers with mine. ¡°I¡¯ll show you.¡± The worried parents and I followed Kelly through the corridors and out into one of the further gardens, where, just as she had described, Moana was standing behind the big oak tree while the two pups stalked around the garden, looking for her. She looked up when she saw me, and then, with a smile, raised her finger to her lips¡­ And jumped out, spooking the pups. Kelly, the pups¡¯ parents, and I all watched in awe as Moana yed with the pups, rubbing their tummies and letting them chase her around the garden. ¡°I thought you said they were fighting,¡± I said, turning to Kelly. Her eyes were wide and fixed on Moana. ¡°They were.¡± When the pups saw their parents, they both immediately shifted back into their human forms with sheepish looks on their faces. Maria rushed forward, inspecting each child for injuries before turning to Moana. ¡°My, you certainly have a knack with children, don¡¯t you?¡± Maria said, making Moana blush. ¡°What was your name again?¡± ¡°Moana.¡± ¡°Well, Moana,¡± Maria continued, ¡°I¡¯d love to have your contact information, should you ever be interested in working as a nanny for my boys.¡± There was a bit of a silence. I felt somewhat appalled by Maria¡¯s attempt to steal my employee away from me and opened my mouth to protest, but before I could, E¡¯s tiny voice shouted from behind me. It seemed that she had followed us here. ¡°No way!¡± E shouted, running up to Moana and throwing her arms around Moana¡¯s legs territorially. ¡°Moana is my nanny.¡± E¡¯s sudden burst of defensiveness made Moana and I both look at each other with shocked expressions. ¡°Sorry Madam, I am her nanny.¡± Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 25: Stayover Moana The night was finally over. By the time we all returned to the banquet hall, many of the guests had left. E, following her territorial outburst in the garden, seemed to havepletely exhausted herself and now slept soundly on my shoulder as I carried her. ¡°Oh, tired little thing,¡± Verona said in a hushed tone as she came up to us. ¡°We should get going.¡± Edrick¡¯s voice was cold and stern; I could tell that he wasn¡¯t particrly happy with me, although I wasn¡¯t sure if it was because I was spending time with Ethan earlier that night or because I got involved with the two wolf pups. I wasn¡¯t particrly happy with him, either ¡ª not after what he supposedly said to Kelly about me. Verona frowned. ¡°Stay the night,¡± she said. ¡°There¡¯s no need to drag a tired little girl home when we have plenty of space here. You can leave tomorrow, after breakfast.¡± Edrick nced over at E, then back to his mother and nodded reluctantly. Verona showed us to our rooms. E¡¯s was situated next to mine in a lower level of the house, while Edrick¡¯s room was directly upstairs. After I put E to bed, I returned to my room and wondered if Edrick still expected me to fulfill our sleeping arrangement even though we were in his parents¡¯ home. As I was wondering this, as if on cue, I received a text message from Edrick asking when I would be I let out a deep sigh, wishing that it wouldn¡¯t have to be my responsibility for us not to get caught, before changing into the silk pajama set and slippers that Verona hadid out for me, which was incredibly kind of her. As I felt the cold, smooth silk on my skin, I wished that I could keep the pajama set. Cracking open my door, I poked my head out of my room to make sure that the coast was clear before sneaking out. I took extra care to walk quietly as I made my way toward the stairs. ¡°Looking for something?¡± a familiar voice said from behind me. I spun around to see none other than Ethan standing in the hallway. He had a thick book tucked under his arm and was in his own pajamas. ¡°Um¨C I was just going to check on E,¡± I lied. Ethan slowly nodded. I felt as though he could tell that I wasn¡¯t being truthful, but he didn¡¯t say anything about it. ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°Well, goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Without another word, Ethan walked past me with his book. I slipped into E¡¯s room for a few moments in case he was still watching, and once I counted ten of her deep breaths as she slept, I snuck back out and bolted up the stairs to Edrick¡¯s room. He was sitting on the edge of the bed when I arrived. His shoes were ced neatly on the floor and he was working to loosen his tie. ¡°Took you long enough,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s a bit more difficult to not be seen when there are so many other people in the house,¡± I replied as I walked over to the bed. I pulled the nkets back to get in, but just then, there was a knock on the door. My eyes widened; Edrick silently pointed toward the closet, indicating for me to hide. I quickly ran over to the closet and quietly closed the door, staying in the shadows while I peered through the tted door. ¡°Come in,¡± Edrick called out. The bedroom door opened, and in came Verona. She was carrying a tray in her hand, and on it was a ss of milk and an orange bottle of pills. ¡°I thought I heard you talking to someone,¡± she said as she walked over to the bedside table to set the tray down. Edrick shook his head. ¡°Nope. Just me.¡± Verona sighed and reached out to help Edrick take off his tie. ¡°Well, darling, these pills should help you sleep. Has your insomnia improved at all?¡± There was a long pause before Edrick nodded. ¡°Yes, actually. I hardly need the pills anymore at all.¡± Verona let out a small gasp. ¡°Really?¡± she said. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s wonderful! What changed?¡± I half expected Edrick to reveal our sleeping arrangement to his mother. The thought of it made my heart race, but thankfully, he didn¡¯t. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± he replied. ¡°Less stressed, I guess.¡± ¡°Well, perhaps you have that au pair to thank,¡± Verona said. I watched, stunned, as the old woman¡¯s gaze flickered over to where the nkets were pulled down on my side of the bed. Did she know I was here? I pictured her walking over to the closet and yanking the doors open, revealing my secret with Edrick. Finally, she turned back toward the door and started to leave before that happened. ¡°I¡¯m sure having someone to look after E is a relief for you, and that¡¯s why you¡¯re sleeping better,¡± she called over her shoulder. Her hand lingered on the doorknob for a moment; I swore that her eyes met mine through the ts of the closet door as she nced over, making me p my hand over my mouth and step further back into the shadows. ¡°Goodnight, mom,¡± Edrick said, breaking his mother¡¯s gaze away from the closet door. ¡°Goodnight, darling,¡± Verona replied before leaving the bedroom. A few moments passed before I came out, once I was certain that she wouldn¡¯t poke her head back in. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. As the adrenaline left my body, Edrick calmly stood and moved the tray of milk and pills over to the dresser, then began to unbutton his shirt in front of the full-length mirror. ¡°How did you get those pups to stop fighting?¡± he asked suddenly, taking me by surprise. ¡°Those two boys are known for being a couple of little devils.¡± I shrugged, walking over to the bed and taking my slippers off. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just had a sincere talk with them. I think they just need someone to y with them more to release their pent up frustration.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Edrick continued to unbutton his shirt. I watched as he hung it carefully over the back of a chair, but I quickly looked away when our eyes met in the mirror. Thinking about the pups reminded me of what Kelly told me earlier¡­ About what Edrick had supposedly said while I was in the bathroom. It hurt to know that he would say such awful things about me in front of others. Edrick must have seen me picking my bottom lip thoughtfully. ¡°What is it?¡± he asked suddenly, breaking my train of thought. I jumped, looking up from the spot on the nket I had been staring at to see that Edrick was already dressed in his own pajamas; I must have been lost in thought for at least a few minutes without realizing it. ¡°You know, I¡¯m not trying anything funny with Ethan,¡± I blurted out, feeling my face instantly get hot in response to Edrick¡¯s cold gaze settling on me. ¡°Okay,¡± he replied slowly. I watched as he got into bed, but still, I wasn¡¯t satisfied. Ethan had been nothing but sweet and lovely since I met him; why was Edrick so cold toward him earlier? ¡°You know,¡± I said as I slid down into the nkets, ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re so harsh with hi¨C¡± Edrick abruptly shut off the light, casting the room in darkness. ¡°Enough, Moana.¡± His voice was cold and just as dark as the room. ¡°It¡¯s not your job to question my rtionship with that man. I told you that he¡¯s not who he seems, so just listen to me and stop being nosey.¡± Edrick¡¯s words stung, and it was then that I realized that I had forgotten to put a pillow between us. With a huff, I grabbed one of the throw pillows from beneath my head and shoved it into the space between our bodies before turning over and going to sleep. ¡­ I awoke early the next morning to find that Edrick was still sleeping soundly behind me. So, taking this as an opportunity to quickly get out of bed and return to my room without any conflict, I threw my robe and my slippers back on before quietly slipping out of the room. If only I had checked to make sure the coast was clear before I walked out! ¡°Good morning.¡± Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 26: Confessions of a Nanny Moana ¡°Good morning.¡± I jumped, sping my hand over my heart and taking in a sharp breath as I slipped out of Edrick¡¯s room, only to be immediately met with a familiar voice. Ethan¡¯s smiling face stared back at me. From one look at him, I knew that he knew that something was going on. ¡°Uh¨C I-It¡¯s not how it looks like,¡± I stammered, looking around frantically with my back against the bedroom door in the hopes that no one else was watching. Ethan merely chuckled. ¡°Are you really an au pair?¡± he asked. I could sense a hint of humor behind his voice and it helped me rx just a tiny bit, but I still feared that I had ruined Ethan¡¯s impression of me. I liked him as a person and desperately did not want him to think that I was just after his brother for money or s*x. ¡°I am, I swear,¡± I replied, grabbing Ethan¡¯s arm without thinking and pulling him away from the door in case Edrick was awake and listening. ¡°I¡¯m not a mistress, or anything like that.¡± ¡°Well, not that it¡¯s any of my business, but it does sort of appear as though you might be,¡± he replied. I shook my head vehemently. ¡°No, really,¡± I said, lowering my voice so that no one else could hear. ¡°Edrick and I have a sleeping arrangement.¡± Ethan chuckled again. ¡°A sleeping arrangement?¡± ¡°Not like that,¡± I insisted. ¡°An actual sleeping arrangement. For some reason, my presence helps him sleep better than the pills and the alcohol, so he asked me to sign a contract to sleep with him until his insomnia improves.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ethan asked, sounding a bit surprised. ¡°Edrick has had sleeping problems since before E was born.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but for some reason, it just works. He usually falls asleep as soon as I do and wakes up as soon as I do.¡± Ethan furrowed his brow. ¡°How did you bothe to realize this?¡± I felt my heart sk*p; I couldn¡¯t possibly admit to Ethan that I had already had a one night stand with his brother, so I merely shrugged. ¡°We both nodded off in the living room one night,¡± I lied. Ethan still seemed a bit suspicious, but didn¡¯t say anything more. ¡°Come on,¡± he said, changing the subject and turning to walk down the stairs. ¡°Breakfast is ready.¡± I stayed firmly nted in my spot as he walked away, my eyes still wide. Ethan, noticing my absence by his side as he took the first step down, turned back to face me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°We¡¯re friends. Your secret¡¯s safe with me.¡± N?velDrama.Org (C) content. Ethan¡¯s kind words helped to ay my fears for the moment, although the lingering possibility of Edrick¡¯s and my secret being discovered still loomed heavily above my head. What made it even worse was knowing that, should we be caught, it would ultimately somehow wind up being entirely my fault. I couldn¡¯t be entirely sure that anyone, including Ethan or E, wouldn¡¯t still take the Alpha CEO¡¯s side of the story over the poor human nanny¡¯s side of the story, and I especially couldn¡¯t be entirely sure that Edrick wouldn¡¯t throw me under the bus if our arrangement came to light. Still, I decided that I needed to continue with my duties and go downstairs to wake E up and give her breakfast. When I arrived downstairs, however, she wasn¡¯t in her room. I heard the sound of voices and silverware ttering, so I went to look for her there. When I entered the dining room, E, Ethan, and Verona were already seated at the table. This dining room was much smaller and more intimate than the massive banquet hall that we dined in the night before, with a quaint and round family-sized table in the center that was covered by ace tablecloth andden with a beautiful array of breakfast foods. E, who was sitting next to her grandmother, jumped up when she saw me and skittered across the room to throw her arms around me excitedly. She was still in her pajamas and had a bit of whipped cream on the side of her mouth, and obviously appeared to be currently experiencing a sugar high. ¡°Good morning, Moana!¡± E eximed as she clung to my legs. ¡°Breakfast today is Bell-jam waffles and¡­ om¨C¡± She paused, chewing on the sybles on her tongue, before giving up and turning to look at her grandmother for help. ¡°Omelette du fromage,¡± Verona said with a chuckle. ¡°And it¡¯s Belgian waffles. Not bell-jam.¡± ¡°Right,¡± E said, turning back to face me. ¡°Will you eat with us?¡± I nced up at Verona, who cast me a warmly approving look, then looked back down at E. She still had whipped cream on the side of her mouth, so I wiped it away with my thumb before it got smeared all over my silk pajamas and nodded. ¡°Sure,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll eat with you.¡± Once E was back in her seat and happily shoving even more copious amounts of waffle and syrup into her mouth, I pulled out the chair beside her. I went to lift the silver dome that was covering my te, but before I could, a servant scurried over and did it for me, revealing a steaming hot waffle with fruit on top and an equally steaming omelet on the side. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said. ¡°This looks delicious.¡± ¡°Our chef is simply the best,¡± Verona said before popping a strawberry into her mouth, letting it sit on the inside of her cheek as she stirred cream and sugar into her coffee. I took a sip of my own coffee, feeling my worries slip away as the warm, sweet liquid filled my mouth. Even the coffee tasted as though it was made from the most expensive beans. ¡°Do you cook, Moana?¡± Ethan asked, cutting his omelet with a fork and a knife. ¡°Oh, I mean¡­ I help the ser vants at the penthouse,¡± I replied. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I do so much cooking as I do peeling potatoes.¡± ¡°Moana makes me sandwiches for lunch sometimes,¡± E chimed in, sitting up on her knees to reach across the table for more syrup. Verona gently pped the back of the little girl¡¯s hand, growling at her under her breath to sit back down on her butt and not her knees, and poured the syrup for her. ¡°Her sandwiches are the best.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Ethan asked, raising his eyebrows. ¡°I¡¯m a bit of a sandwich connoisseur myself. I¡¯ll have to try one of these sandwiches sometime.¡± I felt my cheeks blush a bit, but it quickly turned toughter as E practically shouted with her mouth full, spitting waffle everywhere: ¡°What¡¯seheresir mean?¡± While we wereughing, Verona nced up, wiping the tears from her eyes with her napkin. ¡°Good morning, darling,¡± she said. Ethan and I both looked up as well to see Edrick standing in the doorway; he was fully dressed, not in his pajamas like the rest of us, and had a sour look on his face. ¡°It¡¯s time to go home. The car is waiting out front.¡± Verona was taken aback by Edrick¡¯s overreaction, but I instantly felt a pit in my stomach as I saw Edrick¡¯s eyes flicker between Ethan and I for a brief moment. If Edrick wasn¡¯t going to answer my questions about his poor rtionship with his brother, then I was determined to find out in other ways. As soon as I had a chance, I would have to ask Ethan. Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 27: The Invitation Moana The following morning, I woke up early to get E ready for training. She was tired after the party, but was cooperative, and her sweet disposition distracted me from the strange experiences I had at the Morgan residence. While E ate breakfast, I sought Edrick out and found him in his study. Taking a deep breath, I quietly knocked on the door. He nced up and gestured for me toe in before promptly looking back down at his work again. ¡°Did you need something?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes,¡± I replied, still feeling somewhat ufortable around the Alpha billionaire¡¯s cold demeanor even though I thought I should be used to it by now. ¡°Well, spit it out.¡± I swallowed. Thest time I had done anything like I was about to ask permission for, it had ended horribly andpletely stunted both Edrick¡¯s and the servants¡¯ confidence in me. ¡°I would like to take some time today to visit the orphanage while E is at her training session,¡± I said. Edrick paused and slowly set his pen down, then looked up at me and leaned back in his chair. He folded his arms across his chest and looked down his nose at me, narrowing his eyes. I prepared myself for the inevitable. ¡°Are you nning on losing my daughter again?¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± I replied. ¡°I was thinking, since the orphanage isn¡¯t too far from there, I could get there and back before E even finishes her training. That¡¯s how it would¡¯ve workedst time, too, had I not gotten stuck in traffic.¡± Edrick was silent again for a few agonizing moments. ¡°Well¡­ You can¡¯t predict traffic in the city,¡± he said. ¡°It could happen again.¡± ¡°So I¡¯ll make sure the attendant knows that I¡¯ll be leaving,¡± I replied, the words flying out of my mouth quickly this time as I became more desperate. ¡°I promise, it won¡¯t happen again. Really.¡± After I spoke, I could see something sh through the Alpha CEO¡¯s cold eyes. It looked like worry. ¡°Alright,¡± he said finally, picking up his pen again. ¡°Don¡¯t let anything happen to E again.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± I replied softly, backing out of his office. I often forgot that Edrick had feelings for anyone, but seeing such a strong emotion for his daughter sh across his face like that immediately reminded me that he wasn¡¯t entirely cold to his core. Seeing the way that he interacted with his own father the night before also reminded me how sour behaviors like the one that Edrick often exhibited were frequently a product of nurture, not nature¡­ And I knew that E would grow up to be a sweet young woman, because deep down, I think that Edrick knew that he had to break the cycle with her. ¡­ ¡°Okay, E. Here¡¯s your backpack. I¡¯m just going to the orphanage to do some volunteer work, alright?¡± I said, crouching to E¡¯s level as we stood outside the training facility. She nodded vehemently, and I ruffled her hair. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be here when you¡¯re done. If I¡¯m not, it¡¯s just because of traffic, and I want you to go back inside and wait with the attendant until I do get here.¡± E nodded vehemently again, her little face hriously serious as though I had just given her marching orders to take to her grave. I stood, watching as E ran to meet up with her werewolf friends. Once she was inside, I gged down a taxi and headed to the orphanage. I spent the next hour and a half ying with the children on the yground. While I always enjoyed every activity with the children, ying outside was one of my favorites; I always loved helping the kids cross the monkey bars, ying hide and seek with them, and participating in their games of kickball. By the time it was over, I was a bit sweaty from the summer heat, but it felt good to get some exercise. I was just getting ready to g down another taxi to get back to the training facility when an unfamiliar ck car pulled up to me. ¡°Get in,¡± a familiar, friendly face said as he rolled down the window. It was Ethan. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a lift.¡± I smiled and climbed into the passenger seat, buckling my seatbelt as Ethan pulled away from the curb. ¡°I¡¯m headed to pick up E from the training facility,¡± I said. ¡°You really didn¡¯t have to do this. I appreciate it.¡± ¡°No worries,¡± Ethan said with a smile. ¡°I heard about what happenedst time, and I¡¯m sure Edrick is all over you like a cheap suit because of it.¡± ¡°That would be putting it lightly,¡± I replied, looking out the window. ¡°He¡¯s like one big ball of stress.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the truth,¡± Ethan replied. ¡°You got a good dose of thatst night. I¡¯m sorry about that, by the way. I should¡¯ve warned you that my rtionship with my brother is¡­ strained, to say the least.¡± I was silent for a moment as I looked out the window at the city passing by around us. ¡°Do you mind if I ask why you don¡¯t get along?¡± I asked finally. Ethan shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m his half brother. I think he sees me as this great big symbol of a wrench being thrown into a so-called ¡®perfect¡¯ family dynamic, when really, it¡¯s not like the Morgan family has ever been even close to perfect to begin with. But, I think that the way I came into his life destroyed his hopes that his family might actually be okay.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really wanna get too into it,¡± Ethan replied as he drove around a corner. ¡°I¡¯ll just say that¡­ I came after Verona and Michael were married and had Edrick. And you already know that Verona is not my biological mother.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I said, looking down at myp. ¡°I see.¡± There was another long silence as I processed what Ethan said, finally understanding why Edrick felt N?velDrama.Org (C) content. so bitter about him, before I spoke again. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, you know,¡± I said. Ethan smiled. ¡°It¡¯s neither my fault nor Edrick¡¯s fault,¡± he said. ¡°One day, I think he¡¯ll see that. I¡¯m willing to wait.¡± Ethan¡¯s response made me smile. He seemed gentle and sweet, not at all like the way that Edrick painted him to be. Maybe I could help Edrick see that, but at the same time, I supposed that it was better if I stayed out of it for the sake of my job. Just then, my phone rang: it was the driver who was supposed to take E and I home. He informed me that he got stuck in traffic and would bete. I cursed under my breath as I hung up the phone. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ethan asked. ¡°The driver got stuck in traffic,¡± I replied. ¡°Edrick¡¯s probably going to make it my fault if E gets home ¡°I¡¯ll drive you,¡± Ethan replied, holding his hand up as I tried to resist. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything. I¡¯m driving you home.¡± When we arrived back at the penthouse, I helped E get out before stooping down to look at Ethan through the window. ¡°Thank you for the ride,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll see you around sometime.¡± ¡°Actually, we will see each other again soon,¡± Ethan replied, leaning to meet my gaze through the car window. ¡°My exhibition is in a few days.¡± ¡°Oh, right,¡± I replied with a grin, remembering now that Ethan had invited me to his art exhibit the first time we met. ¡°I¡¯ll be there.¡± As I stood and turned back toward the penthouse, however, I saw that Edrick was standing in the doorway¡­ And he looked furious. Chapter 28 Chapter 28 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 28: Rival Brothers Moana Ethan dropped E and I off at the penthouse. As I stood on the sidewalk, I had just promised Ethan that I would go to his art exhibit¡­ But now, as I looked over my shoulder to see Edrick standing in the doorway, I wished that I hadn¡¯t. Edrick stormed toward us and took E by the hand, shooting me an angry look before stooping down to re at Ethan through the car window. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you to stoping to my home?¡± Edrick growled. Before Ethan could respond, Edrick turned on his heel and stormed inside with E jogging behind him to keep up on her tiny legs. ¡°Edrick, what¡¯s the matter?¡± I called, running after him. ¡°The usual driver got stuck in traffic. You can¡¯t seriously be that angry¨C¡± The elevator doors open. Edrick stepped in with E, and I followed. I could feel him avoiding my gaze as he pushed the button that would take us back up to the penthouse. ¡°What were you doing with him to begin with?¡± Edrick snarled, quietly so as not to frighten E. ¡°I saw him at the orphanage. He volunteers there sometimes.¡± ¡°So you intentionally lied to me in order to go see him?¡± I took a step back, shaking my head. ¡°No. It was just a coincidence.¡± All of a sudden, just as Edrick was opening his mouth to say something else, E chimed in. ¡°Please don¡¯t be mad, daddy,¡± she pleaded, tugging on Edrick¡¯s pant leg. He took a deep breath, shutting his eyes for a moment, before stooping down and scooping her up into his arms. As he did, I could see the tension in his shoulders start to slip away. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Princess,¡± he said, although there was still a hint of icy sharpness in his voice and in his gaze as his eyes flickered up to me. The elevator doors slid open again into the penthouse with a ding. I lingered for a few moments, my heart pulsating as I watched Edrick carry E into the living room. He set her down and whispered something to her, to which she nodded and walked off to her room, before he turned back to face me. ¡°My office. Now.¡± Reluctantly, I followed Edrick to his office. I could feel the prying eyes of the maids and Selina on my back as I walked behind him, but I tried my best to ignore them. Once the door was shut behind us, I watched as Edrick stormed over to the window; his shoulders were tense once more as he red out at the view of the city below. ¡°All I ask is for you to listen to me,¡± Edrick said, his voice low and controlled. ¡°I¡¯ve done everything I can to make youfortable in this ce. I even allowed you to attend a personal family gathering, and for some reason, youtch onto Ethan like your life depends on it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re overthinking things,¡± I replied. I took a few steps toward Edrick, but stopped in the middle of the room as he turned around to face me with fury in his eyes. ¡°I never intended on seeing Ethan today. It really was a coincidence; you can ask Sophia, the director there, if you really don¡¯t believe me. I spent an hour with the children today before Ethan ever showed up.¡± Edrick scoffed. ¡°You im that seeing him today was only a coincidence, but then you pull up to my home with him in the driver¡¯s seat. Why couldn¡¯t you have just waited for the driver toe to you?¡± ¡°Because I was afraid that you would lose trust in me again if I showed upte with E after what happenedst time,¡± I replied. ¡°And what sort of trust do you think you would gain by going directly against my wishes and spending private time with Ethan?¡± I was silent for a moment as I chose my words carefully, feeling Edrick¡¯s cold gaze boring a hole through my head. Finally, I spoke. ¡°Ethan is a kind andpassionate man who goes out of his way on a regr basis to donate his time to disadvantaged people. Anyone would apud their brother for being so generous and down to earth, but not you. Are you jealous that people like him or something? Is that what it is?¡± Now, it was Edrick who fell silent. He turned back to face the window again as an attempt to hide his anger, but I could see his shoulders trembling with rage as he stood in front of me. ¡°Maybe you should consider beingpassionate for once, and then people will like you,¡± I said, lowering my voice as I tried to quell my anger. Edrick scoffed again. ¡°Compassion for disadvantaged people is a waste of time, and you¡¯re a prime example of that.¡± I took a step back, feeling tears well up in my eyes. ¡°Once again,¡± I said, taking another step back toward the door, ¡°you feel the need to reduce me to a charity case. Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re seemingly incapable of even sleeping without me ¡ª which, after the way you¡¯ve spoken to me today, is not happening tonight.¡± I turned around, swinging the study door open. My body froze as I heard the next string of words that came out of Edrick¡¯s mouth. ¡°You don¡¯t get to decide that.¡± ¡­ It seemed that I did, indeed, have no choice but to sleep with Edrick that night. I made sure to stuff two pillows between us, and the following morning, I got up quickly to start my day without so much as looking in Edrick¡¯s direction. I was relieved a little whileter when he left for work without a word. ¡°Is daddy still mad about Uncle Ethan?¡± E asked, looking up from her breakfast of toast and sunny side up eggs to stare wistfully at the door. ¡°No,¡± I lied. ¡°He¡¯s just tired.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I watched as E poked at her eggs with her fork for a bit before pushing the te away and hopping off of her chair. ¡°E,¡± I said, peering over the table at her te, ¡°you hardly ate your breakfast.¡± E shrugged. Instead of answering, she merely said, ¡°Can I watch some TV?¡± I sighed, standing, and reluctantly nodded. E skipped off toward the living room; as I cleaned up her half-eaten meal, I heard the TV click on. It sounded like the news¡­ And there was a familiar voice ¡°I really cannot stress how much Mr. Morgan¡¯s kind donation will mean to these children,¡± Sophia¡¯s voice said. ¡°This generosity will help see that the children are fed throughout the winter.¡± ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. I paused as I scraped the half-eaten eggs off of the te, as did Amy, Lily, and Selina. ¡°Are they talking about our Mr. Morgan?¡± Lily asked. Selina said something in response, but her voice faded away as I found myself walking toward the living room as if in a trance. Indeed, Sophia, the director of the orphanage, was standing on screen being interviewed by a man in a suit. At the bottom of the screen was text that read, ¡°WERECORP CEO DONATES HEFTY SUM TO LOCAL ORPHANAGE¡±. My eyes widened as Edrick¡¯s picture appeared on the screen. Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 29: The Unexpected Alpha Phnthropist Moana My trance with the TV was broken by the sound of Selina¡¯s voiceing from beside me. ¡°Interesting,¡± she said, wiping her hands on her apron. ¡°That¡¯s more than I expected.¡± I turned to face her, still surprised by Edrick¡¯s sudden act of generosity. ¡°He doesn¡¯t do things like this often, does he?¡± I asked. Selina shrugged. ¡°Every so often. It¡¯s usually once a year or so these past few years, but it¡¯s never made public, and it¡¯s rarely this much. I wonder what changed to make him donate such arge amount and for him to allow it to be televised.¡± ¡°And to an orphanage, no less,¡± Lily chimed in from behind me. Shrugging again, Selina turned around and started to head back to the kitchen. I followed her, still curious about the situation. ¡°You said it¡¯s been happening just for the past few years?¡± I asked. ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t know all of the specifics,¡± Selina replied curtly. She had her back turned to me as she scrubbed so hard at the stovetop with a damp sponge that it was making the metal racks on the inside of the oven rattle. ¡°If you¡¯re really all that interested, you can look online. I¡¯m sure there are some websites that will tell you everything.¡± Maybe Selina was right. I was still intrigued, so I turned on my heel and picked up my phone off of the coffee table. The interview with Sophia ended on the TV while I was in the kitchen, so now E was flipping absentmindedly through the channels as she searched for cartoons. I searched WereCorp¡¯s most recent public rtions campaigns, and lo and behold: there was a list of articles with vague information on Edrick¡¯s donations over the past few years. It seemed, starting just four years prior, that WereCorp was trying to improve their public image. ¡°See? My daddy is so nice,¡± E said suddenly from behind me. I hadn¡¯t realized it, but she must have grown bored of flipping through the television channels and was now hanging over the back of the couch, watching as I scrolled through my phone. ¡°Hey!¡± I yelled yfully, tossing down my phone and grabbing her, pulling her onto myp and beginning to tickle her. ¡°It¡¯s not very nice to look over people¡¯s shoulders!¡± The room became filled with the sweet sounds of the little girl¡¯s giggles, but I couldn¡¯t quite shake the feeling in my mind that Edrick¡¯s newfound passion¡± was all just an act. ¡­ Edrick didn¡¯t return home until muchter that night. I wasying in my own bed; I wondered if he was after our argument. Eventually, however, I heard the sound of footsteps outside my door, followed by a series of quiet knocks. I didn¡¯t answer before he opened the door and came in. He was already in his pajamas, and stormed over to the other side of the bed without a word. I could tell that he was still mad at me. ¡°I saw an interesting interview on the television today,¡± I said, ncing up from my sketchbook to look at Edrick as he sat on the edge of the bed. ¡°Something about a billionaire CEO donating a hefty sum of money to a local orphanage.¡± ¡°What about it?¡± Edrick asked. His tone of voice was cold and indifferent. I shrugged. ¡°Nothing, really. I just think it¡¯s interesting that just yesterday you thought thatpassion was pointless, and now¡­¡± ¡°Compassion and phnthropy are two different things,¡± Edrick interrupted. ¡°I have to do certain things sometimes to uphold the image of mypany.¡± Edrick¡¯s words made me curious. ¡°Why is that?¡± I asked as I looked back down at my sketchbook and continued working on my most recent drawing: a picture of the city at night, using the view from my balcony as reference. ¡°Is something threatening the image of yourpany?¡± The Alpha billionaire was silent for several minutes ¡ª so long, in fact, that I wondered if he was even going to answer at all. Heid down on the other side of the bed on his side, with his back turned to me. The only sounds in the room were the sounds of the city below, which was nothing but white noise to me after growing up in the city. Aside from the sounds of the city, there was the sound of my pencil ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. scratching on the paper as I shaded in some of the buildings in my drawing. All of a sudden, he spoke. ¡°It seems that some¡­ human¡­ workers in the factories think that they¡¯re not treated as equally as their werewolf counterparts,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s absurd, really. I¡¯ve always tried my best to be fair to everyone in mypany. And now the media is trying to contact my PR department in order to weasel payroll reports from us.¡± I paused, looking up from my sketchbook to look over at Edrick. ¡°Why do they say that they¡¯re being treated unfairly?¡± Edrick shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s the pay.¡± I frowned. ¡°So¡­ You don¡¯t pay the humans the same as the werewolves, even for equal work?¡± Edrick was silent for some time before finally admitting to it¡­ in his own way, which I had already be all too familiar with over the past few weeks since I had been working for him. ¡°I do the best I can, given the circumstances,¡± he said, still facing away from me. ¡°I can¡¯t risk being looked down upon by my colleagues for being too fair. It would make me look¡­ weak.¡± My frown deepened. I snapped my sketchbook shut and set it down on my bedside table, folding my arms across my chest. ¡°So¡­ You think that money will cover up the fact that you don¡¯t treat people fairly and with equity,¡± I responded. ¡°You think that donating money to a single orphanage will make up for that?¡± Edrick sighed and sat up, but still didn¡¯t look at me. In the dim light of my bedroom, I could see that his sharp jaw was clenching and unclenching, as it always did when he was trying to find the right words. ¡°Money fixes everything,¡± he said finally after thinking for a few moments. ¡°It¡¯s practical, and it¡¯s better than spending an hour a week teaching kids how to finger paint¨C¡± I scoffed incredulously. ¡°So, once again, this is really about Ethan,¡± I said. ¡°As soon as you found out that he volunteers at the orphanage, you have to go and donate a huge sum of money. You¡¯re trying to outshine him.¡± Edrick shook his head, finally turning to re at me with his steely gray eyes ¡ª when he was angry like this, they were so much like his father¡¯s that it was almost frightening. ¡°How dare you,¡± he growled. ¡°This has nothing to do with Ethan. You should apologize.¡± Between Edrick¡¯s hard re and the fact that I didn¡¯t want to lose my job, I decided to shut my mouth. ¡°Sorry,¡± I muttered,ying down and turning my back to him. I wasn¡¯t sorry in the slightest, though. In fact, as I fell asleep that night, all I could think about was how disappointed I was that even a donation was just a way to cover up his own selfishness and to upstage his brother. Chapter 30 Chapter 30 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 30: PR Problems Moana When I woke up the following morning to the sun streaming in through my window, Edrick was already gone. Yawning, I sat up and threw the covers off of myself before swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and standing. E was already wide awake when I left my room. In fact it seemed that the other ser vants were also wide awake, and all of them were standing in the living room with their wide eyes glued to the television. I furrowed my brow as I approached, finding this behavior strange ¡ª especially for Selina, who was nervously clutching her apron. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked as I joined the group. Amy merely raised her finger to her lips, then pointed at the television screen. I followed her finger, my own eyes widening as I saw what was being broadcasted. On the screen was a reporter standing in front of a crowd. Behind her, the crowd was marching back and forth with picket signs that depicted anti-werewolf sentiments, as well as images of both WereCorp¡¯s logo and Edrick¡¯s face with big, red X¡¯s painted over them. ¡°As of right now, WereCorp¡¯s youngest CEO, Edrick Morgan, has not made an official statement about the unequal pay between human and werewolf employees,¡± the reporter said, holding her finger to her ear and shouting over the din of the protesters behind her as they chanted ¡°Equal pay for equal work!¡± The reporter continued: ¡°ording to recent spection, there are reports that werewolves are being paid ten percent more than their human counterparts, in both the offices and the factories, for the same work. Some even believed that the Alpha CEO deliberately made arge donation to a local orphanage just yesterday in an attempt to assuage these ims and create a positive image for thepany, but the footage from earlier this morning haspletely turned that attempt on its head.¡± Just then, a video clip popped up on the screen. It showed Sophia and the children from the orphanage standing outside the WereCorp headquarters; Edrick walked past with his briefcase,pletely ignoring them. One of the children tried to reach out and give him a handmade thank-you card, but he deliberately moved out of the way, as though the child¡¯s disy of appreciation disgusted him, then pulled a w*d of cash out of his wallet and tossed it at the child¡¯s feet. The footage cut out just as a security guard stormed out the door and began to usher the children away from the door, with the video pausing for several moments on one of the children¡¯s scared, crying faces. Suddenly, the TV screen went dark. I looked up to see Selina holding the remote, her lips pressed into a thin, hard line. ¡°Get back to work, you two,¡± she said, addressing Amy and Lily. ¡°No more of this nonsense. It¡¯s not even nine o¡¯clock in the morning.¡± Selina was right; E didn¡¯t need to be seeing this sort of thing at her age, and especially not first thing in the morning. ¡°Come on, E,¡± I said, reaching out to take the little girl¡¯s hand and leading her to her room. ¡°Let¡¯s get you a bath. If you¡¯re good, we can have crepes for breakfast.¡± I led her to her room, where I closed the door tightly behind us and walked over to the adjoined bathroom to start running the bath. While the tub began to fill with steaming hot water, I returned to her room to open the curtains and the windows and to let some fresh air in. ¡°Is my daddy gonna be okay?¡± E asked. Her voice sounded even tinier than usual; I could tell already that what she had seen on the television scared her. ¡°Yes, sweetheart,¡± I replied, walking over to her and crouching to her level to take her into my arms. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s just business; the news always makes everything look worse than it really is.¡± E sniffled on my shoulder, and when I pulled away, I saw that she was crying. Her sweet little cherub- like face was twisted into a grimace, and her cheeks were red as apples. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what,¡± I said, brushing a bit of hair out of her face, ¡°after your bath, we¡¯ll call your daddy if you¡¯d like. I¡¯m sure hearing your voice would make him feel better, too.¡± ¡­ I kept my promise; after E¡¯s bath, she called Edrick, who reassured her that everything would be fine. I even kept my promise to take her downstairs to the bakery for crepes, which seemed to lighten her mood, but as the hours ticked on and Edrick didn¡¯te home at his usual time, we all started to grow worried. After I put E to bed with a ss of warm milk and a luby to soothe her nerves, even Selina shot me a concerned nce before disappearing into her bedroom for the night. For some reason, I couldn¡¯t sleep. After tossing and turning for almost an hour in my bed, I finally gave up and decided to head to the kitchen for my own ss of warm milk. I crawled out of bed and slid my feet into my slippers before quietly retrieving my milk and settling into the big armchair in the living room with a book. Just then, the elevator doors slid open and out stepped Edrick. His face appeared almost gaunt, and his eyes looked hollow; he was so tired, in fact, that he didn¡¯t even see me as he came in. I watched silently for a moment as he tossed his briefcase down on the floor and shuffled over to the bar to pour himself a drink before I jumped up and grabbed the whiskey bottle out of his hands, causing him to jump with surprise. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. ¡°Drinking will not help you right now,¡± I said, keeping my voice low so as not to wake E and holding the bottle out of the way as he tried to take it back from me. ¡°Your daughter was worried sick all day. So were the rest of us.¡± ¡°I told her I was fine, didn¡¯t I?¡± Edrick asked, giving up on the whiskey bottle and reaching for a vodka bottle instead. I frowned. ¡°What would you do if she woke up and came out here to see her father stumbling around the apartment, drunk, after telling her that he was ¡®fine¡¯?¡± Edrick shrugged. I could tell that he was struggling toe up with an answer, but his brain was too tired from stress to spit out the right words; in fact, as I watched him pour vodka into his ss and walk over to the couch before slumping down into the c**hions, I actually started to feel a small amount of pity toward him. I sighed, setting the bottle of whiskey down, and grabbed my ss of warm milk before walking over to him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked as I took the vodka out of his hand and reced it with the warm milk. I got down on my knees in front of him then, not answering, and slipped off his shoes. ¡°You know,¡± I said as I began to rub his feet, ¡°if you¡¯re trying to create a good image for yourpany, scaring little children who are trying to show their gratitude won¡¯t help any,¡± I said. Edrick was silent for a few moments. I didn¡¯t look up, but I could feel the tension releasing in his feet as I rubbed them, followed by the sound of him swallowing a mouthful of warm milk. ¡°I know,¡± he replied. His voice was low and gravelly from exhaustion. ¡°I should¡¯ve just taken the d*mn card.¡± I nodded. ¡°Yes, you should¡¯ve; but you didn¡¯t. So, what are you going to do to make up for it?¡± Edrick simply shrugged. Sighing, I set his foot back down on the floor and looked up at him. I was surprised to see that he was looking at me, and his gaze didn¡¯t have its usual bitterness behind it. ¡°Here¡¯s what you¡¯re going to do,¡± I said, standing. ¡°You¡¯re going to go to the orphanage tomorrow ¡ª in person ¡ª and you¡¯re going to publicly apologize to those children. Then, you¡¯re going to take some nice photos to show that you might actually have the tiniest drop ofpassion in your body.¡± Edrick¡¯s gaze widened for a moment, but then surprisingly, he nodded. ¡°Alright,¡± he said, then paused for a moment before speaking again. ¡°You know the director, right?¡± I nodded in response. Edrick took another sip of his warm milk. ¡°Then you have toe with me.¡± Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 31: Photo Op Moana The very next morning, I called Sophia as soon as I awoke. ¡°Sophia, it¡¯s Moana,¡± I said into the phone. ¡°Do you have a minute to talk?¡± Sophia was quiet for a moment. I could tell that she was hesitant; I had just informed her only a couple of weeks prior that I was working for the very man who frightened the orphans, and she no doubt had a suspicion that I was going to ask for something after how he acted. ¡°Yes,¡± she finally replied. ¡°It¡¯s good to hear your voice.¡± I smiled, relieved that she was at least willing to talk to me. ¡°You, too,¡± I said. ¡°I know this might seem a bit contrived, but I wanted to ask if Mr. Morgan and I coulde to the orphanage today. He wants to speak to you and the children after what happened yesterday.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Sophia responded, sounding a little surprised. ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem like the type to talk much.¡± ¡°Really. He wants to apologize.¡± Sophia was silent again. I grew desperate. ¡°Please,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯d really appreciate it if you gave him another chance.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Sophia finally agreed. ¡°When will you being?¡± I nced at the clock. ¡°We¡¯ll be there by noon.¡± ¡­ At noon, almost on the dot, Edrick and I pulled up to the orphanage. He was wearing a gray suit and tie that was almost as stiff as his demeanor, which was a sharp contrast from my light blue sundress. It was a scorching hot day; I was surprised that he was even breathing dressed like that. The driver pulled up to the curb and let Edrick and I out. I nced over at the Alpha billionaire over the top of the car, noticing how his image seemed to wiggle a bit behind the heat hazeing off of the ck car. He took a deep breath and straightened his tie before brusquely turning on his heel and storming up to the entrance of the orphanage as if he was on a mission, where Sophia stood with the children as they waited for him. The children had made a banner that they were all holding, which read: ¡°Thank you, Mr. Morgan!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile as I saw all of the little handprints on the long strip of paper that they held between them. Sophia, smiling, came down the steps as Edrick approached. ¡°Wee,¡± she said, her eyes squinting in the sunlight. ¡°We¡¯re happy to have you.¡± Edrick merely nodded and replied in a curt tone of voice, ¡°Thank you. Where is the photographer?¡± Sophia squinted even harder. ¡°Photographer?¡± she asked. ¡°Well, I¡¯m here for a photo op,¡± Edrick said, looking around. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hire a photographer?¡± I stepped in, cing my hand on Edrick¡¯s arm before he could say anything else that was offensive. ¡°I have my cell phone.¡± Edrick scoffed. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly expect cell phone pictures to make it on the front cover of any magazines.¡± Sophia frowned, ncing over at me with a disappointed look on her face before looking back up at Edrick. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re not here for the right reasons, Mr. Morgan,¡± she said. ¡°While we appreciate your donation, all of the funds have been allocated toward taking care of the children. We don¡¯t have the money to be hiring photographers.¡± Now, it was Edrick who looked over at me with a disappointed look on his face. He stepped away, waving me over to him, and I threw an apologetic nce at Sophia before following. ¡°You didn¡¯t hire a photographer?¡± he snarled. I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s not about the quality of the photos,¡± I responded, keeping my voice low. ¡°It¡¯s about the message behind them. And I didn¡¯t want to make the children ufortable by having another stranger here to take their pictures.¡± Edrick nced over at the children, who looked like they were broiling in the summer heat. One little girl¡¯s bangs were glued to her forehead with sweat. ¡°Fine,¡± he said, his tone of voice cold as he straightened his tie again. ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over with.¡± Before I could stop him, he walked back over to Sophia. He said something to her that I couldn¡¯t make out from where I stood. She nodded and they walked over to the stairs; Edrick waved for me to follow again, and I did, this time jogging to catch up. ¡°Alright, children,¡± Sophia said, walking up the stairs to stand behind them while Edrick stood off to the side. ¡°Mr. Morgan is going to take a picture with us now.¡± ¡°Hi, Mr. Morgan,¡± the little girl with the sweat-soaked bangs said. ¡°Hello.¡± Edrick didn¡¯t even look at her; he only stood off to the side with his arms folded, impatiently waiting for the picture to be taken. ¡°Wait, what¡¯s Miss Moana doing here?¡± another little girl said, looking around confused. ¡°I¡¯m thirsty,¡± one little boy said, his face red from the heat. ¡°We¡¯ll have lemonade when we¡¯re finished,¡± Sophia replied. She shot me a pleading look, practically begging me to just get the photo over with so she could bring the children back inside before they all had heat stroke. ¡°Okay,¡± I said with a smile, holding up my phone to take the picture. ¡°On the count of three, say cheese! One, two, three!¡± Maybe half of the children smiled at the very most. The other half of the children were either unprepared, too hot and miserable to smile, and the ones that were closest to Edrick appeared as if they were leaning away from him out of fear. As soon as I snapped the picture, Sophia ushered the children inside. Edrick, without a word, stormed back off in the direction of the car. I mouthed an apology to Sophia, who red at me angrily from the doorway, before I ran after Edrick and grabbed him by the arm as he put one foot in the car. ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked. I shoved my phone in his face to show him the picture. ¡°The children look miserable,¡± I replied. ¡°You have to try again.¡± ¡°If they don¡¯t like me, then they don¡¯t like me,¡± Edrickined. ¡°I did what I came here to do. Come on. Let¡¯s go.¡± Edrick¡¯s indifference made me furious. ¡°Edrick Morgan, you get out of that car right now and go spend time with those children!¡± I shouted, curling my hands up into fists and stamping my foot. Edrick¡¯s eyes went wide. So did the driver¡¯s, Sophia¡¯s, and even my own. It seemed that all of us were equally surprised by my outburst ¡ª but it worked. Edrick somehow got out of the car, mmed the door, and got back up to the orphanage. Sophia silently let him in. Her gaze followed me as I jogged after him, but she said nothing; once we were inside, Edrick stood in the foyer, looking around with distaste as the children stood off to the side. They, too, looked surprised at his return. ¡°Um¡­ How about a tour?¡± Sophia asked. ¡­ ¡°¡­And this here is the ssroom. We haven¡¯t quite got enough desks, but we make do. The children This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. all get along and take turns so they can all have a chance to use the desks. It does get awfully cold in here in the winter, so we often have to move the ss to another room to do their lessons ¡ª but, thanks to your generous donation, we will be able to heat the entire orphanage evenly this winter, and we can even afford more desks.¡± Edrick stood in the middle of the ssroom, turning slowly as he took in the room. The orphanage was clean and well kept, just as it had been even when I lived here as a child, but its age was beginning to show. The walls all needed a good paint job, half of the doors didn¡¯t stay closed anymore, and the sinks all became clogged on a regr basis. He was silent for some time. ¡°He seems moved,¡± Mina¡¯s voice suddenly echoed in my head, almost making me jump. I was starting to get used to her asional presence, but it still took me by surprise every time. ¡°Yes,¡± I replied. ¡°It seems like maybe the Alpha billionaire has a bit of a heart after all.¡± Suddenly, one of the children spoke up ¡ª they had all been following us curiously, intrigued by Edrick¡¯s presence. ¡°Um, Miss Moana,¡± the little girl named ra said, tugging on my dress and making me, Sophia, and even Edrick look at her. She was about E¡¯s age. ¡°Yes, ra?¡± I asked. ¡°Can you make us some of your chocte chip cookies before you go?¡± I paused, ncing up at the clock behind Edrick to see that we had already been here for over an hour. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, ra, but we¡¯ve probably got to head ho¨C¡± Before I could finish, Edrick suddenly stepped in and surprised us all. ¡°We¡¯ll stay a little while longer,¡± he said. Chapter 32 Chapter 32 #Chapter 32: Sweet as Sugar Moana The children all began to cheer once Edrick agreed to stay longer so that we could make cookies. I lifted my gaze from ra to see the Alpha billionaire standing in front of me, but he wasn¡¯t looking at me; he was looking at the children. We all made our way down to the kitchen. I lingered at the back of the group, still in utter shock as I tried to wrap my head around Edrick¡¯s sudden change in demeanor. Had the tour of the orphanage and seeing how disadvantaged children lived given him a bit ofpassion? N?velDrama.Org content rights. Once we were in the kitchen, I put on an apron and started to get out the ingredients to make the cookies while the children watched hungrily, licking their lips in anticipation for the sweet taste of sugar in their mouths. ¡°Do you like to bake, Mr. Morgan?¡± ra asked, standing on her tiptoes as she gripped the edge of the counter to see. ¡°No,¡± Edrick replied, avoiding eye contact with the little girl. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Not even cookies?¡± ¡°No, not even cookies,¡± Edrick said. Then, in a slightly lower voice: ¡°I¡¯ve never baked anything.¡± The children erupted into gasps, causing me to stifle augh. ¡°Here,¡± I said, grabbing an extra apron and tossing it to Edrick. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you.¡± Edrick caught the apron and gave me a puzzled look while the children exploded with a chorus of giggles. ¡°I think I¡¯d just mess it up,¡± he replied. ¡°You can do it.¡± I folded my arms across my chest. ¡°There will be no cookies if Mr. Morgan doesn¡¯t help,¡± I said, to which all of the children began to protest loudly, some even going so far as to push Edrick toward me with their tiny hands, begging him to bake. ¡°Alright, alright!¡± he said; it almost seemed as though he was holding back a smile. He shrugged off his suit jacket and put the apron on,ing over to me. Without thinking, I reached out and rolled his sleeves up for him. Our eyes caught for a second and lingered on each other. ¡°Ew!¡± one of the older kids shouted. ¡°They¡¯re gonna kiss!¡± Now, the group¡¯s cries of protest became even louder as some of the boys even went so far as to gag theatrically. I stepped away from Edrick, shaking my head as I felt my face get hot. Next, I showed Edrick which ingredients to pour into the bowl, and how much of each. ¡°Put two cups of flour into this bowl,¡± I said, ¡°and the baking soda¡­¡± Soon enough, we had enough cookie dough for an entire army. Sophia took half of the children as a group, helping them to roll the dough into little balls and ce them on the trays, while Edrick and I helped the other half. ¡°Mr. Morgan?¡± ra said ¡ª she seemed to have taken a liking to him, which reminded me of E. ¡°Yes?¡± Edrick asked as he rolled a ball of dough between his palms. ¡°Do you have a mom?¡± ¡°I do,¡± Edrick replied. ra was silent for a moment, sticking her tongue out to the side a bit as she focused on rolling a wa d of cookie dough into a misshapen ball between her tiny hands, then pped it down on the tray with an unprecedented amount of force for such a small girl. Then, she turned toward Edrick and looked up at him inquisitively. ¡°Howe you never bake with your mom? If I had a mom, I¡¯d probably bake with her all the time.¡± Edrick opened his mouth to speak, but the words didn¡¯t seem toe. ¡°ra,¡± Sophia interjected from across the room, ¡°That¡¯s an awfully personal question.¡± ¡°Oh. Sorry, Mr. Morgan.¡± ra drooped her shoulders and dug into the bowl of cookie dough to grab another handful. ¡°No,¡± Edrick said, taking me by surprise once more, ¡°it¡¯s alright.¡± He bent down to ra¡¯s level and looked at her with unexpected honesty in his eyes. ¡°My dad doesn¡¯t always think that boys should do the same things that girls do,¡± he said. ¡°So, I grew up thinking that if I tried to ask to do things like bake with my mom, I would get scolded.¡± Edrick¡¯s words sent a pang through my heart. Growing up in the orphanage, Sophia had always allowed the boys and the girls to y however they wanted and to try new things. I grew up not only baking and doing traditionally feminine things, but I also had all of the opportunities in the world to try traditionally masculine hobbies. I couldn¡¯t imagine not being allowed to try those things just because of my gender, but it exined so much about Edrick¡¯s personality¡­ And it made me dislike his father a little more. One of the little boys, who was sneakily stuffing raw cookie dough in his mouth, suddenly spoke up. ¡°That¡¯s dumb,¡± he said, his voice garbled through the cookie dough. ¡°Baking is fun.¡± ¡°Hey, Elliot!¡± I shouted, running after the little boy. ¡°Don¡¯t eat raw cookie dough!¡± Elliot ran around the kitchen, evading me, and the children erupted intoughter again. When I looked up, I saw that Edrick wasughing, too. ¡­ Soon enough, the cookies were out of the oven and the children were happily stuffing their chocte- covered faces. Sophia led Edrick and I to the door; we hadn¡¯t realized it, but we had been there so long that the sun was already beginning to set. ¡°I really can¡¯t thank you enough, Mr. Morgan,¡± Sophia said as we stood in the doorway. ¡°Your donation means the world to us. We¡¯ve really been strugglingtely ¡ª the government isn¡¯t so generous with their money when ites to human orphanages like this one. I really thought¨C¡± I watched as Sophia blinked back a few tears. ¡°¨CI thought that we would have to shut down soon.¡± I reached out and squeezed Sophia¡¯s arm. Edrick fell silent and appeared to be thinking, his brow furrowed almost angrily. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do in the future,¡± he said suddenly. ¡°I could set up a foundation.¡± Sophia¡¯s and my eyes both widened in shock. ¡°You¡¯re joking,¡± she said. Edrick shook his head. ¡°Children deserve to be taken care of,¡± he said. ¡°These kids are lucky to have someone like you. I¡¯ll do what I can to help keep this ce afloat.¡± A s*b suddenly escaped Sophia¡¯s throat, and she threw her arms around Edrick in a tight hug. I watched, suppressing a smile, as he stood there stiffly with his arms at his sides as though he didn¡¯t know what to do. Finally, Sophia pulled away and wiped a tear away from her eye with her finger. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said. ¡°That was inappropriate.¡± Edrick said nothing, but walked out the door with a nod. I said my goodbyes to Sophia and the children before following him. The air was much cooler now, and there was a breezeing off of the nearby ocean. As we walked to the car, I watched Edrick walking ahead of me. He still had his sleeves rolled up and carried his suit jacket over his arm. The breeze ruffled his dark hair, which had beenbed back neatly when we first arrived and was now loose and free, which made him look all the more handsome. I could feel Mina¡¯s presence inside of me as I looked at him. ¡°Wait! Mr. Morgan!¡± a tiny voice suddenly shouted from behind. Edrick and I turned around to see ra running toward us with wild abandon as she swung a small paper bag in her hands. Sophia was standing in the doorway, watching. ra stopped in front of us, panting from her mad dash, and her little face turned bright red as she forcefully held the paper bag out to Edrick. He looked down at her for a moment, puzzled, before tentatively taking the bag. ¡°It¡¯s two cookies,¡± she said between breaths. ¡°One for you and one for Miss Moana.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very sweet, ra,¡± I said with a smile, watching as Edrick seemed to be suppressing a smile himself. ra, satisfied with her gift, turned on her heel and began to march back toward the orphanage with confidence. She stopped halfway, however, and turned around to say one more thing. ¡°When are you gonnae back to bake some more, Mr. Morgan?¡± she asked. Edrick was silent for a moment. His jaw clenched and unclenched. And then, he said: ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 33: Inside the Heart of a CEO Moana A few more days went by, and I had juste inside from a midday walk with E and was taking her sun hat off in the foyer when I suddenly felt a newspaper being shoved into my hand. I nced up to see Amy standing above me with a surprised look on her face, and I took the paper from her to see that the front page had a picture of Edrick crouching in front of ra from the day we went to the orphanage, when he crouched to exin the situation with his father to her. Selina must have snuck a picture while they were talking. The headline of the article read ¡°CEO OF WERECORP VISITS ORPHANAGE, SPENDS HEARTWARMING AFTERNOON WITH CHILDREN¡±. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± E asked, leaning over to look at the paper. She gasped then and ripped the paper out of my hands. ¡°It¡¯s daddy! And look, Moana!¡± she eximed, pointing to the background. ¡°There you are!¡± In the background of the picture, I could be seen standing and looking down at Edrick and ra. I felt my face get hot; I was never one for any sort of public attention, not that anyone would necessarily be looking at me. E handed the paper back. ¡°Will you read it to me?¡± she said. I nodded and led her over to the big armchair in the living room, where she crawled up onto myp and traced the words on the page with her small finger while I read. ¡°¡®Mr. Morgan is a kind and lovely soul, beneath his hard exterior,¡¯ Sophia Brown, the director of the orphanage, stated during her interview,¡± I read. ¡°¡®What was meant to be a brief meeting turned into an entire afternoon of fun with the children, who all can¡¯t stop talking about their new favorite visitor. I sincerely hope that Mr. Morgan wille back often.¡¯¡± The article went on to talk about Edrick¡¯s donation, as well as hismitment to change. However, the reporter also went on to mention their suspicions that the visit to the orphanage was all just a publicity stunt to cover up his unfair treatment of human WereCorp employees and his cold attitude toward the children that tried to give him their thank-you cards outside the WereCorp headquarters. I stopped reading before I got to that point, not wanting E to hear those things being said about her father. ¡°Will you bring me next time?¡± E asked. ¡°I want to see the orphanage.¡± I nodded. ¡°If your daddy says it¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll take you sometime,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m sure the other children would love to make friends with you.¡± Satisfied with that response, E jumped off myp and ran off to y. As I stood and began to tidy up, however, I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the article; the reporter was right about the fact that the visit to the orphanage was originally meant to be a publicity stunt, and although it ultimately turned out to be far more than that, it still made me feel a bit guilty for suggesting it to begin with. In a way, I felt as though I had helped Edrick take advantage of Sophia and the children by getting those nice pictures. He hadn¡¯t mentioned the trip at all for the past few days, which made me wonder if it truly made him morepassionate or if it was all just an act to get some positive press. Was he even still nning on starting a foundation for human orphanages? Suddenly, I heard the elevator ding and looked up to see the doors slide open, revealing Edrick; he had ¡°What are you doing here so early?¡± I asked, looking up at the clock to see that it was only a little past one o¡¯clock. Edrick shrugged and tossed his briefcase down by the coat rack in the foyer. ¡°No reason,¡± he replied. ¡°Just taking an extra hour for lunch to get some work done here.¡± He started to walk toward his study, but I called after him. ¡°Edrick,¡± I said, watching him stop in his tracks and look over his shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s an article about you in the paper.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± he said, turning around now fully as I scooped the paper up and handed it to him. I watched his steely gray eyes scan the article, and then with a hmph, he tossed it back down on the coffee table. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked. ¡°Sophia said some really nice things about you.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I was just hoping they would have reported on the pay raises by now,¡± he said. ¡°The pay raises?¡± I c****d my head, intrigued. ¡°Yes. I gave the human workers the pay raises they wanted. A certain percentage, anyway.¡± I was taken aback by Edrick¡¯s sudden choice to do the right thing. Maybe the visit to the orphanage really did change a small part of the Alpha¡¯s heart, after all. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ great,¡± I said, feeling a smile spread across my face. ¡°I¡¯m happy that you did that.¡± Now, it was Edrick who appeared a bit taken aback. He almost appeared as though he didn¡¯t know how to respond to someone being happy for his decisions. ¡°Well, it¡¯s all for the productivity of my factories,¡± he said, his face returning to its usual cold and stony appearance. ¡°And besides, I wouldn¡¯t have made this decision if it wasn¡¯t part of a negotiation to get my employees back to work.¡± ¡°He¡¯s lying¡­¡± Mina suddenly said. ¡°I think¡­ he wanted to do the right thing.¡± I watched as Edrick turned to go back to his study. Before he disappeared inside, I called after him one Edrick paused, his hand on the doorknob. Then, without a word, he closed the study door behind him and left me alone. Just then, I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket, breaking me from my trance over Edrick¡¯s sudden change of heart. I pulled it out and felt my heart skip as I saw Ethan¡¯s name on the screen, then I nced up at the study door to make sure that Edrick wasn¡¯t watching before I answered, walking further away. After how Edrick had always reacted before over Ethan, I felt like I should hide this phone call from him. ¡°Hello?¡± I answered. ¡°Moana, hi,¡± Ethan¡¯s soft voice said on the other line. ¡°Are you free tonight?¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°Um¨C Why do you ask?¡± ¡°How cruel of you to have forgotten,¡± Ethan said. There was a bit of humor in his voice, and suddenly, I remembered that the exhibit was tonight. ¡°Oh!¡± I said, feeling my face get hot with embarrassment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Ipletely forgot.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Ethan said with a chuckle. ¡°Well, if you wannae, it starts at eight. Afterwards, there¡¯ll be an afterparty.¡± I bit my lip, ncing over my shoulder at the study door ¡ª it was still closed. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best,¡± I said. After we hung up, I slipped my phone back into my pocket as I continued to look at the study door. Would it be a bad idea to lie in order to go to Ethan¡¯s exhibit? Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 34: The Exhibit Moana I couldn¡¯t bring myself to avoid Ethan¡¯s exhibit after he had asked me to go so many times. So, after putting E to bed, I went to Selina with my hand on my stomach and a frown on my face. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I might have contracted food poisoning,¡± I said, feigning illness. ¡°Can you keep an eye on things if E wakes up? I¡¯m going to go to urgent care.¡± Selina frowned, looking at her watch. ¡°Do you need a driver?¡± she asked. I vehemently shook my head. ¡°No. It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll call a cab.¡± ¡°Well¡­ Alright,¡± she said, pursing her lips. ¡°Be careful.¡± After that, I put on a simple dress that could pass for urgent care attire if anyone were to question me, and gged down a cab outside of the penthouse. Just as I suspected, the art gallery was packed to the brim when I arrived. As I got out of the cab, I felt a lump rise in my throat; all of the other patrons seemed to be dressedvishly, which made me feel incredibly out of ce. There was a line with a bouncer to get in. I stood in line, patiently waiting my turn. ¡°Name?¡± the bouncer said, eyeing me up and down suspiciously as I walked up to him. ¡°Moana Fowler,¡± I replied. The bouncer narrowed his eyes at me before scanning his list for a painstakingly long moment. ¡°You¡¯re not on the list,¡± he said. His voice was gruff and indifferent, and before I could say anything else, he waved me away to let the next person in. ¡°But I have an invitation from Ethan,¡± I replied, clutching my purse nervously as I stood to the side. The bouncer, not even bothering to look at me, simply scoffed. ¡°I highly doubt the artist personally invited a human. Quit wasting my time and get out of here. You cane back to view the art tomorrow, when it¡¯s open to the public.¡± ¡°Actually,¡± a familiar voice said from behind the bouncer, ¡°I did invite her. Come on in, Moana.¡± Ethan stepped out from behind the bouncer, resulting in a chorus of murmurs making their way through the line of people waiting. The bouncer¡¯s eyes widened, and without another word, he stepped out of the way and let me in. ¡°So sorry about that,¡± Ethan said, guiding me in through the foyer with his hand on my back. ¡°He¡¯s just doing his job. These art openings are very exclusive.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± I replied meekly as I looked around at all of the wealthy-looking people that were milling about the museum. ¡°Well, thank you foring,¡± Ethan said with a warm smile. ¡°Unfortunately I have to participate in some involuntaryworking with a few of the patrons here, but feel free to take a look around. And have a ss of champagne, too.¡± He reached out, taking a ss of champagne off of a waiter¡¯s tray, and handed it to me. ¡°I¡¯ll find you soon.¡± I took the champagne and nodded, watching as Ethan disappeared into the crowd. Taking a deep breath and a sip of the champagne for courage, I made my way into the gallery so I could get a better look at the artwork. If I thought that Ethan¡¯s work was amazing before in his studio, it was even more amazing now beneath the gallery lighting. A jazz quartet yed lively music from a small stage at the back of the gallery, N?velDrama.Org content rights. creating an atmosphere that almost made the artworke alive. Groups of patrons milled about, many of them using sophisticated ¡®art speak¡¯ to describe the works when, in actuality, they were only trying to impress their peers¡­ But I waspletely enthralled with the work. I slowly walked around, not speaking to anyone ¡ª not that anyone would have spoken to me, either ¡ª with my ss of champagne in my hand as I closely studied each and every piece of artwork. Each piece seemed to fit into a simr theme, which felt reminiscent of the childhood drawings that Ethan had showed me the night before. There was one particr painting that caught my eye, however. It was small, tucked away in a corner of the gallery, and no one else seemed to notice it; but I did. I felt entranced by the depiction of a young boy, staring out at the viewer from a ck void. His face was sad, but there was also a hint of something else behind it that I couldn¡¯t quite read. It was as if he was secretly mocking his own sadness. ¡°Fan of that one, huh?¡± Ethan¡¯s voice suddenly said from behind me, breaking me out of my trance. I jumped a bit at the sound of his voice, not realizing that I had been standing in front of the painting for quite some time. ¡°Oh¡­ You startled me,¡± I said, feeling my face flush. ¡°Yes. I think this one might be my favorite.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my favorite, too,¡± Ethan replied. ¡°I haven¡¯t given it a name.¡± I nodded, turning back to look at the painting. There was a bit of a silence before Ethan spoke. ¡°Did you remember to bring some of your work to show me?¡± ¡°I did, actually,¡± I replied, my hands shaking a bit nervously as I reached into my purse and pulled out a single, folded piece of paper and held it out to Ethan. ¡°It¡¯s not much. Just a sketch.¡± Ethan took the paper from me and opened it. I watched with anticipation, feeling my heart rate quicken as he carefully studied my drawing. It was the same drawing that I had been working on in my bedroom the night that Edrick told me about the WereCorp wages: a drawing of the cityscape from the view of my balcony at the penthouse. ¡°Moana,¡± he finally said after a few moments, ¡°this is stunning. You didn¡¯t mention that you could draw this well.¡± I felt my face go red at the famous artist¡¯s words. ¡°R-Really?¡± I stammered. Ethan nodded vigorously and handed the drawing back to me. ¡°You¡¯ve got some real talent. You should try to tap into it a bit more; I could see you doing really well with your art.¡± I took the paper back and folded it again, putting it in my purse. ¡°That means a lot,¡± I murmured. ¡°Thank you. By the way¡­ is this painting for sale?¡± Ethan¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You don¡¯t have to buy it. You can have it.¡± ¡°No, please,¡± I insisted. ¡°I don¡¯t want to take it without paying. It¡¯s too beautiful.¡± ¡°Nonsense,¡± Ethan interrupted. I watched with wide eyes as he waved over a member of the staff. He mumbled something to the staff member, who nodded his head and took the painting off the wall right before our eyes and walked away, disappearing into a back room. ¡°He¡¯s going to wrap it up for you. I won¡¯t let you leave tonight empty-handed.¡± ¡°T-Thank you,¡± I replied, biting my lip. Suddenly, I had an idea, and pulled the drawing back out of my purse. ¡°Let¡¯s trade, then. I know it¡¯s a bit uneven, but¡­¡± Ethan grinned and took the paper, slipping it into his pocket. ¡°I think it¡¯s a very fair trade.¡± We both fell silent again. Even now that the painting was no longer in front of us, it wouldn¡¯t leave my mind, and it made me wonder about our childhoods and what it meant to feelpletely alone, like the boy staring out from the void. ¡°I have a question,¡± I said suddenly, swirling my champagne around my ss absentmindedly. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡± ¡°Go ahead,¡± Ethan replied. ¡°Have there been any children in your family who were sent away for being wolfless?¡± Ethan furrowed his brow and shook his head. ¡°No. It¡¯s just Edrick and I, anyway. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve just been learning a lot about werewolvestely,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯d like to know more.¡± Ethan paused for a moment, thinking, before speaking again. ¡°Have you heard the story of the Golden Wolf?¡± Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 35: The Golden Wolf Moana As Ethan mentioned the ¡°Golden Wolf¡±, I felt Mina react strongly in my head. She didn¡¯t say anything, but I could tell that she was just as intrigued as I was. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of the Golden Wolf,¡± I said, shaking my head. Ethan smiled. ¡°If you want to know more about werewolves, then this will interest you,¡± he said. He turned and started to walk, nodding with his head for me to follow. As I walked with him, he began to speak, gesticting with his hands. ¡°The story of the Golden Wolf is a story that has been passed down through generations and generations of werewolves,¡± he began. ¡°If I¡¯m being honest, I¡¯m not entirely sure if it¡¯s real or just an old wives¡¯ tale; some werewolves will say it¡¯s real, and others will say that it¡¯s just a legend. Either way, it¡¯s an important story. You see, there was supposedly once an extremely rare, golden wolf that was spotted only once in the forest by a human. He was hunting for his vige, long before humans knew about werewolves, and he had his bow drawn to shoot the wolf, thinking it was an elk ¡ª but just as he was about to shoot, he realized that it was actually an enormous wolf. The wolf looked into his eyes, N?velDrama.Org content rights. causing him to drop his bow and run back to his vige. He told his entire vige the story of the wolf and led them back to the spot where he found it, but it was gone. There were no footprints, no trace of the wolf. The vige thought that the man was insane. He kept saying that the Golden Wolf would bring the world into the next age, but some people thought that it was an omen of the apocalypse.¡± ¡°What happened to the man?¡± I asked. Ethan shrugged. ¡°They burned him at the stake. The legend says that he continued to speak of the Golden Wolf, even when his body was engulfed in mes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s insane.¡± ¡°It is,¡± Ethan said. ¡°That¡¯s why I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a true story. How could the man know all of this just from one look at the wolf?¡± I paused for a moment, turning my head to look at some of the paintings around us before speaking again. ¡°So, this Golden Wolf,¡± I said, chewing the words thoughtfully on my tongue, ¡°was it ever seen again?¡± Ethan shook his head. ¡°The people who im it was real say that it went into hiding, and that it possibly even went dormant. Some im that it will present itself again as someone¡¯s wolf. A ¡®chosen one¡¯, if you will. But¡­ I don¡¯t know. All of this ¡®chosen one¡¯ nonsense is usually just that: nonsense. And if the Golden Wolf was somehow real, it would probably be killed by fanatics before anything could happen.¡± ¡°It almost sounds like more of a curse than a blessing,¡± I said. Ethan nodded. Just then, one of the staff members came up to him and whispered something in his ear. ¡°Well, I¡¯m afraid I have to go give my speech to end the exhibit,¡± he said. ¡°Would you be interested ining to the afterparty with me for some drinks?¡± ¡°Um¡­ Sure, why not?¡± I replied. ¡°Great,¡± Ethan said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon ¡ª and don¡¯t forget your painting.¡± As I watched Ethan walk away, however, I couldn¡¯t get the story of the Golden Wolf out of my mind. I reached out to Mina, whose presence I still felt, in the hopes of getting an answer. ¡°Why were you so intrigued by that story earlier?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Mina replied, her voice growing more faint by the moment. ¡°I feel as though it¡¯s important to me somehow¡­¡± ¡­ At the end of the exhibition, Ethan took me out through the back door of the gallery and we got into the back of a waiting car. I held the painting he gave me, which was wrapped tightly in brown paper, and looked out the window as the driver began to take us to the destination of the afterparty. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not underdressed,¡± I said, looking down at my in ck dress and the high heels that I had stashed in my purse to change into on the way to the exhibit. Ethan shook his head. ¡°Not at all. You look lovely.¡± I felt my face redden at the artist¡¯s kind words. A few minutester, we pulled up to the curb outside a bar. Ethan got out and came around to let me out. As I stepped out of the car and looked up at the fancy bar, I couldn¡¯t help but feel as though it was familiar somehow¡­ I couldn¡¯t quite ce my finger on it, though. This feeling continued as Ethan held the door open for me and led me up the stairway, but I still couldn¡¯t quite recall; perhaps I had been here before and simply forgot about it. ¡°Ethan!¡± a voice called over the din of the packed room from a table in the corner. ¡°Over here!¡± Ethan perked up at the sound of the voice. Smiling, he waved for me to follow. I stood by patiently as he hugged a woman at the table, then shook hands with two other young men. ¡°Everyone, this is my good friend Moana,¡± Ethan said with a warm smile. ¡°Moana, this is Haley, Jace, and Logan. They¡¯re good artist friends of mine¡­ I¡¯m going to go get us some drinks. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± I nodded politely to the three werewolves, but was surprised to find that they all reacted warmly to me. Haley even scooched out of the way for me to sit, patting the spot in the booth next to her. I felt a bit timid as I sat, but she immediately started fawning over my hair, and I didn¡¯t feel so nervous anymore. ¡°You must be the pretty au pair that Ethan can¡¯t stop talking about,¡± Haley said. I felt my face get hot. Was Ethan really talking about me like that? ¡°I hear you¡¯re a hell of an artist, too,¡± Jace interjected. ¡°Where did you go to art school?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Oh, no,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m not professionally trained. I just draw for fun.¡± ¡°Well, it certainly sounds like more than just a hobby,¡± Logan said. ¡°What did you go to school for?¡± ¡°Early childhood education, actually,¡± I replied, raising my voice to be heard over the voices and music of the packed bar. ¡°I know it¡¯s not very interesting.¡± ¡°Nonsense!¡± Haley said. ¡°You should tell us more about it sometime.¡± For the first time since I had found myself caught up in the werewolf world, I actually felt like an equal. It was strange to have other people asking about my own interests at first, but by the time I had a couple of drinks in me, I felt right at home. Eventually, I excused myself to the bathroom. I weaved my way through the crowd, making my way toward the restroom door, when suddenly, it hit me: I had been here before. This was Edrick¡¯s bar. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my arm ¡ª and as I turned around, I met two familiar steely gray eyes. Chapter 36 Chapter 36 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 36: Afterparty Moana I felt a hand on my arm in the crowd and turned around, expecting to see Ethan or one of his friends standing there. But it wasn¡¯t any of them. It was Edrick. Without speaking, he kept his grip firmly on my arm and pulled me away from the crowd, into a private room. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± he asked, although I was certain that he had already seen me with Ethan and his friends. ¡°I thought you were sick and had to go to urgent care.¡± I felt my heart rate quicken. ¡°I¡­¡± Before I could answer, he raised his hand to indicate for me to stop speaking and then rubbed the bridge of his nose exasperatedly. ¡°I don¡¯t know how many times I have to tell you that you¡¯re making a mistake by hanging around Ethan. And now you lie about your health so you can sneak out and gvant all over town with him?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t feel it necessary to lie and sneak if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that you seem to have boundless enmity for your own brother.¡± Edrick¡¯s face darkened. ¡°He is not my brother,¡± he snarled. ¡°Besides¡­ Do you have some fantasy of being with him? Because I¡¯ll be the first to tell you that he would never be interested in someone like you.¡± ¡°Someone like me?¡± I asked with a scoff. I folded my arms across my chest and took a step back, but Edrick closed the distance again by taking a step toward me. He towered over me, even when I wore high heels. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°I mean, look at you,¡± Edrick said, gesturing toward my appearance. ¡°You¡¯re just an ordinary human nanny. And you¡¯re pretty enough, sure, but you don¡¯t do yourself any favors by dressing so inly and homely. Don¡¯t I pay you enough to create a nice image for yourself?¡± I felt my face get hot at Edrick¡¯s words. I nced down at my in ck dress, thinking about how Ethan had told me that I looked perfectly fine. ¡°Ethan might seem like a nice person on the outside,¡± Edrick continued, ¡°but you can rest assured that he¡¯s not interested in someone with a social status as low as that of a human nanny who couldn¡¯t find a job until someone felt pity on her.¡± It was then that I felt tears begin to well up in my eyes, but I wasn¡¯t about to let Edrick make me cry on a night that was supposed to be fun and lighthearted. I turned on my heel and took a few steps toward the door. N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for lying about my health,¡± I said, reaching for the doorknob, ¡°but you and I only have an employer-employee rtionship. Nothing more, nothing less. And if I wanted to be deceived by Ethan, then it¡¯s none of your concern in the end.¡± Without another word, I left Edrick standing speechless in the private room. A few moments after I walked out and continued to make my way to the restroom as I had originally intended, he stormed out after me, brushing past me. I watched over the crowd as he stormed straight out of the bar. ¡°Good riddance,¡± I whispered to myself, pushing through the bathroom door. I walked up to the row of marble sinks and set my purse down on the counter, sighing deeply as I tried to calm my nerves ¡ª but as soon as I looked up at my reflection in the mirror, the tears that were welled up in my eyes began to spill over, smudging my mascara and causing it to run down my cheeks in two long, ck lines. Was that truly how Edrick thought about me? During my time that I¡¯d worked for him so far, I had thought that I had begun to earn a bit of respect from him. I thought back to the day we went to the orphanage, and how he had opened up to the children, and even me. Was I correct in assuming that it was all just an act for positive publicity? Was I really just nothing but a lowly human nanny to him? Just then, the door swung open. I scrambled to wipe the ck tears from my face, but it was toote; the woman who hade through the door was Ethan¡¯s friend, Haley, and she noticed me crying immediately. She came over to me with a concerned look on her face and pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket, beginning to dab at my cheek with it as she looked at me in the mirror. ¡°Ethan asked me to check to make sure you didn¡¯t get lost,¡± she said as she wiped the ck tears away. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to find you crying in here. Were we really all that bad?¡± I shook my head vehemently. ¡°Not at all,¡± I assured her. ¡°It¡¯s somethingpletely unrted.¡± ¡°Do you need to talk about it?¡± Again, I shook my head. ¡°No. It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s nothing.¡± Haley didn¡¯t seem convinced, but she nodded and stepped away once the ck streaks were cleaned off of my cheeks. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you out there in a minute,¡± I said, to which she nodded again and quietly left the bathroom. A couple of minutester, once I¡¯d taken a few more deep breaths and calmed my nerves, I walked back out to the table. Ethan jerked his head up as I approached, and jumped up to meet me. ¡°Are you alright?¡± he asked. I shrugged, causing him to furrow his brow. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Edrick found me,¡± I replied. ¡°He¡¯s furious with me foring to see you. I think I should just go home now.¡± Ethan frowned, a look of worry wrought across his handsome face. ¡°Are you sure?¡± he asked. ¡°Do you want me to take you home?¡± I paused, wondering if it would be a horrible idea to show up outside the penthouse with Ethan, but at the same time, I needed the friendly support, so I nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes, please,¡± I said. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind.¡± Ethan nodded in response, still looking worried, and turned to say something to his friends before guiding me out of the bar with his hand on my back. ¡­ Ethan dropped me off outside the penthouse and, after a word of encouragement and a gentle squeeze of my arm, he drove away. I swallowed the lump in my throat and made my way back upstairs, steeling myself in case Edrick was home and waiting to argue with me even more ¡ª but he wasn¡¯t. In fact, only E was sitting in the dark living room by herself. ¡°Moana!¡± she said, jumping up from the couch and running over to me. ¡°Are you okay? Selina said you¡¯re sick.¡± I bit my lip, suddenly feeling horrible for lying and worrying the little girl just so I could go out. ¡°Yes,¡± I replied, scooping her up to take her back to bed. ¡°I¡¯m okay now.¡± After I put her to bed, I decided it was best to at least attempt to fulfill my contractual obligation with Edrick by waiting in his room in case he shoulde home soon, but as the hours ticked on, he never showed up. Feeling somewhat relieved, I returned to my own room and crawled into bed. However, I was only in my room for hardly even half an hour before I heard a knock on my door. And when I opened it, all I could smell was alcohol. Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 37: The Heat of the Moment Moana When I opened my door, all I could smell was alcohol. Edrick was standing in the hallway. He was swaying slightly back and forth, his steely eyes unfocused in front of me. Even though it seemed he only just got home, he already had a ss of whiskey in his hand ¡ª he must have filled it as soon as he came in the door. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you in my room?¡± he grumbled, his breath reeking of whiskey. I took a step back, scrunching up my nose from the smell. ¡°I waited for you for two hours, but you never came,¡± I replied. ¡°I assumed you wouldn¡¯t be home tonight.¡± Edrick was silent for several moments before speaking: ¡°Well, I¡¯ll sleep in here, then.¡± Before I could stop him, he pushed past me and into my room. ¡°How much have you had to drink?¡± I asked, closing the door quietly. Edrick chuckled sardonically and turned around to face me with a shrug. ¡°What does it matter to you?¡± he asked. As he stared at me, I wondered to myself if he even knew or if he had lost count of how many times he¡¯d refilled his ss tonight. I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯d like to know if I¡¯m getting into bed with someone who¡¯s going to vomit all over himself in the middle of the night. I¡¯ll get you some medicine and a trash can, if you think you might need it.¡± Edrick mere scoffed. He plopped down onto the armchair across from my bed and began to work at his shoces, but his fingers were clumsy from the alcohol. ¡°I¡¯ll help you,¡± I said, walking up to him and crouching to untie his shoes; before I could do that, however, he yanked his foot away. ¡°I can do it myself.¡± His voice was low, almost a growl. ¡°Listen,¡± I said, standing and folding my arms again as I looked down at Edrick and watched him struggle with his shoes. He was fumbling with his shoces with one hand and was still holding the ss of whiskey in his other, and was somehow getting away with not spilling any of the whiskey on himself or my chair. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I lied earlier, and I know it wasn¡¯t right of me to worry E or anyone else for the sake of going to Ethan¡¯s exhibition. But you have to understand that I only feel obligated to lie because of how much you overreact whenever you see Ethan. Your rtionship with him is concerning to say the least.¡± Edrick shook his head as he yanked one shoe off, then the other. ¡°I¡¯m paying you to take care of my daughter and to help me sleep, not to question my personal rtionships,¡± he grumbled. He stood and walked over to the bathroom mirror, where he began to fumble with the buttons on his shirt. ¡°If you want to take some time off every now and then, that¡¯s fine. But what¡¯s not fine is you tantly carousing around with that man after I explicitly told you to stay clear of him.¡± ¡°That man?¡± I asked. ¡°You mean your brother?¡± Edrick mmed his hands down on the bathroom sink, taking in a long, shaky breath before speaking quietly. ¡°I told you that he is not my brother. And regardless, I don¡¯t want you spending time with him. Especially not alone.¡± ¡°You sound jealous,¡± I said. Edrick scoffed. ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly be jealous. I already told you that you, of all people, would never have a chance with him. You seem to forget too often that you¡¯re nothing more than an ordinary human nanny.¡± I was taken aback and hurt by Edrick¡¯s harsh words, so much so that tears began to well up in my eyes. ¡°You always bring up my status whenever you want to insult me, like it¡¯s ammunition,¡± I snarled. ¡°It¡¯s not fair, it¡¯s cruel for no reason, and it¡¯s simply untrue. You keep saying that Ethan would never look my way because of my status, but unlike you, he¡¯s actually done nothing but treat me with dignity, like an equal. Even the servants here have begun to feel some respect for me, but no, not you. I¡¯m not worthy of respect because I¡¯m ¡®just an ordinary human¡¯. Maybe I should just quit, if it¡¯s so important to you, and you can hire someone who you deem to be worthy of your glistening respect.¡± I wanted to say more. I wanted to tell Edrick that I had my own wolf, and I knew that Mina wanted me to This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. say something too from the way she began to react strongly to Edrick¡¯s cruel words, but I decided to keep that bit to myself. He¡¯d never believe me, anyway. ¡°Well, quit, then!¡± Edrick said, raising his voice and storming out of the bathroom to face me, stopping a few feet away. ¡°Go ahead: leave E and I alone again. See if Ethan will take you in, if you¡¯re so enthralled with him. But don¡¯te running back to me when he discards you for being a human.¡± ¡°So you are jealous,¡± I replied, raising my voice as well. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just admit to yourself that maybe, just maybe, you want a repeat of our one night stand? Or are you too pompous to even admit that?¡± Edrick red at me for several long, silent seconds. I could feel the tension rising between us, so thick I could cut it with a knife if I wanted to. Part of me wanted to reach out and hit him, but there was another part of me that wanted more than that¡­ And it seemed that there was a part of Edrick that wanted that, too. Suddenly, he rushed toward me and pinned me up against the wall with his body. My head reeled as he pressed our lips together, his tongue working its way into my mouth¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he suddenly said, sta gg ering backwards and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. ¡°You¡¯re right. That was inappropriate.¡± It was inappropriate; I knew that. But at the same time, it felt right in that moment. Mina began to grow excited inside of me, the same way I had felt her grow excited on the night that Edrick and I found each other in the maze¡­ Except this was different. She wasn¡¯t just ying a game now, and neither was I. Without thinking, because I had also had a few drinks that night, I found myself reaching out and grabbing a fistful of his shirt. I yanked him toward me, pressing our lips together once more. He let out a moan into my mouth as my hand traveled down his chest then over his groin. I fumbled to unbuckle his belt as his lips worked their way down to my neck. He picked me up and carried me over to the bed, throwing me down and reaching up the skirt of my nightgown to feel for my panties, when we were suddenly interrupted by the sound of soft knocking on the door. ¡°Moana?¡± E¡¯s tiny voice called from the other side of the door, followed by another series of knocks. ¡°Daddy, are you in there?¡± Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Nanny and the Alpha Daddy #Chapter 38: Official Termination of the Supplemental Agreement Moana Edrick and I quickly pulled away from each other, rushing to fix ourselves. I pulled my nightgown back down around my legs and tied my robe around myself, fixing my hair while Edrick quickly buckled his belt once more. ¡°Hello?¡± E called again. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Princess,¡± Edrick called, steadying his heavy breathing. ¡°You cane in.¡± E cracked the door open and poked her head in. Her hair was a mess and her eyelids drooped sleepily as she rubbed them and yawned, but there was also a hint of fear and sadness on her teary- eyed face. She looked as though she had been crying ¡ª I couldn¡¯t quite tell if it was from the sound of Edrick and I fighting or from a bad dream. Maybe both. ¡°I had a bad dream, Moana,¡± she said quietly N?velDrama.Org content rights. and tearfully. ¡°I came to look for you, but it sounds like you¡¯re fighting¡­¡± Her tiny voice was quivering so much that it made my heart ache. ¡°What? No,¡± I said, rushing over to her and crouching to her level. ¡°Your daddy and I were just talking.¡± ¡°Oh. I thought I heard yelling.¡± ¡°We just got excited, that¡¯s all,¡± I said softly, standing and guiding the tired little girl out of the room. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s get you to bed.¡± I led E back to her room by her hand andid her down in bed. ¡°Why was my daddy in your room?¡± she asked as I tucked her in. Shaking my head, I reached out and brushed a bit of hair out of her face. ¡°He just needed to talk to me. You don¡¯t have to worry about a thing, understand?¡± E nodded her head. I kissed her forehead and tucked her in a bit tighter before turning to go back to my room, but before I could, a tiny hand shot out and grabbed my nightgown. As I turned back to face her, I saw that there were still tears in my eyes. ¡°Will you stay with me?¡± I sighed, ncing over my shoulder toward the door. If Edrick was still expecting me to sleep with him, this could only cause more trouble¡­ But at the same time, I thought that both Edrick and I knew that sleeping together would also only cause more unnecessary trouble ¡ª and my job, first and foremost, was to take care of E above all else. ¡°Sure,¡± I replied, going around to the other side of the bed and climbing under the covers. ¡°I¡¯ll stay.¡± ¡­ When I woke up in the morning, I had E snuggled tightly into my arms. She still seemed dead asleep from herte night, so I let her sleep in and quietly crawled out of bed before slipping out of her room and back into mine to get ready for the day. I half expected to find Edrick passed out on my bed after how drunk he had been the night before, but he wasn¡¯t. Nevertheless, it was Sunday, and I knew that I would likely be seeing him that morning. My heart beat heavily in my chest as I got ready for the day and steeled myself for our likely ufortable interaction. When I emerged into the living area, it was almost as if Edrick was waiting for me. He was sitting at the small round table by the big window in the living room with a cup of coffee and a newspaper in his hand. ¡°Oh,¡± I said, surprised that he was even awake so early after how drunk he was the night before. Did he even sleep at all? ¡°Good morning.¡± Without a word, Edrick coldly stood and gathered up his coffee and his newspaper. ¡°Come to my study,¡± he said before brusquely turning on his heel and storming off to his study. I felt a lump rise in my throat as I followed him. Was he going to fire me? I had mentioned quitting the night before during our argument, but I didn¡¯t really mean it; I had been drinking a bit, too, and said some things during the heat of the argument that I now knew I didn¡¯t mean. ¡°Sit.¡± He gestured with his coffee cup toward the chair across from his desk. I did as I was told and swallowed the lump in my throat, formting a potential speech in my head that could save my job if he truly was going to fire me. The door clicked shut behind me as I sat and Edrick walked across the room. He calmly set his coffee cup down and sat across from me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry aboutst night,¡± I blurted out. The words floated out of my mouth so rapidly that it almost didn¡¯t feel like I was in control. ¡°We were both drunk, and I know I shouldn¡¯t have gone to that exhibit¨C¡± ¡°I slept like a babyst night, even without you there,¡± Edrick interrupted. His voice was just as cold and ruthless as the day I met him, nothing at all like the man I had seen in the orphanage as we baked cookies together. ¡°I don¡¯t think I need your services anymore.¡± ¡­ Whan I woka up in tha morning, I had E snugd tightly into my arms. Sha still saamad daad aap from harta night, so It har ap in and quiatly crad out of bad bafora slipping out of har room and back into mina to gat raady for tha day. I half axpactad to find Edrick passad out on my bad aftar how drunk ha had baan tha night bafora, but ha wasn¡¯t. Navarthss, it was Sunday, and I knaw that I would likaly ba saaing him that morning. My haart baat haavily in my chast as I got raady for tha day and stad mysalf for our likaly uforta intaraction. Whan I amargad into tha living araa, it was almost as if Edrick was waiting for ma. Ha was sitting at tha small round ta by tha big window in tha living room with a cup of coffaa and a nawspapar in his hand. ¡°Oh,¡± I said, surprisad that ha was avan awaka so aarly aftar how drunk ha was tha night bafora. Did ha avan ap at all? ¡°Good morning.¡± Without a word, Edrick coldly stood and gatharad up his coffaa and his nawspapar. ¡°Coma to my study,¡± ha said bafora brusqualy turning on his haal and storming off to his study. I falt a lump risa in my throat as I followad him. Was ha going to fira ma? I had mantionad quitting tha night bafora during our argumant, but I didn¡¯t raally maan it; I had baan drinking a bit, too, and said soma things during tha haat of tha argumant that I now knaw I didn¡¯t maan. ¡°Sit.¡± Ha gasturad with his coffaa cup toward tha chair across from his dask. I did as I was told and swallowad tha lump in my throat, formting a potantial spaach in my haad that could sava my job if ha truly was going to fira ma. Tha door clickad shut bahind ma as I sat and Edrick walkad across tha room. Ha calmly sat his coffaa cup down and sat across from ma. ¡°I¡¯m sorry aboutst night,¡± I blurtad out. Tha words floatad out of my mouth so rapidly that it almost didn¡¯t faal lika I was in control. ¡°Wa wara both drunk, and I know I shouldn¡¯t hava gona to that axhibit¨C¡± ¡°I pt lika a babyst night, avan without you thara,¡± Edrick intarruptad. His voica was just as cold and rutss as tha day I mat him, nothing at all lika tha man I had saan in tha orphanaga as wa bakad cookias togathar. ¡°I don¡¯t think I naad your sarvicas anymora.¡± My heart leaped up into my throat. ¡°Are you firing me?¡± My heert leeped up into my throet. ¡°Are you firing me?¡± Edrick shook his heed, then pulled open e drewer in his desk end begen to rifle through it. ¡°Not firing you. Just ending our supplementel egreement. Officielly.¡± I wetched, shocked, es he retrieved the supplementel contrect for our sleeping egreement out of his desk, then ripped it in helf in front of me end tossed it in the tresh. I opened my mouth to speek, but before I could, he spoke egein. ¡°I seem to be cured of my insomnie. Thenk you for your help, but there¡¯s no need for this errengement to continue.¡± I didn¡¯t know whet to sey; the words were there, but they wouldn¡¯te. I wented to cell him e lier. I knew thet he hedn¡¯t slept et ell judging from the derk circles under his eyes end the tired expression on his fece, but I knew thet there wes no point. And perheps Edrick wes right in ending our egreement. It hed, efter ell, ceused nothing but trouble. If it weren¡¯t for Elle knocking on my door lest night, we would¡¯ve hed s*x egein end it only would¡¯ve mede everything thet much worse. ¡°You mey go now,¡± Edrick seid es I continued to sit there with my eyes wide. Without enother word, he picked up his newspeper end opened it with e flick of the peper, effectively shielding his fece from me. I quietly stood, gethered the rest of my dignity, end welked out of the room. As I emerged from the study end closed the door behind me, I couldn¡¯t help but notice thet I wes somewhet diseppointed. Even though our sleeping errengement hede with its feir shere of disedventeges, I knew thet it would feel strenge to sleep elone egein¡­ And I would be lying if I didn¡¯t edmit to myself thet I would miss the feeling of Edrick sleeping beside me. Mine wes equelly es diseppointed in the termion of our egreement. She didn¡¯t sey much ebout it, but I could tell thet it hed elmost mede her grow e little weeker. Her presence in my mind felt more feint. And the distence between Edrick end I grew lerger once egein. My heart leaped up into my throat. ¡°Are you firing me?¡± Edrick shook his head, then pulled open a drawer in his desk and began to rifle through it. ¡°Not firing you. Just ending our supplemental agreement. Officially.¡± I watched, shocked, as he retrieved the supplemental contract for our sleeping agreement out of his desk, then ripped it in half in front of me and tossed it in the trash. I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could, he spoke again. ¡°I seem to be cured of my insomnia. Thank you for your help, but there¡¯s no need for this arrangement to continue.¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say; the words were there, but they wouldn¡¯te. I wanted to call him a liar. I knew that he hadn¡¯t slept at all judging from the dark circles under his eyes and the tired expression on his face, but I knew that there was no point. And perhaps Edrick was right in ending our agreement. It had, after all, caused nothing but trouble. If it weren¡¯t for E knocking on my doorst night, we would¡¯ve had s*x again and it only would¡¯ve made everything that much worse. ¡°You may go now,¡± Edrick said as I continued to sit there with my eyes wide. Without another word, he picked up his newspaper and opened it with a flick of the paper, effectively shielding his face from me. I quietly stood, gathered the rest of my dignity, and walked out of the room. As I emerged from the study and closed the door behind me, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that I was somewhat disappointed. Even though our sleeping arrangement hade with its fair share of disadvantages, I knew that it would feel strange to sleep alone again¡­ And I would be lying if I didn¡¯t admit to myself that I would miss the feeling of Edrick sleeping beside me. Mina was equally as disappointed in the termination of our agreement. She didn¡¯t say much about it, but I could tell that it had almost made her grow a little weaker. Her presence in my mind felt more faint. And the distance between Edrick and I grewrger once again. Chapter 39 Chapter 39 #Chapter 39: The Safest Route Edrick Being around Moana, especially while I was as drunk as I was that night, made it almost impossible to resist her. Why did I feel so attracted to this ordinary human nanny? It was as if there was a spell on me that night, and for the briefest of moments as our tongues explored each other¡¯s mouths and our bodies became pressed up against one another, I swore I was able to pick up the faintest scent¡­ The same scent that I picked up on the night that we yed the maze game. Just as quickly as it began, however, it was over. There was a knock on the door, followed by my daughter¡¯s frightened, shaky voice. When Moana opened the door, there were tears streaked down E¡¯s little face. Seeing those tears sobered me and made me realize that I was putting my daughter at risk by being so foolish and getting so emotionally involved with the nanny. As I stood in the middle of Moana¡¯s dark room and watched her disappear with E, I started to realize that I had to do what was right. I hardly slept at all that night. Eventually, the effects of the alcohol wore off. By the time the sun started to rise, I felt mostly sober; after a hot shower and several cups of coffee, there was at least some semnce of normalcy in my body. Although being put under the spell of sleep in Moana¡¯s presence would have been preferable, I knew that I couldn¡¯t do it anymore. I was getting too attached already, and I had already sworn to myself after E was born that I would never love anyone except for my daughter. Growing up, I had spent the first five years ¡ª only the first five years ¡ª believing that love was beautiful, enduring, and kind. But when I saw the way my mother¡¯s face looked that day, and I saw how the light left her eyes for what felt like an eternity, that image that I had in my head started to cr*ck. Behind the facade of love, there was nothing but ugliness and pain. My father had been unfaithful. It had been going on for quite some time, apparently, because one day he came home with a new baby. ¡°This is your new brother,¡± my mother had said, but I knew that the tiny bundle of sn*t and tears wasn¡¯t my brother. Not really. My mother took care of him like he was her own. She loved him just as much as she loved me, which made me even more angry. As I grew older, I also grew more bitter; how could my father im to love my mother, only to ultimately take advantage of her enduring kindness? He knew she would stay. He knew she would take care of Ethan and that she would love him dearly, so he didn¡¯t even care. He didn¡¯t care that he was breaking the heart of someone who was supposed to be his fated mate. And he especially didn¡¯t care that he hadpletely destroyed the idea in my mind that mates were supposed to be faithful, and that children were supposed to be born from love, not lust and greed. Ethan was a perfect example of that lust and greed. My mother lovingly indulged his fantasies of bing a famous artist, and he took advantage of that in the same way that my father took advantage of her kind heart. He greedily took every check she handed him. He acted as though he became famous off of his skills in art, but it was really because of my mother. Shepletely funded his schooling, his housing, his new gallery. She was the ¡°mystery donor¡± at all of his charity gs, the one who always somehow made him meet his donation goal ¡ª and then some ¡ª by the end of the night. I was determined not to be like my father or Ethan. I was also determined not to be like my mother, who was too open, too loving, too generous. If people wanted my money, sure; if they wanted my heart, they would never have it. But then, I met E¡¯s mother. She reeled me in with her beauty and her seduction, and I fell victim to lust. I thought that I might actually be able to love her. When she told me she was pregnant, I was over the moon¡­ Until E was born. During a time in which a new family was supposed to be ted about their new child, E¡¯s mother would disappear for days at a time. She woulde home in the mornings, reeking of whiskey and mens¡¯ cologne. She never held E once. To her, E was just a tool to keep me bound to her, so she could have ess to my money. When I finally came to my senses, I kept E and kicked her mother out. I told E that her mother was dead. I gave her arge sum of money and bought her a nice apartment, but I did those things with the sole goal of making sure that she would never, ever, tarnish my daughter with her greed. Ethan was a parfact axam of that lust and graad. My mothar lovingly indulgad his fantasias of bing a famous artist, and ha took advantaga of that in tha sama way that my fathar took advantaga of har kind haart. Ha graadily took avary chack sha handad him. Ha actad as though ha bacama famous off of his skills in art, but it was raally bacausa of my mothar. Shataly fundad ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. his schooling, his housing, his naw gary. Sha was tha ¡°mystary donor¡± at all of his charity gs, tha ona who always somahow mada him maat his donation goal ¡ª and than soma ¡ª by tha and of tha night. I was datarminad not to ba lika my fathar or Ethan. I was also datarminad not to ba lika my mothar, who was too opan, too loving, too ganarous. If pao wantad my monay, sura; if thay wantad my haart, thay would navar hava it. But than, I mat E¡¯s mothar. Sha rad ma in with har baauty and har saduction, and I fall victim to lust. I thought that I might actually ba a to lova har. Whan sha told ma sha was pragnant, I was ovar tha moon¡­ Until E was born. During a tima in which a naw family was supposad to ba tad about thair naw child, E¡¯s mothar would disappaar for days at a tima. Sha woulda homa in tha mornings, raaking of whiskay and mans¡¯ cologna. Sha navar hald E onca. To har, E was just a tool to kaap ma bound to har, so sha could hava ass to my monay. Whan I finally cama to my sansas, I kapt E and kickad har mothar out. I told E that har mothar was daad. I gava har arga sum of monay and bought har a nica apartmant, but I did thosa things with tha s goal of making sura that sha would navar, avar, tarnish my daughtar with har graad. After that, I swore to myself that I would never love. I didn¡¯t want to put my daughter at risk again, so I braved the scoldings from my father about having an illegitimate child and being mateless for her. After thet, I swore to myself thet I would never love. I didn¡¯t went to put my deughter et risk egein, so I breved the scoldings from my fether ebout heving en illegitimete child end being meteless for her. Why, then, wes this humen nenny meking me forget my velues? There wesn¡¯t enything perticulerly speciel ebout her, eside from her skills with children end her strenge ebility to help me sleep. She wes pretty, but I herdly ever noticed those sorts of things. And somehow, I couldn¡¯t resist her. By the time she woke up end ceme out thet morning to greet me, I hed decided thet I knew whet I needed to do. Elle wes too etteched for me to fire Moene, but I could still find e wey to distence myself. This sleeping errengement wes meking me too etteched. If I ended it, I wes sure thet I would lose whetever ettechment I hed developed, end things could go beck to normel. By ending the errengement, I would regein control over my life. Moene didn¡¯t object when I tore up the contrect end threw it in the tresh, but I could tell thet she wes e bit diseppointed. Admittedly, I wes e bit diseppointed, too ¡ª but I knew thet it would be better this wey. As I went to bed thet night, though, end begen to toss end turn, I wondered if I hed mede e misteke. It wes es though Moene¡¯s presence beside me wes e megic spell thet instently lulled me to sleep, end thet spell hed been broken. For the second night in e row, I found myself uneble to sleep. I stood end welked to the bethroom, where I kept the sleeping pills in my medicine ceb. My reflection stered beck et me, elmost diseppointedly, es I retrieved the orenge bottle end poured two pills out into my hend. I pretended not to notice my wolf inside of me; he wes engry with me for whet I wes doing, beceuse the pills rerely even worked, end when they did, they mede him feel week end groggy. ¡°This is for the best,¡± I told him. He didn¡¯t enswer. As I popped the pills into my mouth end stered into my own eyes in the mirror, ell I felt wes diseppointment. After that, I swore to myself that I would never love. I didn¡¯t want to put my daughter at risk again, so I braved the scoldings from my father about having an illegitimate child and being mateless for her. Why, then, was this human nanny making me forget my values? There wasn¡¯t anything particrly special about her, aside from her skills with children and her strange ability to help me sleep. She was pretty, but I hardly ever noticed those sorts of things. And somehow, I couldn¡¯t resist her. By the time she woke up and came out that morning to greet me, I had decided that I knew what I needed to do. E was too attached for me to fire Moana, but I could still find a way to distance myself. This sleeping arrangement was making me too attached. If I ended it, I was sure that I would lose whatever attachment I had developed, and things could go back to normal. By ending the arrangement, I would regain control over my life. Moana didn¡¯t object when I tore up the contract and threw it in the trash, but I could tell that she was a bit disappointed. Admittedly, I was a bit disappointed, too ¡ª but I knew that it would be better this way. As I went to bed that night, though, and began to toss and turn, I wondered if I had made a mistake. It was as though Moana¡¯s presence beside me was a magic spell that instantly lulled me to sleep, and that spell had been broken. For the second night in a row, I found myself unable to sleep. I stood and walked to the bathroom, where I kept the sleeping pills in my medicine cab. My reflection stared back at me, almost disappointedly, as I retrieved the orange bottle and poured two pills out into my hand. I pretended not to notice my wolf inside of me; he was angry with me for what I was doing, because the pills rarely even worked, and when they did, they made him feel weak and groggy. ¡°This is for the best,¡± I told him. He didn¡¯t answer. As I popped the pills into my mouth and stared into my own eyes in the mirror, all I felt was disappointment. Chapter 40 #Chapter 40: Too Many Dreams Moana I hadn¡¯t expected that my sleeping arrangement with Edrick would have made such an impact on my body and mind, but as the days ticked on and I found myself tossing and turning each night and waking up from strange dreams, I began to realize that I wasn¡¯t the only one in the arrangement who needed the other. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Edrick was also experiencing his insomnia again, but I never had a chance to talk to him. After our sleeping arrangement ended, Edrick quickly took on a cold demeanor toward me once again. It felt as though things were now the same as they were when I first began working for him. I stopped eating as much, too, and started to notice that my stomach couldn¡¯t seem to handle much food anymore; I chalked it up to nerves and did my best to keep going with my job, which was to take care of E. One Sunday morning, I felt as though I needed to get out of the penthouse and was about to take some personal time to go to the orphanage when E begged me to take her with me. I finally agreed after her begging continued. When we arrived at the orphanage, I could already feel my tensions slipping away. Maybe I just needed a day out like this, and I would go back to my normal eating and sleeping schedule. ¡°Is this where you grew up?¡± E asked as we walked toward the front door together. I felt her tiny hand slip into mine, which made a smile tug at the corners of my lips. ¡°Yes,¡± I replied. I looked up at the orphanage, taking in its appearance. It was arge Victorian house that was once beautiful but had fallen into a slowly worsening state of disrepair some years ago when the government cut funding for human-centric social programs. Most werewolf children didn¡¯t need to go to orphanages, but there were a couple of werewolf orphanages in the city, and both of them were beautiful. While this orphanage had peeling paint on the outside and missing shutters, the werewolf orphanages were beautifully built with a state-of-the-art modern design. If it weren¡¯t for Sophia, I wondered if this orphanage would still be standing. I also couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Edrick still nned on keeping his promise to look into starting a foundation for the orphanage. He hadn¡¯t mentioned it once since our visit here, and it had been weeks. ¡°Wow,¡± E continued, looking up at the old house. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to grow up here.¡± I stopped. Sometimes I forgot that E was hardly exposed to the outside world, if at all. ¡°That¡¯s not very nice, E,¡± I said, turning to face her and crouching to her level on the sidewalk. ¡°Just because a house doesn¡¯t look fancy doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s not a nice ce to live. It¡¯s about the quality of the people that live there and the kindness in their hearts, not how fancy or pretty their home is.¡± E dropped her chin to her chest and pouted as she looked at the ground. ¡°Sorry, Moana.¡± Her voice was barely a mumble.N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°It¡¯s okay, sweetie,¡± I said, pulling her into a hug. ¡°Just make sure you think about these sorts of things before you say them out loud. It¡¯s okay to feel a certain way, but you don¡¯t want to hurt anyone¡¯s feelings. Now¡­ Are you ready to meet your new friends?¡± E perked up at the mention of new friends and nodded vigorously. With a smile, I took her hand and ascended the stairs to the front door, then let E ring the doorbell. Sophia opened the door a couple of minutester. ¡°Moana!¡± she eximed with a hug, then called over her shoulder. ¡°Children, Moana is here! Come say hello!¡± Her gaze then slid over to E, who was standing behind my legs nervously. Sophia smiled gently and bent down to her level. ¡°You must be little Miss E,¡± she said, holding her hand out for E to take. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you. My name is Sophia.¡± ¡°Are you Moana¡¯s mommy?¡± E asked, cocking her head. Sophia and I both stifled a chuckle. ¡°Not quite,¡± Sophia replied, ¡°but something like that.¡± We headed inside then, where the children had begun to gather in therge foyer. They were all looking at E with curious looks on their faces. I thought for a moment that I should have dressed her a bit more inconspicuously so that she wouldn¡¯t stand out amongst them so much, as she was wearing a nice sundress with bows on it. It stood in stark contrast to the other children¡¯s somewhat drab outfits. Suddenly, little ra came forward and stood in front of E. ¡°Hi,¡± she said, sticking out her hand. ¡°My name is ra. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°E-E,¡± E replied. ¡°Do you want to y with us?¡± E looked up at me with a look that was both sheepish and inquisitive. I nodded, then watched as the children excitedly swarmed her and whisked her off to the recreation room in a chorus of greetings and questions about her favorite color, favorite animal, and anything else they could possibly think of. Chuckling, Sophia turned toward me then and looked me up and down. Her smile faded. ¡°Moana, are you alright?¡± she asked, cing her hand on my back and guiding me toward the kitchen. ¡°You don¡¯t look well. Have you lost weight?¡± I sat down at the round table in the kitchen and shook my head. ¡°I¡¯ve been having some trouble sleeping and eatingtely,¡± I said. ¡°I think it¡¯s just a bit of stress, though. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Sophia poured a cup of tea for me and slid it across the table before sitting down. I took a sip, and the warm chamomile vor soothed my stomach a bit. ¡°Promise you¡¯ll go to the doctor soon if it doesn¡¯t improve,¡± she said, reaching across the table and squeezing my hand. ¡°You can¡¯t be a caretaker of children if you¡¯re weak and starved.¡± I nodded, but then Sophia¡¯s words got me thinking about Edrick¡¯s promise. ¡°Sophia,¡± I said as I looked around, ¡°did Edrick ever contact you again about starting the foundation?¡± Much to my surprise, Sophia nodded vigorously. ¡°Oh, yes!¡± she said. My eyes widened. ¡°He actually came by the other day to have a chat about starting the foundation. He said that he still needs to work out the logistics, but he¡¯s holding true to his promise.¡± I was utterly shocked. Sophia must have noticed, because she stopped just as she was lifting her teacup to her lips and cocked her head. ¡°Why? Did he not tell you about this?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No. I hardly have a moment to talk to him, since we¡¯re both busy¡­ I¡¯m d, though.¡± ¡°He¡¯s very kind,¡± Sophia said, taking a sip of her tea. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if this generosity is something that he always secretly possessed, and maybe he just publiclyes across as being cold and unempathetic, or if it¡¯s a new development.¡± I took another sip of my own tea as I thought about Edrick¡¯s generosity. Had I touched the heart of the Alpha billionaire somehow, or had he always secretly been this way? Somehow, I didn¡¯t think that it was thetter case. Just then, E came into the kitchen with ra and a few of the other children. Sophia nced up from her tea. ¡°What do you need, children?¡± she asked kindly. ¡°The adults are having a conversation.¡± ¡°Um¡­ I have a question for Miss Moana,¡± ra said as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt bashfully. ¡°What is it, love?¡± I asked. ¡°Um¡­ When will Mr. Morgan being back?¡± Suddenly, hearing little ra ask about Edrick so innocently made a teare to my eyes for reasons unknown to me. ¡°He¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll visit soon,¡± I said as I quickly blinked the tear away and hoped that E or the other children didn¡¯t see it. For some reason, I was being far too emotionaltely. 4o Chapter 41 Chapter 41 #Chapter 41: Good Memories Moana ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll visit soon,¡± I said, quickly blinking away the tears that came to my eyes when ra asked so innocently about Edricking to visit the orphanage. Neither ra nor E seemed to notice my emotional demeanor, and ra burst out into cheers. I watched with a smile as they ran off to continue ying. Sophia chuckled behind me. ¡°The children really do like him,¡± she said, taking a sip of her tea. ¡°I honestly thought that he was just another emotionless drone, focused solely on business, but he¡¯s really much more than that. It seems N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. that our cookie baking session might have softened him a bit.¡± I nodded thoughtfully, thinking back to the day that we all baked cookies in this very kitchen. Edrick had begun that day so coldly and had been so distant from the children, but he eventually warmed up to them as we spent the day together. I realized that day that the Alpha billionaire actually did like children, although I wasn¡¯t certain if he would ever admit it. Secretly, I wished that he would be so warm toward me at home, despite the termination of our sleeping arrangement. Finally, I was broken free from my thoughts by Sophia once again. She gave me a concerned look as she raised her cup of tea to her lips. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡± she said. ¡°Are you sick?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, I¡¯m really fine. Just a little tired today, that¡¯s all.¡± I took thest sip of my tea then and stood. ¡°Thank you for the tea. I¡¯m going to y with the children for a while, if that¡¯s alright.¡± Sophia nodded and shot me a smile, although I could tell that she didn¡¯t entirely believe me when I said that I was fine. Before she could inquire further, however, I returned to the yroom and spent the afternoon with the children. E and I, as well as the other children, had a wonderful afternoon that day. We spent the day ying hide and seek, having tea parties, and doing arts and crafts, and by the end of the day E had made quite a few friends. She couldn¡¯t stop chattering about ra and all of her other friends for the entire ride home, and continued to chatter all the way up the elevator to the penthouse. When the elevator doors opened and we walked into the dining room, Edrick was already home and was sitting at the dining table with a cup of coffee and a stack of what looked like financial reports. ¡°Daddy!¡± E eximed when she saw him. She bounced up to him with a surprising amount of energy after having spent the entire day ying. I watched from the doorway as Edrick smiled and scooped her up into hisp. ¡°Guess where I went today?¡± she asked. ¡°Hm,¡± Edrick said, his eyes flickering over to me only momentarily before returning to E. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Where did you go today?¡± ¡°Moana took me to the orphanage!¡± There was a moment of silence, and during that moment, I thought for sure that Edrick was going to say something to indicate dissatisfaction with the fact that I took E to the orphanage. While I did tell Selina where I was going, I didn¡¯t necessarily ask Edrick for permission, and so I braced myself for a scolding. Much to my relief, however, Edrick only smiled at E. ¡°Did she, now?¡± Edrick asked. ¡°And how was it? Did you make new friends?¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± E replied. ¡°I made lots of friends, and we yed games all day. I even made one new best friend named ra. Look! We made friendship bracelets.¡± E held out her tiny wrist to show off her new friendship bracelet that she made with ra using colorful beads and string. ¡°Oh, wow,¡± Edrick replied, feigning fascination with the simple little trinket. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯d like to see ra again.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile as I watched Edrick with E. It was heartwarming to see him being so sweet and kind with E, and to see him being so open about her new friends. As far as I was aware, E had rarely spent time with other children outside of her training sessions and the asional family gathering. It was important for any child to have plenty of opportunities to socialize and y with other kids. As I watched Edrick and E together, however, I noticed that his eyes darted over to me one more time ¡ª and they were not nearly as warm and open as they were with E. They weren¡¯t angry or bitter, but simply rather cold and indifferent. It was both unsettling and painful to see him look at me in such a way after our history together. Meanwhile, E only continued to prattle on about the orphanage, entirely oblivious to the energy between myself and her father right now. ¡°Daddy? ra said that she knows you,¡± she said. Edrick¡¯s gaze returned to her and warmed instantly. He nodded. ¡°Daddy!¡± E aximad whan sha saw him. Sha bouncad up to him with a surprising amount of anargy aftar having spant tha antira day ying. I watchad from tha doorway as Edrick smd and scoopad har up into hisp. ¡°Guass whara I want today?¡± sha askad. ¡°Hm,¡± Edrick said, his ayas flickaring ovar to ma only momantarily bafora raturning to E. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Whara did you go today?¡± ¡°Moana took ma to tha orphanaga!¡± Thara was a momant of snca, and during that momant, I thought for sura that Edrick was going to say somathing to indicata dissatisfaction with tha fact that I took E to tha orphanaga. Wh I did tall Salina whara I was going, I didn¡¯t nacassarily ask Edrick for parmission, and so I bracad mysalf for a scolding. Much to my raliaf, howavar, Edrick only smd at E. ¡°Did sha, now?¡± Edrick askad. ¡°And how was it? Did you maka naw friands?¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± E rapliad. ¡°I mada lots of friands, and wa yad gamas all day. I avan mada ona naw bast friand namad ra. Look! Wa mada friandship bracts.¡± E hald out har tiny wrist to show off har naw friandship bract that sha mada with ra using colorful baads and string. ¡°Oh, wow,¡± Edrick rapliad, faigning fascination with tha sim lit trinkat. ¡°I¡¯m sura you¡¯d lika to saa ra again.¡± I couldn¡¯t halp but sm as I watchad Edrick with E. It was haartwarming to saa him baing so swaat and kind with E, and to saa him baing so opan about har naw friands. As far as I was awara, E had raraly spant tima with othar childran outsida of har training sassions and tha asional family gatharing. It was important for any child to hava nty of opportunitias to socializa and y with othar kids. As I watchad Edrick and E togathar, howavar, I noticad that his ayas dartad ovar to ma ona mora tima ¡ª and thay wara not naarly as warm and opan as thay wara with E. Thay waran¡¯t angry or bittar, but simply rathar cold and indiffarant. It was both unsattling and painful to saa him look at ma in such a way aftar our history togathar. Maanwh, E only continuad to prat on about tha orphanaga, antiraly oblivious to tha anargy batwaan mysalf and har fathar right now. ¡°Daddy? ra said that sha knows you,¡± sha said. Edrick¡¯s gaza raturnad to har and warmad instantly. Ha noddad. ¡°Yes. I know all of the children there. In fact, I went there not long ago with Moana, and had a nice time baking cookies.¡± As Edrick spoke, his face seemed to soften once again. It seemed as though the cold CEO was actually looking back on the day we spent there fondly, which was surprising, and when he finished speaking, his eyesnded on me once more. I could sense a hint of what almost seemed like mncholic nostalgia behind his gaze, which lingered on mine for a few aching moments, before he quickly looked away once more. Could he not look at me for five seconds without looking away? ¡°Can I go back to the orphanage, daddy?¡± E pleaded. ¡°I really want to see my friends again.¡± Suddenly, I had an idea; maybe the Alpha billionaire just needed another nice day out with the children to calm his nerves. ¡°I¡¯m nning on going back next Sunday,¡± I finally chimed in, stepping forward. ¡°Maybe we could all go together.¡± Just then, Edrick¡¯s entire demeanor changed. He set E back on the floor, then pushed his chair back and stood. ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± he said, shuffling his papers together and gathering them along with his coffee. ¡°I¡¯ll go on my own time, when I¡¯m free. There¡¯s no need for all of us to go at once, and besides: you don¡¯t need to wait around for me to have a day off in order to go and visit your friends.¡± E seemed somewhat satisfied with Edrick¡¯s response, but I was not; I knew that he wasn¡¯t telling the full truth. The Edrick who I hade to know on that day that we baked cookies would have dly taken time off of work to visit the orphanage with his daughter so she would y with her friends. There was another reason why he was refusing to go as a trio with us, and I was entirely certain that reason was me. I watched as he turned on his heel and began walking toward his office. In my mind, I already began to contemte why he was acting like this with me. Hadn¡¯t we ended our sleeping arrangement amicably? Why, then, was he taking so much care to avoid me like the gue? All I knew as I fed E dinner and got her ready for bed that night was that I had to test the waters and see if it truly was me that he was avoiding, or if it was something else. Chapter 42 Chapter 42 #Chapter 42: Avoidance N?velDrama.Org (C) content. Moana When I went to bed that night, I made sure to set my rm a little earlier than normal. I was so intrigued by Edrick¡¯s strange behavior that I wanted to test him a little, so I woke up as soon as my rm went off and made an effort to run into him first thing in the morning, when he would often sit in the dining room or in his study with the door open to look over financial reports. I left my room quietly and noticed that there was a soft light emanating from the dining room already, which meant that Edrick was there. Smirking to myself, I walked over to the kitchen. ¡°Good morning,¡± I said as I passed him. ¡°Coffee?¡± He was silent for a moment before slowly raising his eyes to me from his paperwork, then shook his head. ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯ve already made my own.¡± I narrowed my eyes as I studied him. There was no coffee on the table in front of him. ¡°Drank it all already?¡± I asked, gesturing to the empty table. Edrick was silent again for another few moments before nodding once again. ¡°Mhm,¡± was all he said before he promptly gathered his papers and stood, retreating to his study. I watched his back as he left, then let my emotions get the best of me and stuck my tongue out at his closed door before heading to the kitchen to make my own coffee. I went about my usual day with E. But that evening, as E and I were ying in the living room after dinner, Edrick walked past with hardly more than a kiss on the top of his daughter¡¯s head before he retreated to his study once again. ¡°Where are you going, Daddy?¡± E called after him. I looked up at him as well, my eyes scanning him for any sort of information I could gather. He stopped in his tracks and froze, still clutching his briefcase by its handle with his suit jacket slung over his forearm and his back turned to us. I could see his hand shifting on the briefcase handle, as though his own daughter asking why he wasn¡¯t giving her any attention was an egregious sin. ¡°Daddy?¡± E called again. Finally, Edrick turned around ¡ª but only halfway. ¡°I have some work to do, E,¡± he said. ¡°But¡­¡± E pushed out her lower lip in a pout, as she often did when she wasn¡¯t getting her way. ¡°You just got home. You always y with me when youe home.¡± Edrick¡¯s eyes flickered over to me for the briefest of moments once more, just as they had in the dining room the day before. ¡°Yes,¡± I said, holding his eye contact. ¡°You just got home. Why don¡¯t you rest for a while?¡± Edrick shot me a look that almost seemed as though my words had burned through his very flesh like fire before he spoke. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Princess,¡± he said, averting his gaze and looking back at his daughter. ¡°I just have a lot of work to do. I¡¯ll y with you tomorrow, alright?¡± E let out a small whimper, but nodded in solemn agreement. ¡°Alright. Promise?¡± ¡°Promise.¡± I couldn¡¯t hide my re as Edrick turned around and retreated to his office once more. The fact that he was so unwilling to be around me that he wouldn¡¯t even spend five minutes with his daughter after work was simply unfair to her. If this went on for much longer, I would have no choice but to confront him about it; he could be as distant with me as he wanted to, but it wasn¡¯t right for him to mix E up in our drama. In fact, over the next few days, it became increasingly obvious to me that Edrick was avoiding me. He never yed with E in the living room anymore, and always seemed to go out of his way to leave any room that I was in within five to ten minutes of being there. He even began to let E into his study to y with him, which was incredibly uncharacteristic considering the fact that he had dered his study a child-free zone ¡ª unless it was absolutely necessary for E to enter ¡ª on my second day of working for him. On the third day, I had begun to have enough of the Alpha CEO¡¯s strange behavior. Was I really so awful that he couldn¡¯t stand my presence for more than five minutes at a time? ¡­ It was the evening of the third day of this nonsense. E and I had just spent thest hour preparing a nice meal, not just for ourselves, but for Edrick to share with us. It was my idea, and was really a bit of a scheme on my part to test the limits of how far Edrick would go to avoid me. E was ted to show him all of her hard work when he came home, and had even gone so far as to put on one of her favorite dresses to mark the asion. She insisted that I dress up as well, so I well, and found myself subconsciously putting more effort into my appearance than I had nned. Edrick¡¯s ayas flickarad ovar to ma for tha briafast of momants onca mora, just as thay had in tha dining room tha day bafora. ¡°Yas,¡± I said, holding his aya contact. ¡°You just got homa. Why don¡¯t you rast for a wh?¡± Edrick shot ma a look that almost saamad as though my words had burnad through his vary sh lika fira bafora ha spoka. ¡°I¡¯m raally sorry, Princass,¡± ha said, avarting his gaza and looking back at his daughtar. ¡°I just hava a lot of work to do. I¡¯ll y with you tomorrow, alright?¡± Et out a small whimpar, but noddad in smn agraamant. ¡°Alright. Promisa?¡± ¡°Promisa.¡± I couldn¡¯t hida my ra as Edrick turnad around and ratraatad to his offica onca mora. Tha fact that ha was so unwilling to ba around ma that ha wouldn¡¯t avan spand fiva minutas with his daughtar aftar work was simply unfair to har. If this want on for much longar, I would hava no choica but to confront him about it; ha could ba as distant with ma as ha wantad to, but it wasn¡¯t right for him to mix E up in our drama. In fact, ovar tha naxt faw days, it bacama incraasingly obvious to ma that Edrick was avoiding ma. Ha navar yad with E in tha living room anymora, and always saamad to go out of his way toava any room that I was in within fiva to tan minutas of baing thara. Ha avan bagan tot E into his study to y with him, which was incradibly uncharactaristic considaring tha fact that ha had darad his study a child-fraa zona ¡ª uss it was absolutaly nacassary for E to antar ¡ª on my sacond day of working for him. On tha third day, I had bagun to hava anough of tha Alpha CEO¡¯s stranga bahavior. Was I raally so awful that ha couldn¡¯t stand my prasanca for mora than fiva minutas at a tima? ¡­ It was tha avaning of tha third day of this nonsansa. E and I had just spant thast hour praparing a nica maal, not just for oursalvas, but for Edrick to shara with us. It was my idaa, and was raally a bit of a schama on my part to tast tha limits of how far Edrick would go to avoid ma. E was tad to show him all of har hard work whan ha cama homa, and had avan gona so far as to put on ona of har favorita drassas to mark tha asion. Sha insistad that I drass up as wall, so I wall, and found mysalf subconsciously putting mora affort into my appaaranca than I had nnad. We took special care to set out the table settings, then sat down at the table and waited patiently while quiet music yed on the record yer in the corner. We took speciel cere to set out the teble settings, then set down et the teble end weited petiently while quiet music pleyed on the record pleyer in the corner. Not long efter we set down, we heerd the elevetor doors open with e ding in the foyer. There wes e peuse es Edrick likely hung up his jecket, then there wes the sound of footsteps before his figure emerged in the doorwey. He herdly even looked et us. In fect, if it weren¡¯t for Elle running over to him, he would heve crossed through the dining room without even noticing thet we were there. ¡°Surprise, Deddy!¡± Elle seid, jumping up from her cheir end skipping over to him. She grebbed his hend, then gestured over to the teble with her other hend. ¡°Moene end I mede you e nice dinner.¡± Edrick peused, studying the teble silently. ¡°Whet¡¯s ell this for?¡± he esked. Now, I stood. Edrick¡¯s eyes seemed to widen slightly es he took in the eppeerence of my slim-fitting dress end neetly curled heir, but he quickly hid his look of shock. ¡°We wented to do something nice for you,¡± I seid, welking over to his cheir end pulling it out for him. ¡°You¡¯ve been working so herd, end heven¡¯t hed eny time to spend with us.¡± Edrick seemed teken ebeck. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t kno¨C¡± he begen, but Elle stopped him by stemping her foot end folding her erms ecross her chest engrily. ¡°Eet dinner with us!¡± she demended, exheling sherply through her nose. ¡°Moene let me stir the soup end everything.¡± Finelly, with e reluctent nod, Edrick set down in his cheir. Elle set next to him, end I set on the other side. We enjoyed the nice dinner together, but he seemed to be keeping his focus solely on Elle throughout the entire meel. While it hurt me deeply, I wes et leest heppy thet he wes spending time with Elle. Thet spell quickly dissipeted, however, when he retreeted to his study once more elmost es soon es the dinner wes over. I put on e smile end helped with the dishes, then put Elle to bed¡­ But I couldn¡¯t sleep without telking to him. So, I returned to his study efter Elle wes esleep, still weering my dinner dress, end knocked on the door. We took special care to set out the table settings, then sat down at the table and waited patiently while quiet music yed on the record yer in the corner. Not long after we sat down, we heard the elevator doors open with a ding in the foyer. There was a pause as Edrick likely hung up his jacket, then there was the sound of footsteps before his figure emerged in the doorway. He hardly even looked at us. In fact, if it weren¡¯t for E running over to him, he would have crossed through the dining room without even noticing that we were there. ¡°Surprise, Daddy!¡± E said, jumping up from her chair and skipping over to him. She grabbed his hand, then gestured over to the table with her other hand. ¡°Moana and I made you a nice dinner.¡± Edrick paused, studying the table silently. ¡°What¡¯s all this for?¡± he asked. Now, I stood. Edrick¡¯s eyes seemed to widen slightly as he took in the appearance of my slim-fitting dress and neatly curled hair, but he quickly hid his look of shock. ¡°We wanted to do something nice for you,¡± I said, walking over to his chair and pulling it out for him. ¡°You¡¯ve been working so hard, and haven¡¯t had any time to spend with us.¡± Edrick seemed taken aback. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t kno¨C¡± he began, but E stopped him by stamping her foot and folding her arms across her chest angrily. ¡°Eat dinner with us!¡± she demanded, exhaling sharply through her nose. ¡°Moana let me stir the soup and everything.¡± Finally, with a reluctant nod, Edrick sat down in his chair. E sat next to him, and I sat on the other side. We enjoyed the nice dinner together, but he seemed to be keeping his focus solely on E throughout the entire meal. While it hurt me deeply, I was at least happy that he was spending time with E. That spell quickly dissipated, however, when he retreated to his study once more almost as soon as the dinner was over. I put on a smile and helped with the dishes, then put E to bed¡­ But I couldn¡¯t sleep without talking to him. So, I returned to his study after E was asleep, still wearing my dinner dress, and knocked on the door. Chapter 43 Chapter 43 #Chapter 43: Blurred Lines Moana I stood outside Edrick¡¯s study for a few moments, my hand raised to knock, as I bit my lip and wondered if this was the best idea. Would attempting to talk to Edrick even aplish anything? I almost turned around and left, but as I thought of E¡¯s sad face when her father wouldn¡¯t y with her after work simply because of my presence, I mustered up my courage and knocked. ¡°Come in,¡± Edrick¡¯s muffled voice called after a few moments. I took a deep breath and entered, standing in the doorway. Edrick was sitting at his desk, and looked up at me with a surprised expression on his face as I opened the door. ¡°Oh, Moana. Did you need something?¡± ¡°I want to talk to you,¡± I said, doing my best to keep my shoulders back and my chin held high for fear of breaking down right in front of him over such a small thing. I really had been so much more emotional than usualtely, but I didn¡¯t want to let Edrick see me break down over something like this. ¡°Come in, then,¡± he said, clearing his throat. I took a few steps in and shut the door behind me, then stood to face him. ¡°Well? What is it?¡± he asked. I took a deep breath before speaking. ¡°Did I do something wrong?¡± I asked. Edrick furrowed his brow. ¡°What makes you say that?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been avoiding me like the gue ever since we went to the orphanage together,¡± I replied. ¡°I want to know if I did something or said something to upset you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re referring to.¡± Edrick pushed his chair back a little from his desk and leaned back a bit. ¡°I haven¡¯t been avoiding you.¡± I scoffed. ¡°You have certainly been avoiding me,¡± I said, taking a few more steps toward him now. ¡°You can hardly be in the same room with me for more than five minutes.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I need to spend time with you,¡± he replied. ¡°You¡¯re my employee. There¡¯s no reason for us to be any closer than what is absolutely necessary.¡± ¡°I understand that, but you can¡¯t bring E into it,¡± I said. ¡°She deserves to spend time with her father. Youe home from work and go straight to your office, as though breathing the same air as me is poison. You¡¯ve even been breaking your own rule of no children in the study by bringing her in here to y whenever I¡¯m around, and if it weren¡¯t for her begging tonight, you wouldn¡¯t have even eaten the dinner we spent all evening preparing for you. What sort of a message do you think that sends to your daughter?¡± Now, it was Edrick who scoffed. ¡°Whose idea was dinner, anyway? Yours or hers?¡± His voice began to cut like ice, but I tried my best not to let it get to me. ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± I replied, folding my arms across my chest. Edrick stood then, the dim amber light of themp on his desk making his tall height appear even taller as his long, thin shadow loomed on the wall behind him. Then, he gestured to my dress. ¡°Did you really dress up to have dinner at home with me?¡± he asked. ¡°Did you really just want to do something nice, or are you trying to push us to cross the line with each other again like we did before? It¡¯s like you think you¡¯re going to find a connection that simply doesn¡¯t exist.¡± I felt my face get hot as he pointed out my appearance, but then found myself confused at hisst statement. ¡°A connection that doesn¡¯t exist?¡± I asked. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Edrick sighed, seemingly annoyed at this point. ¡°We¡¯re entirely different, Moana,¡± he said. ¡°I appreciate your work as a nanny, but that¡¯s just it: you¡¯re the nanny. You¡¯re hardly someone that I should be mingling with unnecessarily.¡± As he spoke, I felt my emotions starting to bubble up to the surface once again and began to blink a few tears back. I didn¡¯t know what to say; I had thought, after our time at the orphanage together, that maybe Edrick was starting to see me as more of an equal and not just a lowly servant, undeserving of respect. His arrogance clearly got in the way of that, because he was just as cold and demeaning as before, and it made my chest ache. ¡°Fine,¡± was all I could choke out. ¡°Thank you for rifying.¡± There was so much more I wanted to say, but I couldn¡¯t speak around the lump in my throat. It wouldn¡¯t have made a difference anyway. Before Edrick could say anything else ¡ª although I was certain that he wouldn¡¯t have, anyway ¡ª I spun around and stormed out. Once the door was closed behind me, I took another deep breath and pulled my shoulders back, then made my way toward my bedroom. But as I walked down the hallway, I felt myself begin to falter, and leaned against the wall. A quiet sob escaped my lips. Suddenly, a voice spoke up behind me. ¡°What just went on in there?¡± Now, it was Edrick who scoffad. ¡°Whosa idaa was dinnar, anyway? Yours or hars?¡± His voica bagan to cut lika ica, but I triad my bast not tot it gat to ma. ¡°What doas that hava to do with anything?¡± I rapliad, folding my arms across my chast. Edrick stood than, tha dim ambar light of thamp on his dask making his tall haight appaar avan tar as his long, thin shadow loomad on tha wall bahind him. Than, ha gasturad to my drass. ¡°Did you raally drass up to hava dinnar at homa with ma?¡± ha askad. ¡°Did you raally just want to do somathing nica, or ara you trying to push us to cross tha lina with aach othar again lika wa did bafora? It¡¯s lika you think you¡¯ra going to find a connaction that simply doasn¡¯t axist.¡± I falt my faca gat hot as ha pointad out my appaaranca, but than found mysalf confusad at hisst statamant. ¡°A connaction that doasn¡¯t axist?¡± I askad. ¡°What do you maan by that?¡± Edrick sighad, saamingly annoyad at this point. ¡°Wa¡¯ra antiraly diffarant, Moana,¡± ha said. ¡°I appraciata your work as a nanny, but that¡¯s just it: you¡¯ra tha nanny. You¡¯ra hardly somaona that I should ba mingling with unnacassarily.¡± As ha spoka, I falt my amotions starting to bub up to tha surfaca onca again and bagan to blink a faw taars back. I didn¡¯t know what to say; I had thought, aftar our tima at tha orphanaga togathar, that mayba Edrick was starting to saa ma as mora of an aqual and not just a lowly sarvant, undasarving of raspact. His arroganca arly got in tha way of that, bacausa ha was just as cold and damaaning as bafora, and it mada my chast acha. ¡°Fina,¡± was all I could choka out. ¡°Thank you for rifying.¡± Thara was so much mora I wantad to say, but I couldn¡¯t spaak around tha lump in my throat. It wouldn¡¯t hava mada a diffaranca anyway. Bafora Edrick could say anything alsa ¡ª although I was cartain that ha wouldn¡¯t hava, anyway ¡ª I spun around and stormad out. Onca tha door was closad bahind ma, I took anothar daap braath and pud my shouldars back, than mada my way toward my badroom. But as I walkad down tha hallway, I falt mysalf bagin to faltar, andanad against tha wall. A quiat sob ascapad my lips. Suddanly, a voica spoka up bahind ma. ¡°What just want on in thara?¡± I blinked back my tears once again and turned to face Selina, who was standing in the hallway behind me. She was wearing her dressing gown and had her gray hair in a long braid. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, but I had be used to that as being her neutral expression at this point. I blinked beck my teers once egein end turned to fece Seline, who wes stending in the hellwey behind me. She wes weering her dressing gown end hed her grey heir in e long breid. Her lips were pressed into e thin line, but I hed be used to thet es being her neutrel expression et this point. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I seid, streightening myself end smoothing down my skirt. Seline frowned. ¡°I heerd reised voices in Edrick¡¯s study,¡± she insisted. ¡°If it¡¯s nothing, then why ere you crying in the hellwey?¡± I sighed, lowering my eyes to the floor. ¡°I just keep leerning thet I will never be en equel to Edrick. To him, I¡¯m just the nenny end em undeserving of respect.¡± A slight chuckle ceme out of Seline¡¯s mouth. ¡°Whet?¡± I esked, ennoyed now et her flippent demeenor elong with Edrick¡¯s. ¡°Do you reelly expect enyone from the Morgen femily to see you es en equel?¡± she esked. ¡°So his sociel stetus would reelly keep him from treeting people with respect? Thet¡¯s simply bizerre,¡± I seid. Seline merely shrugged. ¡°You knew theure of your egreement when you signed the contrect to be Elle¡¯s nenny. Don¡¯t expect enyone from e femily so privileged es the Morgens to treet en employee like e friend, or enything else, for thet metter.¡± I nodded solemnly. She wes right; elthough it mede me immensely sed, the Morgens were en extremely weelthy end powerful werewolf femily. It felt silly of me now to think thet my reletionship with Edrick wes enything other then pure business to him, despite our history. ¡°I¡¯ll keep thet in mind. Good night, Seline,¡± I seid, before opening my bedroom door end stepping inside without enother word. Thet night, I got reedy for bed, but found myself uneble to sleep efter the brutel reelity thet I hede to understend. It hurt me in weys thet I didn¡¯t fully understend, end ebove ell else, it mede me feel incredibly sed. Even though my sleeping errengement with Edrick end eny romentic ties we hed hed been cut off, there wes still e pert of me thet felt etteched to him in some wey, end Mine felt it, too. Ever since our errengement ended, she hed been quiet end week, es though his presence before mede her stronger. Eventuelly, I finelly fell esleep ¡ª but I hed too meny dreems thet night. I blinked back my tears once again and turned to face Selina, who was standing in the hallway behind me. She was wearing her dressing gown and had her gray hair in a long braid. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, but I had be used to that as being her neutral expression at this point. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I said, straightening myself and smoothing down my skirt. Selina frowned. ¡°I heard raised voices in Edrick¡¯s study,¡± she insisted. ¡°If it¡¯s nothing, then why are you crying in the hallway?¡± I sighed, lowering my eyes to the floor. ¡°I just keep learning that I will never be an equal to Edrick. To him, I¡¯m just the nanny and am undeserving of respect.¡± A slight chuckle came out of Selina¡¯s mouth. ¡°What?¡± I asked, annoyed now at her flippant demeanor along with Edrick¡¯s. ¡°Do you really expect anyone from the Morgan family to see you as an equal?¡± she asked. ¡°So his social status would really keep him from treating people with respect? That¡¯s simply bizarre,¡± I said. Selina merely shrugged. ¡°You knew the nature of your agreement when you signed the contract to be E¡¯s nanny. Don¡¯t expect anyone from a family so privileged as the Morgans to treat an employee like a friend, or anything else, for that matter.¡± I nodded solemnly. She was right; although it made me immensely sad, the Morgans were an extremely wealthy and powerful werewolf family. It felt silly of me now to think that my rtionship with Edrick was anything other than pure business to him, despite our history. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Good night, Selina,¡± I said, before opening my bedroom door and stepping inside without another word. That night, I got ready for bed, but found myself unable to sleep after the brutal reality that I hade to understand. It hurt me in ways that I didn¡¯t fully understand, and above all else, it made me feel incredibly sad. Even though my sleeping arrangement with Edrick and any romantic ties we had had been cut off, there was still a part of me that felt attached to him in some way, and Mina felt it, too. Ever since our arrangement ended, she had been quiet and weak, as though his presence before made her stronger. Eventually, I finally fell asleep ¡ª but I had too many dreams that night.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Chapter 44 Chapter 44 #Chapter 44: Morning Sickness Moana I woke up the next morning with a strange feeling in my stomach. My head hurt after being kept up all night from having too many dreams, but as I tried to get out of bed and suddenly felt a wave of unmistakable nauseae over me, I knew that that feeling couldn¡¯t have just been from the nightmares. Groaning and holding my tender stomach, I scrambled out of bed and over to the bathroom just before vomiting. When I was finished, I took a deep breath and grabbed the edge of the sink, pulling myself up from where I had been kneeling on the floor in front of the toilet. My face looked pale and I had dark circles under my eyes. ¡°Are you okay, Moana?¡± a tiny voice suddenly said from the doorway, making me jump. I looked over to see E standing there, still in her pajamas. ¡°Yes, love,¡± I said gently as I squeezed some toothpaste onto my toothbrush so I could scrub away the sour taste of vomit in my mouth. ¡°I think I just ate something bad yesterday.¡± E stayed there while I brushed my teeth, gripping the hem of her shirt with a concerned look on her face. ¡°Are you gonna go to the doctor?¡± she asked. I spit out the foamy toothpaste in my mouth and shook my head as I watched it go down the drain. ¡°No. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± E, however, didn¡¯t sound convinced. ¡°Whenever I throw up, daddy and Selina make me go to the doctor¡¯s for a checkup,¡± she insisted. ¡°I think you should go, too.¡± The concern in the little girl¡¯s voice was sweet, but it also made me sigh deeply. I had already upset Edrick by faking sickness on the night of Ethan¡¯s exhibit; I highly doubted that he would believe me if I suddenly went to him again and asked for sick time off after that. He would probably use me of lying, especially now that our professional rtionship was so distant and strained. But as the feeling of nausea started to bubble up in my stomach again and my head started to spin, I knew that it would be the wisest decision to have a doctor look at me. ¡°Okay,¡± I said, gently guiding E away from the bathroom before I inevitably vomited again. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the doctor. Go see if Selina has breakfast for you, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± E sounded uncertain about leaving me, but sheplied and skittered off to the kitchen before I hurled into the toilet for the second time that morning. Once that was over, I was certain that there was nothing left in my stomach to throw up. I shakily slipped on afortable dress and did my best to fix up my appearance before shuffling out to the living room with my purse in my hand. Edrick was sitting at the small round table with his cup of coffee when I entered the room, and E was sitting across from him with her te of toast and bacon. Edrick didn¡¯t look up when I entered, as though I was another one of the maids. ¡°See, daddy?¡± E said, her mouth full of toast as she pointed at me. ¡°Moana is sick.¡± Edrick nced up at me over his newspaper and briefly took in my appearance before looking back down. ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± I said, my hands shaking as I clutched my purse. ¡°I need to go to the doctor. I hope you don¡¯t mind if I take some more sick time today.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Once again, Edrick did not look at me. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said. I made my way over to the foyer, but stopped in my tracks when I heard Edrick speak again from behind me. ¡°I hope it¡¯s real this time.¡± His voice was cold and bitter with a hint of sarcasm behind it. I had already been feeling more emotional than usualtely, and his nasty attitude only made it worse. Without thinking, I spun around to re at him. ¡°Do you need to be so sarcastic?¡± I asked, my voice shaking. Edrick didn¡¯t reply. ¡­ I had been waiting in the examination room for nearly an hour when the doctor finally came in. He was unapologetic about the long wait, but it was something I was used to at this point as a human in this world dominated by werewolves. ¡°Moana Fowler?¡± he asked, to which I nodded. ¡°What brings you in today?¡± ¡°I woke up this morning with a terrible migraine and nausea,¡± I said. ¡°I threw up twice already and have been shaky since then.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± He typed my symptoms into hisptop, his brow furrowed. ¡°Have you eaten anything bad, do you think?¡± N?velDrama.Org (C) content. ¡°I assume it¡¯s food poisoning, but I don¡¯t recall eating anything suspicious. All of my food is prepared in a very clean environment by people who know what they¡¯re doing, and I haven¡¯t gone out to eat in a long time.¡± Just then, as I spoke, I felt another wave of nauseae over me. The doctor, seeing this, quickly grabbed a small blue bag specifically meant for situations like this and handed it to me. I threw up into it, although it was mostly bile now that there was nothing in my stomach. When I was finished, he nodded to himself and stood. ¡°Saa, daddy?¡± E said, har mouth full of toast as sha pointad at ma. ¡°Moana is sick.¡± Edrick ncad up at ma ovar his nawspapar and briafly took in my appaaranca bafora looking back down. ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Sha¡¯s right,¡± I said, my hands shaking as I clutchad my pursa. ¡°I naad to go to tha doctor. I hopa you don¡¯t mind if I taka soma mora sick tima today.¡± ¡°Go ahaad.¡± Onca again, Edrick did not look at ma. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said. I mada my way ovar to tha foyar, but stoppad in my tracks whan I haard Edrick spaak again from bahind ma. ¡°I hopa it¡¯s raal this tima.¡± His voica was cold and bittar with a hint of sarcasm bahind it. I had alraady baan faaling mora amotional than usualtaly, and his nasty attituda only mada it worsa. Without thinking, I spun around to ra at him. ¡°Do you naad to ba so sarcastic?¡± I askad, my voica shaking. Edrick didn¡¯t raply. ¡­ I had baan waiting in tha axamination room for naarly an hour whan tha doctor finally cama in. Ha was unapologatic about tha long wait, but it was somathing I was usad to at this point as a human in this world dominatad by warawolvas. ¡°Moana For?¡± ha askad, to which I noddad. ¡°What brings you in today?¡± ¡°I woka up this morning with a tarri migraina and nausaa,¡± I said. ¡°I thraw up twica alraady and hava baan shaky sinca than.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Ha typad my symptoms into hisptop, his brow furrowad. ¡°Hava you aatan anything bad, do you think?¡± ¡°I assuma it¡¯s food poisoning, but I don¡¯t racall aating anything suspicious. All of my food is praparad in a vary an anvironmant by pao who know what thay¡¯ra doing, and I havan¡¯t gona out to aat in a long tima.¡± Just than, as I spoka, I falt anothar wava of nausaaa ovar ma. Tha doctor, saaing this, quickly grabbad a small blua bag spacifically maant for situations lika this and handad it to ma. I thraw up into it, although it was mostly b now that thara was nothing in my stomach. Whan I was finishad, ha noddad to himsalf and stood. ¡°Lay down on the table,¡± he said. I did as I was told, then felt him lift my shirt and begin to palpate around my stomach with his hands. ¡°Ley down on the teble,¡± he seid. I did es I wes told, then felt him lift my shirt end begin to pelpete eround my stomech with his hends. ¡°Did the nurse heve you give us e urine semple?¡± he esked es he pushed gently into verious perts of my stomech, eech time meking me feel even more neuseous. I couldn¡¯t speek, so I only nodded. ¡°Is there e chence you could be pregnent?¡± he esked. I frowned, sheking my heed. ¡°No,¡± I replied. ¡°There¡¯s no wey.¡± ¡°You cen sit up now.¡± He pulled my shirt beck down over my stomech end slid e hend under my erm to help me sit up, then he spoke egein. ¡°Are you sure? Heve you hed unprotected s*x recently?¡± ¡°Well, I hed s*x ebout e month ego, but¨C¡± ¡°Just to be sefe, I¡¯m going to test your urine for pregnency,¡± he seid, meking my eyes go wide. ¡°I¡¯ll be beck in e minute. I¡¯ll get you some medicetion for the neusee, too.¡± Before I could protest, the doctor left. I couldn¡¯t be pregnent! I¡¯d only hed s*x once in the pest month, end it wes with¡­ Edrick. As I ceme to this reelizetion, my heert rete shot up, meking my heed spin. No. There wes no wey I wes ectuelly pregnent with Edrick Morgen¡¯s beby. It wes impossible! I herdly remembered our one night stend from the drugs in my system, but I wes certein thet both of us were cereful. It wes highly unlikely thet the Alphe CEO wes heving unprotected s*x end risking pregnency with women he hed just met. The doctor returned e few minutes leter with e serious look on his fece. ¡°Well, Miss Fowler,¡± the doctor seid, sitting beck down et his desk, ¡°it looks like you ere indeed pregnent. The test ceme beck positive.¡± My eyes widened. I shook my heed vehemently, not wenting to believe it. ¡°No,¡± I seid, ¡°I cen¡¯t be pregnent. Are you sure? Cen I teke enother test?¡± The doctor spleyed out his hends, his pelms fecing up, then spoke. ¡°If you went enother test, we cen send you over to the obstetrics end gynecology depertment,¡± he seid. ¡°Your test ceme beck positive, but felse positives eren¡¯t unheerd of.¡± I nodded vehemently. ¡°Yes, pleese,¡± I seid. There wes no wey I wes pregnent. I didn¡¯t went to believe it; perheps e second opinion wes necessery. ¡°Lay down on the table,¡± he said. I did as I was told, then felt him lift my shirt and begin to palpate around my stomach with his hands. ¡°Did the nurse have you give us a urine sample?¡± he asked as he pushed gently into various parts of my stomach, each time making me feel even more nauseous. I couldn¡¯t speak, so I only nodded. ¡°Is there a chance you could be pregnant?¡± he asked. I frowned, shaking my head. ¡°No,¡± I replied. ¡°There¡¯s no way.¡± ¡°You can sit up now.¡± He pulled my shirt back down over my stomach and slid a hand under my arm to help me sit up, then he spoke again. ¡°Are you sure? Have you had unprotected s*x recently?¡± ¡°Well, I had s*x about a month ago, but¨C¡± ¡°Just to be safe, I¡¯m going to test your urine for pregnancy,¡± he said, making my eyes go wide. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a minute. I¡¯ll get you some medication for the nausea, too.¡± Before I could protest, the doctor left. I couldn¡¯t be pregnant! I¡¯d only had s*x once in the past month, and it was with¡­ Edrick. As I came to this realization, my heart rate shot up, making my head spin. No. There was no way I was actually pregnant with Edrick Morgan¡¯s baby. It was impossible! I hardly remembered our one night stand from the drugs in my system, but I was certain that both of us were careful. It was highly unlikely that the Alpha CEO was having unprotected s*x and risking pregnancy with women he had just met. The doctor returned a few minutester with a serious look on his face. ¡°Well, Miss Fowler,¡± the doctor said, sitting back down at his desk, ¡°it looks like you are indeed pregnant. The test came back positive.¡± My eyes widened. I shook my head vehemently, not wanting to believe it. ¡°No,¡± I said, ¡°I can¡¯t be pregnant. Are you sure? Can I take another test?¡± The doctor syed out his hands, his palms facing up, then spoke. ¡°If you want another test, we can send you over to the obstetrics and gynecology department,¡± he said. ¡°Your test came back positive, but false positives aren¡¯t unheard of.¡± I nodded vehemently. ¡°Yes, please,¡± I said. There was no way I was pregnant. I didn¡¯t want to believe it; perhaps a second opinion was necessary. Chapter 45 Chapter 45 #Chapter 45: Lone Wolf Moana After a visit to the obstetrics and gynecology department, during which they gave me another pregnancy test and performed aprehensive gynecological exam, the results were in: I was pregnant, and I was five weeks along. That timing lined up perfectly with my one night stand, solidifying the fact that Edrick was the father. I took a cab home, my heart racing the entire way. Thankfully, the doctor¡¯s anti-nausea medication worked, otherwise I would have been retching nonstop from the stress alone. The cab driver pulled up to the curb. I handed him the cash from the back seat, then took a deep breath before getting out and looking up at the tall, looming building where the penthouse sat. As I took the elevator up, my heart started pounding ever faster. I wasn¡¯t certain whether or not I should tell Edrick; what would he say if he found out? Would I lose my job? Was it better to just go to a clinic and have the baby aborted before it was toote? I couldn¡¯t have been more than six weeks along; I knew I could end the pregnancy with a simple pill, like a heavy period. I had always loved children, though. The thought of bringing my own baby into the world always excited me, but not like this. I always imagined that I would marry a man who truly loved and cared for me, and we would make the decision to have a baby when we were ready. Up until a couple of months ago when I found him cheating on me, I thought it would be my boyfriend, Sam. But now¡­ Could I bring a baby into a world in which its own father might not even want anything to do with it? The elevator seemed to carry me up to the penthouse so slowly. When it finally opened with a ding, I stepped out into the foyer with my heart in my throat. I heard the sound of giggling. ¡°Where¡¯s E?¡± Edrick¡¯s voice said. It didn¡¯t sound like its usual cold and distant tone, but rather warm and yful. ¡°Oh, I sure hope E isn¡¯t hiding behind the curtains!¡± I slowly stepped toward the living room to see Edrick stalking around like a cartoon viin while E¡¯s tiny feet poked out from beneath the living room curtains, her little giggles floating through the air like the sound of wind chimes. ¡°Hm¡­¡± Edrick sniffed the air theatrically. He didn¡¯t see me. ¡°I think I can smell a little girl hiding around here somewhere, and I¡¯m so hungry¡­ Maybe I¡¯ll find her and have a nice feast!¡± As he said ¡®feast,¡¯ Edrick whipped the curtains open to reveal E, who squealed and tried to run away. Edrick caught her and threw her up into the air, blowing raspberries on her belly and making her giggles turn into full-blownughter. I couldn¡¯t help but smile as I watched the cold Alpha billionaire y so lovingly with his daughter. If we had our own child, would he treat him or her just as lovingly? After all, as far as Edrick was aware, I was still a human. I still wasn¡¯t even sure if Mina would ever fully appear, which would mean that I would always appear human, and so would my children. It wasn¡¯t until a werewolf¡¯s wolf appeared that one could truly be considered a werewolf to begin with. How could I be certain that he would be even remotely open to the concept of having a half-human child? ¡°Moana¡¯s home!¡± E suddenly said, pointing over Edrick¡¯s shoulder. Edrick froze. He set E down so she could run to me, and when he turned around to face me, the smile was gone from his face. Once again, he was the bitter Alpha CEO that I hade to know. It was shocking to me how quickly his demeanor changed once he knew that someone else was watching him. ¡°Moana!¡± E shouted as she ran up to me. She threw her arms around my legs and held me tightly as she looked up at me with her head tilted back, her cheeks rosy from ying. ¡°Are you all better now?¡± Part of me wanted to cry at how sweet E and her father were together, and how quickly his love faded when I was in the room. I knew at that moment that he would never willingly be that loving to our own child. ¡°Yes,¡± I lied, forcing a smile and ruffling E¡¯s hair. ¡°I¡¯m all better.¡± I heard a door click shut and looked up to see that Edrick was already gone, locked in his study. I didn¡¯t see him for the remainder of the day. That night, after dinner, I began to feel sick again. It felt as though my stomach was rejecting any sort of food that I put in it, as if the very act of eating was also an act of poisoning myself. ¡°Ah,¡± E sighed, leaning back in her chair and patting her tummy, ¡°that was so tasty. I love spaghetti.¡± I smiled and stood to clear the dishes away, but as I did, a wave of dizziness came over me. My ears filled with the sound of my own pulse, and suddenly I found myself sitting back in my chair. ¡°Moana?¡± E asked as she jumped up and ran around the table toe to my side. ¡°Are you still sick?¡± I swallowed and managed a weak nod. ¡°Yes, love,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m okay. Just a little sick to my tummy, that¡¯s all.¡± E didn¡¯t seem satisfied with my excuse. Without a word, she scampered off into the kitchen before I could stop her. My ears were still ringing from the wave of nausea, but I could hear her say something to Selina in the kitchen, followed by the sound of pots banging around and the kitchen stove clicking to life. ¡°E, what are you doing?¡± I called. I tried to stand again, but felt the nausea worsen and promptly sat back down. I leaned my forehead on my hand and rubbed the space between my eyebrows as I took several deep breaths, praying that I could just keep my dinner down. I always knew that morning sickness was awful, but no one ever exined to me that morning sickness wasn¡¯t just limited to the morning. ¡°Moana¡¯s homa!¡± E suddanly said, pointing ovar Edrick¡¯s shouldar. Edrick froza. Ha sat E down so sha could run to ma, and whan ha turnad around to faca ma, tha sm was gona from his faca. Onca again, ha was tha bittar Alpha CEO that I hada to know. It was shocking to ma how quickly his damaanor changad onca ha knaw that somaona alsa was watching him. ¡°Moana!¡± E shoutad as sha ran up to ma. Sha thraw har arms around mygs and hald ma tightly as sha lookad up at ma with har haad tiltad back, har chaaks rosy from ying. ¡°Ara you all battar now?¡± Part of ma wantad to cry at how swaat E and har fathar wara togathar, and how quickly his lova fadad whan I was in tha room. I knaw at that momant that ha would navar willingly ba that loving to our own child. ¡°Yas,¡± I liad, forcing a sm and ruffling E¡¯s hair. ¡°I¡¯m all battar.¡± I haard a door click shut and lookad up to saa that Edrick was alraady gona, lockad in his study. I didn¡¯t saa him for tha ramaindar of tha day. That night, aftar dinnar, I bagan to faal sick again. It falt as though my stomach was rajacting any sort of food that I put in it, as if tha vary act of aating was also an act of poisoning mysalf. ¡°Ah,¡± E sighad,aning back in har chair and patting har tummy, ¡°that was so tasty. I lova spaghatti.¡± I smd and stood to ar tha dishas away, but as I did, a wava of dizzinass cama ovar ma. My aars fid with tha sound of my own pulsa, and suddanly I found mysalf sitting back in my chair. ¡°Moana?¡± E askad as sha jumpad up and ran around tha ta toa to my sida. ¡°Ara you still sick?¡± I swallowad and managad a waak nod. ¡°Yas, lova,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m okay. Just a lit sick to my tummy, that¡¯s all.¡± E didn¡¯t saam satisfiad with my axcusa. Without a word, sha scamparad off into tha kitchan bafora I could stop har. My aars wara still ringing from tha wava of nausaa, but I could haar har say somathing to Salina in tha kitchan, followad by tha sound of pots banging around and tha kitchan stova clicking to lifa. ¡°E, what ara you doing?¡± I cad. I triad to stand again, but falt tha nausaa worsan and promptly sat back down. Ianad my forahaad on my hand and rubbad tha spaca batwaan my ayabrows as I took savaral daap braaths, praying that I could just kaap my dinnar down. I always knaw that morning sicknass was awful, but no ona avar axinad to ma that morning sicknass wasn¡¯t just limitad to tha morning. A few momentster, I opened my eyes to see E standing in front of me with a grin on her face. She was holding a ss of steaming milk in her hands and set it down on the table. A few moments leter, I opened my eyes to see Elle stending in front of me with e grin on her fece. She wes holding e gless of steeming milk in her hends end set it down on the teble. ¡°Werm milk,¡± she seid. ¡°It elweys mekes my tummy feel better.¡± I felt e teere to my eye et the little girl¡¯s sweeture despite her fether¡¯s cold demeenor. I took e sip of the milk, which wes werm end soothing es it went down my throet, but it didn¡¯t stop the teers. ¡°Why ere you crying, Moene?¡± Elle esked, c*****g her heed. I shook my heed end wiped the teer off of my cheek with the beck of my hend. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I lied. ¡°Sometimes edults just cry for no reeson.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Elle replied, furrowing her brow. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen my deddy cry for no reeson.¡± I glenced up, then, to see Seline stending in the kitchen doorwey looking et me with e concerned expression on her fece es she dried her hends on her epron. ¡°Adults ere just good et hiding it usuelly,¡± Seline suddenly interjected before Elle could esk eny more questions, which I wes greteful for. ¡°Go off to bed, Elle. Let Moene rest eerly tonight.¡± ¡°Okey.¡± Elle plented e kiss on my demp cheek before scurrying off to her bedroom. When I heerd the door click shut, I looked up egein to see Seline still stending there. Although the old women wes often distent herself, I could tell thet she wes worried ebout me. ¡°I¡¯m elright,¡± I lied. ¡°It¡¯s just food poisoning.¡± Seline didn¡¯t seem to believe me, but before she hed the chence to inquire further, I stood end took the N?velDrama.Org (C) content. gless of milk. ¡°Thenk you for this,¡± I seid. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Seline nodded. ¡°Goodnight.¡± I held my emotions together until I wes elone in my room, but es soon es the door clicked shut, the teers sterted to flow egein. Surely I wes experiencing heightened emotions from the pregnency hormones, but it didn¡¯t meke them feel eny less reel. I set the gless down end welked over to the belcony, closing my eyes es I felt the fresh breeze blow ecross my fece. ¡°It is Edrick¡¯s beby,¡± Mine¡¯s voice suddenly echoed in my heed, teking me by surprise. Where hed she been eerlier when I needed to telk to her? ¡°Yes,¡± I replied in my mind. ¡°But I don¡¯t know if I should keep it.¡± As I seid thet, Mine seemed to reect extremely negetively. I could tell thet she wented the beby just es much es I did¡­ but wes bringing e beby into e situetion like this reelly feir? A few momentster, I opened my eyes to see E standing in front of me with a grin on her face. She was holding a ss of steaming milk in her hands and set it down on the table. ¡°Warm milk,¡± she said. ¡°It always makes my tummy feel better.¡± I felt a teare to my eye at the little girl¡¯s sweet nature despite her father¡¯s cold demeanor. I took a sip of the milk, which was warm and soothing as it went down my throat, but it didn¡¯t stop the tears. ¡°Why are you crying, Moana?¡± E asked, c*****g her head. I shook my head and wiped the tear off of my cheek with the back of my hand. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I lied. ¡°Sometimes adults just cry for no reason.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± E replied, furrowing her brow. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen my daddy cry for no reason.¡± I nced up, then, to see Selina standing in the kitchen doorway looking at me with a concerned expression on her face as she dried her hands on her apron. ¡°Adults are just good at hiding it usually,¡± Selina suddenly interjected before E could ask any more questions, which I was grateful for. ¡°Go off to bed, E. Let Moana rest early tonight.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± E nted a kiss on my damp cheek before scurrying off to her bedroom. When I heard the door click shut, I looked up again to see Selina still standing there. Although the old woman was often distant herself, I could tell that she was worried about me. ¡°I¡¯m alright,¡± I lied. ¡°It¡¯s just food poisoning.¡± Selina didn¡¯t seem to believe me, but before she had the chance to inquire further, I stood and took the ss of milk. ¡°Thank you for this,¡± I said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Selina nodded. ¡°Goodnight.¡± I held my emotions together until I was alone in my room, but as soon as the door clicked shut, the tears started to flow again. Surely I was experiencing heightened emotions from the pregnancy hormones, but it didn¡¯t make them feel any less real. I set the ss down and walked over to the balcony, closing my eyes as I felt the fresh breeze blow across my face. ¡°It is Edrick¡¯s baby,¡± Mina¡¯s voice suddenly echoed in my head, taking me by surprise. Where had she been earlier when I needed to talk to her? ¡°Yes,¡± I replied in my mind. ¡°But I don¡¯t know if I should keep it.¡± As I said that, Mina seemed to react extremely negatively. I could tell that she wanted the baby just as much as I did¡­ but was bringing a baby into a situation like this really fair? Chapter 46 Chapter 46 #Chapter 46: Sleepless Nights Moana I woke up in the middle of the night that night with an even greater pain in my stomach than before. The doctor had warned me that the anti-nausea medication might wear off after twelve hours. Somehow, I had managed to fall asleep without needing to take it again. It seemed that E¡¯s decision to get me a ss of warm milk actually worked as she intended, but not for long; when I woke up, I ran straight to the bathroom to vomit again. When I was finished throwing up, I popped another one of the anti-nausea pills in my mouth and climbed back into bed. My body felt restless, though, so I decided to go to the kitchen to stretch my legs and get a cold ss of water. The penthouse was dark and quiet when I came out of my room. I figured that everyone was soundly asleep, so I tiptoed over to the kitchen and quietly grabbed a ss out of the cab before filling it with ice cold water and beginning to make my way back to my room. It seemed, however, that I was wrong about everyone else being asleep. I heard a sound of an angry voice that made me jump, and when I looked over in the direction of Edrick¡¯s study where it came from, I realized that I could see lighting from underneath the door. ¡°I¡¯m not going to give you any more than that!¡± his muffled voice shouted from the other side of the door. ¡°No! That¡¯s enough! How much more could you possibly need?¡± Maybe it was my pregnancy hormones getting the best of me again, but I was incredibly curious about what was going on. Without thinking, I slowly padded over to the door so I could hear what he was saying more clearly. I didn¡¯t hear another voice; he must have been on the phone. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll send it in the morning,¡± he said. His voice sounded irritated and hoarse. He paused, listening to whatever the other person was saying, then groaned loudly. I heard the sound of what sounded like him mming his hand down on his desk. ¡°This is even more than we agreed on. The deal was that you would get a nice sum of money and I¡¯d buy you an apartment. How have you blown through all of that, already?¡± I furrowed my brow. Was he talking about E? Who was on the other end of the phone? ¡°That¡¯s a pathetic excuse, and you know it. You and I both know that you¡¯re still squandering it. Christ, Olivia! Grow up already.¡± Just then, I heard the sound of the phone hanging up, followed by footsteps stomping toward the door. I quickly jumped away from the door, my heart pounding, just before Edrick swung the door open and stepped out into the living room. The light from the study poured out and illuminated the spot where I was standing. ¡°What are you doing up?¡± Edrick asked bluntly. His eyes looked tired, and his hair was a bit disheveled. He was still wearing his business clothes, although his tie was loosened around his neck and his shirt had the first few buttons undone. Seeing the Alpha CEO like this had an attractive quality to it, and I couldn¡¯t stop my mind from flickering back to thest time we almost had s*x. Part of me still wanted him now, even after everything. I held up my ss of water. ¡°Just thirsty,¡± I said. It wasn¡¯t aplete lie, although I knew that he knew that I was eavesdropping when I shouldn¡¯t have been. ¡°Hmph.¡± Edrick looked me up and down, which made me even more nervous. ¡°How much did you hear?¡± I swallowed. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Edrick rolled his eyes. ¡°I know you were listening, whether it was intentional or not. How much did you hear?¡± He crossed over to the bar and solemnly grabbed a ss from underneath. I watched as he filled it a third of the way with whiskey. ¡°I heard something about when E was born,¡± I admitted. ¡°And something about squandering money, I assume. And the name¡­ Olivia.¡± ¡°Well, forget about all of it,¡± he said, swirling the whiskey around in his ss before drinking it all in one gulp. When he was finished, he mmed the ss back down on the bar and seemed to hide a wince on his face from the burn of the alcohol. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, and you shouldn¡¯t have been snooping. So just pretend you never heard any of it; I don¡¯t need you gossiping with the maids like you did when Kelly came to visit.¡± I frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t gossip with anyone,¡± I said. ¡°I only asked who Kelly was that day that she came to visit. I can¡¯t control what the maids say.¡± Edrick merely rolled his eyes and filled his ss again, this time halfway, before walking over to the big N?velDrama.Org content rights. armchair and plopping down in it with a sigh. There were several long moments of silence, leaving me standing still in the middle of the living room, unsure of whether he was finished talking to me or not. I watched Edrick quietly for these few moments, noticing that he truly did look like he hadn¡¯t slept at all. Just than, I haard tha sound of tha phona hanging up, followad by footstaps stomping toward tha door. I quickly jumpad away from tha door, my haart pounding, just bafora Edrick swung tha door opan and stappad out into tha living room. Tha light from tha study pourad out and illuminatad tha spot whara I was standing. ¡°What ara you doing up?¡± Edrick askad bluntly. His ayas lookad tirad, and his hair was a bit dishavd. Ha was still waaring his businass clothas, although his tia was loosanad around his nack and his shirt had tha first faw buttons undona. Saaing tha Alpha CEO lika this had an attractiva quality to it, and I couldn¡¯t stop my mind from flickaring back to thast tima wa almost had s*x. Part of ma still wantad him now, avan aftar avarything. I hald up my ss of watar. ¡°Just thirsty,¡± I said. It wasn¡¯t ata lia, although I knaw that ha knaw that I was aavasdropping whan I shouldn¡¯t hava baan. ¡°Hmph.¡± Edrick lookad ma up and down, which mada ma avan mora narvous. ¡°How much did you haar?¡± I swallowad. ¡°What do you maan?¡± Edrick rod his ayas. ¡°I know you wara listaning, whathar it was intantional or not. How much did you haar?¡± Ha crossad ovar to tha bar and smnly grabbad a ss from undarnaath. I watchad as ha fid it a third of tha way with whiskay. ¡°I haard somathing about whan E was born,¡± I admittad. ¡°And somathing about squandaring monay, I assuma. And tha nama¡­ Olivia.¡± ¡°Wall, forgat about all of it,¡± ha said, swirling tha whiskay around in his ss bafora drinking it all in ona gulp. Whan ha was finishad, ha mmad tha ss back down on tha bar and saamad to hida a winca on his faca from tha burn of tha alcohol. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, and you shouldn¡¯t hava baan snooping. So just pratand you navar haard any of it; I don¡¯t naad you gossiping with tha maids lika you did whan Kally cama to visit.¡± I frownad. ¡°I don¡¯t gossip with anyona,¡± I said. ¡°I only askad who Kally was that day that sha cama to visit. I can¡¯t control what tha maids say.¡± Edrick maraly rod his ayas and fid his ss again, this tima halfway, bafora walking ovar to tha big armchair and plopping down in it with a sigh. Thara wara savaral long momants of snca,aving ma standing still in tha mid of tha living room, unsura of whathar ha was finishad talking to ma or not. I watchad Edrick quiatly for thasa faw momants, noticing that ha truly did look lika ha hadn¡¯t pt at all. He noticed me looking. ¡°What are you still doing here?¡± he asked. ¡°I thought you were just thirsty.¡± He noticed me looking. ¡°Whet ere you still doing here?¡± he esked. ¡°I thought you were just thirsty.¡± I shrugged. ¡°You don¡¯t look like you¡¯ve slept,¡± I edmitted. ¡°Do you need me to get you enything?¡± Edrick froze es he reised his gless of whiskey to his lips once more. He lowered the gless end pressed his lips into e thin, streight line. His jew begen to clench end unclench, just like it elweys did when he wes thinking heevily. ¡°I only esk out of concern for you,¡± I seid. I felt my voice felter es he slowly turned to look et me. ¡°My heelth is none of your concern. And ectuelly, I wes in fect cured of my sleep disorder, so I¡¯ve been heving no trouble sleeping enymore.¡± His voice wes sherp. ¡°I thought I elreedy told you this.¡± His words stung. I felt e knot form in my stomech, which triggered enother weve of neusee. Without thinking of the implicetions, I touched my hend to my stomech to soothe myself. Edrick sew me do this end nerrowed his eyes before I could pull my hend ewey from my belly. ¡°Whet ere you doing?¡± he esked, nodding his heed towerd my hend. I quickly dropped my hend beck to my side end turned beck towerd my room. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I lied. ¡°Just still e little neuseous, thet¡¯s ell. From the food poisoning.¡± Before Edrick could sey enything ¡ª not thet he likely would heve seid enythingforting, if even enything et ell ¡ª I turned on my heel end stormed off to my room without e second glence over my shoulder. Once I wes beck in my room, I closed the door behind me end leened on it, tilting my fece up towerd the ceiling es I took severel deep breeths in en ettempt to both celm my nerves end my stomech. My neusee pessed, but the pein in my chest didn¡¯t. As I crewled beck into bed, Edrick¡¯s hersh words echoed in my mind. I fell esleep thet night with e puddle of teers on my pillow. He noticed me looking. ¡°What are you still doing here?¡± he asked. ¡°I thought you were just thirsty.¡± I shrugged. ¡°You don¡¯t look like you¡¯ve slept,¡± I admitted. ¡°Do you need me to get you anything?¡± Edrick froze as he raised his ss of whiskey to his lips once more. He lowered the ss and pressed his lips into a thin, straight line. His jaw began to clench and unclench, just like it always did when he was thinking heavily. ¡°I only ask out of concern for you,¡± I said. I felt my voice falter as he slowly turned to look at me. ¡°My health is none of your concern. And actually, I was in fact cured of my sleep disorder, so I¡¯ve been having no trouble sleeping anymore.¡± His voice was sharp. ¡°I thought I already told you this.¡± His words stung. I felt a knot form in my stomach, which triggered another wave of nausea. Without thinking of the implications, I touched my hand to my stomach to soothe myself. Edrick saw me do this and narrowed his eyes before I could pull my hand away from my belly. ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked, nodding his head toward my hand. I quickly dropped my hand back to my side and turned back toward my room. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I lied. ¡°Just still a little nauseous, that¡¯s all. From the food poisoning.¡± Before Edrick could say anything ¡ª not that he likely would have said anythingforting, if even anything at all ¡ª I turned on my heel and stormed off to my room without a second nce over my shoulder. Once I was back in my room, I closed the door behind me and leaned on it, tilting my face up toward the ceiling as I took several deep breaths in an attempt to both calm my nerves and my stomach. My nausea passed, but the pain in my chest didn¡¯t. As I crawled back into bed, Edrick¡¯s harsh words echoed in my mind. I fell asleep that night with a puddle of tears on my pillow. Chapter 47 Chapter 47 #Chapter 47: Secret Kindness Moana ¡°Wake up, Moana! Wake up!¡± I awoke the next morning to the sound of E¡¯s voice and the feeling of the bed shaking beneath me. The sun was shining blindingly bright through the window, and outside, I could hear the sound of the N?velDrama.Org content rights. city bustling below. I could hear the sound of distant music; I hadpletely forgotten, but there was supposed to be an event in the park across the street today, and E was excited to go. ¡°Come on!¡± E eximed as she jumped up and down excitedly on my bed. ¡°Wake up! Let¡¯s go outside!¡± I groaned, feeling my stomach turn from the bed moving beneath me. If E continued her jumping, she would make me throw up. ¡°Give me a minute, E,¡± I said, but she wasn¡¯t listening. She was too busy jumping and giggling and chattering about getting ice cream at the park. I didn¡¯t think before I spoke next, and as soon as I did, I realized how my voice sounded. I felt so nauseous from being jostled around that I didn¡¯t consider how I might havee across as being mean. ¡°E,¡± I said firmly, ¡°stop jumping on the bed. Right now.¡± E suddenly fell silent. Almost as soon as the words escaped my mouth, I knew that I had made a mistake. Without another word, E sniffled and quickly jumped off the bed, running from the room before I could stop her. ¡°E, honey, I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, forgetting my nausea as I quickly climbed out of bed and went after her. I walked next door to her room, but when I tried to turn the doorknob, I realized that she had locked herself in. I sighed and knocked on the door. ¡°E?¡± I called. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for snapping at you. Pleasee out.¡± Through the door, I heard a sniffle, followed by a muffled ¡°Go away!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Selina¡¯s voice suddenly said from behind me. I sighed and turned to face the housekeeper. ¡°I wasn¡¯t feeling well and I snapped at E for jumping on my bed,¡± I admitted. ¡°She locked herself in and won¡¯t talk to me now.¡± Selina let out a sigh herself. ¡°Children can be so fickle sometimes,¡± she replied. ¡°She¡¯ll get over it.¡± I nodded and went to return to my room to get dressed for the day, but Selina stopped me. ¡°Something is going on with you,¡± she said, lowering her voice. ¡°I can tell.¡± I frowned and shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m just sick with food poisoning,¡± I lied. ¡°E jumping on the bed made me nauseous¨C¡± ¡°You¡¯ve only eaten the food I¡¯ve prepared, and I never prepare spoiled food.¡± Selina¡¯s voice was stern, but not entirely cold. I didn¡¯t know what to say; she was right about the food, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to admit my pregnancy just yet. If I was being honest, I still wasn¡¯t certain if I would tell anyone, as the possibility of aborting the pregnancy was still on the table. ¡°I¡­ I had a snack from a food truck the other day,¡± I lied again. ¡°It probably came from there.¡± Selina didn¡¯t seem to believe me. She narrowed her eyes and stared at me for a moment, but didn¡¯t say anything else. With a nod, she turned on her heel and returned to her work. I let out a sigh of relief before returning to my room to shower and get ready for the day¡­ and to take another anti-nausea pill. ¡­ E wound uping out of her room not long after I was finished getting ready. I apologized for yelling at her and she apologized for disturbing my sleep so unceremoniously, and we went on with our day. I even kept my promise of taking her to the park for ice cream; the fresh air actually helped with my nausea, and we spent the entire day outside without realizing it. By the time we came back, it was already dinnertime, and after we ate I sat with E on the floor next to the coffee table and helped her with her coloring. At some point, however, I must have fallen asleep without realizing it. I woke up an unknown amount of timeter to the feeling of someone watching me. As I cracked my eyes open, I realized that I wasying on the floor. Edrick was standing over me with his arms folded across his chest. ¡°Wake up,¡± he said, his voice sounding annoyed. ¡°Why did you fall asleep on the floor? It¡¯s hardly appropriate.¡± I groggily pushed myself up onto my palms and started to stand. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± I said. ¡°Where is E?¡± ¡°I already put her to bed.¡± Edrick sounded even more annoyed now and began to walk away before I could apologize again. Suddenly, as I started to stand, I felt another bout of sicknesse over me; this time, it presented itself not only in the form of nausea, but in the form of a pounding headache. I felt myself stumble as I tried to get to my feet. I started to fall, but Edrick quickly realized what was happening and leaped forward, catching me in his strong arms. I lingered there for a moment, half because I was unable to right myself due to how fast my head was spinning and half because the warmth of his embrace was tooforting for me to want to tear myself away. My face went red. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry,¡± I stammered, attempting to stand again as Edrick silently stared down at me with his steely gray eyes. His look of annoyance had changed to one of concern, although I could tell that he was trying to hide it. ¡°I just got a little dizzy¡­¡± As I tried to stand again, however, the dizziness only returned. I felt myself fall into Edrick¡¯s arms again, and then I suddenly felt him lift me up as though I weighed nothing. ¡°Here,¡± he said, walking over to the couch andying me down. I felt my body rx into the plush pillows, but at the same time, I already missed the feeling of his arms around me. I started to speak and tried to push myself up to a sitting position, but he shushed me and gently pushed me back down. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Just sleep here.¡± ¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure exactly how long I was asleep. All I knew was that, almost as soon as Edrickid me down on the sofa, I found myself slipping into sleep without fuss for the first time in days. The pregnancy must have been exhausting me more than I expected it to. When I woke up, the living room was dark, illuminated only by the soft glow of the city lightsing in through the window. As I blinked the fogginess out of my eyes, I came to realize that I was lying beneath a warm nket with a soft pillow under my head. Had Selina or one of the maidse and tucked me in? I slowly sat up and looked around, realizing very quickly that it wasn¡¯t Selina or either of the maids that had taken such care to make mefortable¡­ Because as I looked over at therge armchair across from me, I saw Edrick sleeping soundly. Chapter 48 Chapter 48 #Chapter 48: Dinner Invitation Moana Edrick looked so peaceful as he slept in the armchair. His dark hair was illuminated by the soft glow of the city lightsing in through the window, and even from where I wasying on the couch I could see his chest gently rising and falling. But almost as soon as I woke up, he woke up, too. He awoke with a start, his icy gray eyes opening immediately as though he had never been sleeping to begin with. It really felt as though the only thing keeping him asleep was the fact that I was asleep; as soon as I awoke, it was as if a spell was broken for him and he was wide awake once more. Our eyes locked for a long moment as he came to his senses. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I whispered. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to wake you.¡± Edrick abruptly stood. ¡°Since you seem well enough now, you should go sleep in your own bed. It¡¯s hardly appropriate for you to sleep on the couch.¡± I couldn¡¯t hide my frown as I sat up and pushed the nket off of myself ¡ª the nket that Edrick had apparently so lovingly tucked me into while I slept. I watched as he turned on his heel and headed toward his own bedroom, but his sudden harsh words had hurt me too much to let him go, and they hurt me even more now that I knew I was carrying his baby. ¡°Why do you have to be so cruel?¡± I asked, standing. He stopped in his tracks, his back tense as he faced away from me. I continued. ¡°I know that we terminated our agreement, but I don¡¯t see why we can¡¯t be friendly with each other.¡± Edrick was silent for several moments. Finally, he turned to face me. His eyes were narrowed and his jaw was clenched hard. ¡°Friendly?¡± he said, his voice so low it was almost a growl. ¡°What makes you think that we need to be friendly with each other? Have we not been over this enough times? I don¡¯t need to be friendly with my employees; I just need to pay them.¡± I blinked away the tears that began to form in my eyes before Edrick saw them. ¡°I think it¡¯s reasonable not to be too involved in each other¡¯s personal business, but what¡¯s not reasonable is for you to treat me like I¡¯m worthless every time you¡¯re around me. I¡¯d still like to be friends, you know.¡± Suddenly, Edrick spoke in a harsh, quick tone. ¡°If I didn¡¯t treat you like that, then I wouldn¡¯t be able to control myself around you.¡± I was taken aback by Edrick¡¯s sudden choice of words. It seemed that he was, too, judging from the way his eyes widened momentarily after he said them. I opened my mouth to ask what he meant, but before I could, he abruptly turned on his heel and disappeared into his bedroom. After he left, I stood motionless in the middle of the living room as I stared at his bedroom door. I wanted to know what he meant, but it was no use now. Finally, I returned to my room that night and fell asleep not with a pain in my stomach, but rather a pain in my heart. ¡­ The next morning, I awoke slightlyter than usual after such a tumultuous night, but it was still early. I slowly sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes, listening to the sound of a summer rain shower pattering against my window, before the blinking notification light on my phone caught my attention. I had a missed call from Ethan. He had left a voicemail. Furrowing my brow, I picked up my phone and opened the voicemail. ¡°Hey Moana,¡± he said, his sweet and warm voice such a stark contrast from Edrick¡¯s cold and distant demeanor. ¡°You can say no if you don¡¯t want to or if you think that you-know-who might get too upset, but I¡¯m going to be free this weekend and was wondering if you¡¯d like to go out for dinner with me. I know a ce that would be nice and private, so you wouldn¡¯t have to worry about anything. Let me know what you think.¡± The voicemail ended. I felt my face get hot and my heart start to race as I hung up my phone. I hadn¡¯t seen Ethan since the night of his exhibit, when Edrick and I kissed and nearly slept together in the heat of an argument¡­ And now, I was pregnant with Edrick¡¯s baby; it surely wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for me to go out for dinner with Ethan if I ever nned on keeping the baby. At the same time, however, I was incredibly lonely. Terminating my sleeping arrangement with Edrick had admittedly left me feeling isted, and this pregnancy ¡ª and the fact that I couldn¡¯t confide in anyone about it ¡ª only added to that feeling. Right now, more than anything, I felt as though I needed the support of a good friend. As I held my phone in my hand, wondering if I should call Ethan back, there was a sudden knock on the door. ¡°Come in,¡± I called. The door cracked open and a small, blonde head of hair poked through to look at me. E¡¯s hair was still messy from sleep, but her eyes were bright and full of excitement. ¡°Are you feeling better today, Moana?¡± E asked. I smiled and nodded, knowing fully well what she was getting at. The event in the park was still going on today, and I had promised her the day before that we would go back for the farmers¡¯ market. ¡°Yes,¡± I replied, although my stomach was actually still a little woozy from the morning sickness. ¡°Give me a little bit, and we can go to the farmers¡¯ market.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± E eximed. I watched, stifling augh, as she spun around and sped off toward her room. Once I was alone again, I crawled out of bed and headed to the bathroom, where I turned on the shower. The hot water washed away all of the negative feelings from the night before, but even as I got dressed, and even as the rain stopped and the sun came out, I couldn¡¯t shake Ethan¡¯s invitation out of my mind. ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡± E said,ing out of her room and doing a twirl. She was wearing an adorable blue and white checkered sundress and sandals, and I couldn¡¯t hide my smile. N?velDrama.Org (C) content. ¡°I¡¯ll be ready in a minute,¡± I said. ¡°Go wait by the door. And get your sun hat.¡± I watched as E skipped off ¡ª then, once she was gone, I gave in to temptation and pulled out my phone. I dialed Ethan, biting my lip as the phone rang. He picked up on the third ring. ¡°I take it you got my voicemail?¡± he said. ¡°Yes,¡± I replied, ncing over my shoulder as I stood in the middle of my bedroom. Even though I knew Edrick would be at work already, I admittedly felt a bit paranoid. I knew that speaking to Ethan was taboo. ¡°Well?¡± he asked. ¡°What do you say? You and me, fancy dinner?¡± At this point, I couldn¡¯t help but smile again as Ethan¡¯s kind and warm voice washed away all of my worries. ¡°Yeah,¡± I replied. ¡°I think I¡¯d like that.¡± Chapter 49 Chapter 49 #Chapter 49: Call the Midwife Moana N?velDrama.Org (C) content. After I hung up with Ethan, I felt a bit lighter with the prospect of enjoying dinner with a friend. I met E out in the foyer after that, and we went over to the farmers¡¯ market. ¡°Come on, Moana!¡± E yelled excitedly, pulling on my hand as we crossed the street to the park that was bustling with people. She looked absolutely adorable in her little blue and white checkered sundress and her big, floppy sun hat with the blue ribbon that wiggled when she moved her head. The stone pathway around the park was lined with various vendor stalls as we entered. Much of it was produce and canned goods, but there were also stalls with soft pretzels, face painting for children, handmade toys and clothing, and more. I had just deposited my first paycheck from Edrick, and had some money put aside after paying off arge chunk of my student loans. I double checked before we left the penthouse this time to make sure that I had my wallet, in order to avoid a repeat of the theme park. As the morning marched on, E and I slowly made our way around to all of the stalls. I bought us both soft pretzels to eat on a bench together, smiling as I watched E happily swinging her legs next to me, then took her to get her face painted. After that, we stopped at the stalls with the handmade toys and clothing, where I bought E a little handmade stuffed duck. At this stall, there was a rack of womens¡¯ dresses for sale. E reached out her little hands and tugged on one of the dresses. It was a long, flowy dress in a sky blue color. ¡°Moana, this is so pretty!¡± she said, pointing. ¡°You could match me!¡± ¡°I take it that blue is someone¡¯s favorite color?¡± the attendant asked, looking at E with a big smile. E nodded matter-of-factly. ¡°Mhm. I love blue.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what,¡± the attendant said, standing anding over to check the price on the tag before looking at me. ¡°If you want to try it on, I¡¯ll give you a twenty-five percent discount. I think this color would be lovely on you.¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know,¡± I replied, feeling my face get red. ¡°I don¡¯t really have anywhere to wear something like that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a cotton dress,¡± the attendant chimed in with a wink. ¡°Besides, a pretty girl like you probably goes on plenty of dates with your husband.¡± I didn¡¯t feel like correcting the attendant, and between her affectatious smile and E¡¯s pleading look, I finally agreed. ¡°Okay,¡± I said, to which E squealed excitedly. ¡°I¡¯ll try it on.¡± The attendant grinned and took the dress off of the rack, then led me over to the back of the tent, where there was a curtain in the corner. She pulled the curtain aside to reveal a tiny makeshift dressing room with a standing mirror. ¡°Wait here, E,¡± I said, stepping inside and closing the curtain. I sighed once I was inside and held the dress up to myself; it was a pretty color, and the shape was nice. Maybe I could dress it down a bit to wear as an everyday dress, or to go out for lunch on my little crepe dates with E¡­ Or, perhaps, I could wear it to my date with Ethan. I quickly slipped off my own in dress and slipped on the blue one. My eyes widened as I looked at myself in the mirror; it really was beautiful on me. It reached down to my ankles and the skirt flowed when I moved, but the waist fit snugly to show off my curves. It had two thin straps that tied on my shoulders with soft, silky ribbons. I stepped out of the dressing room and twirled. ¡°What do you think?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh, it looks lovely on you!¡± the attendant said as she sped her hands together. Meanwhile, E squealed again in delight. ¡°Will you wear it today?¡± E asked, jumping up and down. ¡°Please? I want to match!¡± I looked down at myself, wondering if I looked out of ce with nothing else on but my tote bag, my sandals, and my sun hat, but decided that it was worth it to make E happy. ¡­ When we arrived back at the penthouse, I began to feel ill on the elevator. I hardly made it to the bathroom before I began to retch. When I was finished, I stood and leaned over the sink, taking deep breaths to soothe my nerves as the feeling of nausea lingered and the pounding in my head intensified. Suddenly, I heard someone clear their throat. I jumped and whirled around on my feet to see Selina standing in the doorway. ¡°Oh, g-good morning, Selina,¡± I said, my voice shaking slightly from the recent vomiting spell in Without speaking, she suddenly walked toward me and brusquely cupped my breast in her hand with her brow furrowed. ¡°Hey!¡± I shouted, jumping back and smacking her hand away as my face went bright red. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Selina frowned. ¡°Your breasts are heavy. Are you sure you¡¯re not pregnant?¡± My heart raced. I shook my head vigorously. ¡°I already told you I have food poisoning. Why do you keep fixating on it?¡± Selina¡¯s frown deepened even more and she narrowed her eyes. ¡°I was a midwife for many years, you know,¡± she said. ¡°I know a pregnant woman when I see one. But if you want to continue to lie to everyone, that¡¯s your choice.¡± Without another word, Selina turned on her heel and left my room. I scoffed incredulously at the old woman¡¯s forthright attitude. Of course she was correct, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to admit the truth¡­ Especially not now that Edrick had been so tantly cruel to me over the past several days. I still wasn¡¯t sure whether I wanted to bring a child into a situation like that, where it would no doubt be treated just as cruelly by its own father, and I didn¡¯t want to tell anyone about the pregnancy if I was just going to have an abortion. After rinsing out my mouth with mouthwash, I walked back out to my bedroom and paused in front of the mirror. The blue dress really was beautiful. I turned this way and that in the mirror, admiring how the bodice fit so perfectly and how the skirt twirled when I moved ¡ª and then, without thinking, I turned to the side to look at my belly, and I imagined how it would look and feel eight months from now. I ran my hands over my belly and closed my eyes, imagining the feeling of the little one inside of me. I wondered if it would be a little girl like E, or a little boy. I wondered if the child would have red hair like me. I had always wanted children. Just¡­ not like this. But I didn¡¯t know if I could bring myself to end the pregnancy. ¡­ Later that night, after dinner, I put E to bed and returned to my room. I took off my dress and hung it in the closet, then walked over to the bathroom to shower and get ready for bed. As I passed the bathroom sink, however, I did a double take and furrowed my brow. Someone ¡ª likely Selina ¡ª had ced a box of pregnancy tests on the sink. Part of me was somewhat annoyed at the housekeeper¡¯s blunt way of doing things, but I couldn¡¯t deny the fact that there was another,rger, part of me that was moved by her caring nature. Just then, for the first time in days, I felt Mina¡¯s presenceing out much more strongly. While I had felt her here and there over the past few days, she had onlye and gone briefly with few words, if any. Now, she seemed stronger and more able to talk. ¡°It¡¯s his baby,¡± she said, matter-of-factly. ¡°Yes,¡± I replied out loud, keeping my voice low. ¡°It¡¯s definitely his.¡± ¡°Are you going to keep it?¡± Mina asked. I paused for a moment, biting my lip thoughtfully before finally answering. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know, honestly,¡± I replied. ¡°I want to. I¡¯ve always wanted a little one of my own, but it¡¯s just¡­ It¡¯s not the best situation to bring a child into.¡± Now, Mina was silent for a moment. I could feel an ache in my chest, and I couldn¡¯t tell if it was more my pain or hers. Maybe both. ¡°I¡¯d like you to keep it,¡± she said. ¡°But I understand that he might not ept the baby, or treat it well. Ultimately, it¡¯s your decision, I suppose.¡± That, however, was precisely the problem. It was my decision, and the truth was that I didn¡¯t know which decision to make. I knew that I couldn¡¯t go on hiding this pregnancy forever. Selina already figured it out, and others would soon start to notice my belly growing. ¡°Will you be mad at me if I decide not to keep it?¡± I asked Mina. She didn¡¯t answer. In fact, while I was thinking to myself, I hadn¡¯t realized that her presence had faded away at all. I realized one thing, though: I would have to make a decision as soon as possible. Chapter 50 Chapter 50 #Chapter 50: Little Wolf Moana N?velDrama.Org (C) content. I woke up the next morning, after having stashed the box of unused pregnancy tests in my medicine cab, and felt even more sick than the day before. I was sure, as I achingly dragged myself out of bed and turned on the shower, that I would have to either end the pregnancy soon or tell someone about it; I couldn¡¯t go on feeling like this every day without some sort of support, and it was only going to get worse over time. The hot shower helped a bit with the nausea, and once I was dressed and took the medicine that the doctor gave me, I walked next door to wake E up. ¡°Rise and shine,¡± I said, opening the curtains to let the sunlight in. E yawned and stretched, her small hands curled into fists. ¡°I¡¯m still tired¡­¡± ¡°I know, love, but you have training today,¡± I said. I walked over to the bed and pulled the covers down, causing E to shiver and grumble before she finally got up. Soon enough, I had her dressed for training. As we ate breakfast, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that Selina¡¯s eyes seemed to be fixed on me. I knew that she was expecting some sort of answer regarding the pregnancy tests, but I never took one. I took E to training that morning without fuss, where I decided to wait and read a book instead of my usual routine of going to the orphanage due to my upset stomach and lightheadedness. When E was finished with her training, I was just relieved to be going home where I could rest for a little bit. When we arrived back at the penthouse, E ran off to practice on the piano while I sunk down into the big armchair in the living room with a sigh. My feet felt sore and my head pounded, and it was still only midday. Without realizing it, my eyes eventually closed as I sat in the sun and I began to nod off. I was awoken at some point, however, by the feeling of someone shaking my shoulder. I groaned quietly as I cracked my eyes open. Selina was standing over me with a concerned look on her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, stifling a yawn as I sat up. ¡°I must¡¯ve nodded off there for a little bit. Where¡¯s E?¡± ¡°She¡¯s ying in her room,¡± Selina said. Then, she lowered her voice so only the two of us could hear. ¡°Did you take a pregnancy test?¡± I froze for a moment, recalling how I had shoved the box of tests out of sight the night before without taking one ¡ª because I already knew that I was pregnant. Even though I was moved by Selina¡¯s concern, however, I wasn¡¯t ready to disclose that just yet. ¡°Um, yes,¡± I lied, nodding. ¡°I took one. It was negative.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Selina narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. She clearly didn¡¯t believe me, and before I could borate on my lie to make it more believable, she pulled the unopened box of pregnancy tests out of her apron pocket and waved it in front of my face. ¡°You didn¡¯t take a test.¡± I gulped, snatching the box from her hand, and stood. ¡°You went into my room again? And, you went through my cupboards this time, no less?¡± Beyond the issue of the pregnancy, this felt like a privacy vition, and it made me more than a bit ufortable. Selina, however, was unfazed. She folded her thin arms across her chest and frowned at me. ¡°Why did you lie to me?¡± she asked. Her voice was cold and annoyed. ¡°What purpose would you have to avoid simply taking the test, just to be safe?¡± A knot started to form in my stomach as Selina spoke. I realized then that I couldn¡¯t get away with not telling her anymore; if I didn¡¯t tell her now, she would certainly figure it out eventually, assuming she already hadn¡¯t figured it out. ¡°Fine,¡± I said, throwing my hands up in defeat and lowering my voice. ¡°I already know I¡¯m pregnant.¡± Selina¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Do you know who the father is?¡± she asked. I paused, wondering if I should reveal that the father was Edrick. But even though Selina had given me several reasons over my time working here to trust her, I still couldn¡¯t be sure that she wouldn¡¯t tell Edrick that I was pregnant with his child immediately, so I chose to lie¡­ Or, at least, withhold some of the truth. ¡°Yes,¡± I replied, then, thinking for a moment, said: ¡°The baby is a werewolf. That¡¯s all I¡¯ll say.¡± Selina paused, then nodded. I could tell just from looking at the expression on her face that she had an idea as to who the father was, but she seemed to decide not to pry any further. I appreciated that. ¡°Well then,¡± she said with a sigh. ¡°What are you going to do about it?¡± As I shook my head and thought of the decision I had to make, I suddenly felt tearse to my eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I replied tearfully, sinking back down defeatedly into the big, plush armchair. ¡°I don¡¯t know whether I should keep it or not. I¡¯m afraid¡­ I¡¯m afraid that the father won¡¯t ept the child as his own.¡± Selina was silent for several moments. She stood as still as a statue, but then, much to my surprise, she reached down and hesitantly pulled me toward her. My eyes widened as she did this, but then I felt myself rx, leaning my forehead against her apron as the tears continued to flow. I felt her hand strokingfortingly over my hair, which was a stark change from the usual curt nature of the older woman. But then, just as quickly as it began, she stopped and pulled away. ¡°I¡¯ll help you hide it for now. But only until next week. Do you understand?¡± I looked up at Selina, my brow furrowed. She was staring down at me; her expression had shifted from Selina nodded. She was silent again for a moment, then opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again and turned on her heel. Without another word, she scurried off. That evening, I began to notice subtle shifts in the housekeeper¡¯s actions and demeanor. She stopped what she was doing toe in and help me get E ready for dinner, then stayed with us while we ate, her eyes searching my face for any signs of nausea over the smell of the food. The food she prepared was hearty and gave me some strength for the first time since my dinner with Ethan, which was a weefort and something that I was incredibly grateful for. After dinner, Selina even helped me with getting E ready for bed. I thanked her profusely before retiring to my room, but not long after, I heard a soft knock on the door. I opened it to find no one there, but when I looked down, there was a tray of warm milk and a few small biscuits on the floor. I couldn¡¯t help but smile to myself at the housekeeper¡¯s sudden acts of kindness. It felt nice, after having been hiding the pregnancy, to have someone who was on my side and who could help me. It was something that I would always be grateful for, even if I decided not to go through with the pregnancy. Chapter 51 Chapter 51 #Chapter 51: The Dinner Moana Friday evening came much more quickly than I expected. I was nervous for my dinner with Ethan, more so because of the constant looming threat of Edrick finding out and getting upset than anything. I found Selina in the kitchen that morning and decided to tell her about my ns, since we had an understanding between us now and I knew I could trust her. ¡°Selina,¡± I said, walking up to her. ¡°I hope it¡¯s alright if I go out for dinner tonight. Will you be able to check on E while I¡¯m gone?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Selina said, not prying about who I would be dining with. She had been much more open toward me since she had learned about the pregnancy, and it was afort. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure E gets to bed, but just be back by ten o¡¯clock. Don¡¯t forget that E has training in the morning.¡± I nodded, just relieved to have an uing dinner that could possibly take my mind off of the baby for a little while and help me rx. The support of a good friend was all I really needed ¡ª I was sure of it. As I emerged from my room wearing my new blue dress with my hair curled and styled and a bit of minimal makeup on, however, I could tell from the wide eyed look on Edrick¡¯s face that he was a bit shocked by my appearance. He was still holding his briefcase with his suit jacket slung over his forearm, having juste home from work. For a moment, I stared at him with wide eyes, too. His tie was loosened, and the first few buttons of his shirt were undone. He had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exposing his veiny forearms, and his hair was a bit tousled. He must have taken a pit stop at his bar beforeing home. Admittedly, seeing him like this made me feel aroused, although I couldn¡¯t be sure if it was because of the pregnancy hormones or not. ¡°You look¡­¡± His voice faltered, and he quickly looked away. I knew that he wanted to say more, but he decided not to. ¡°Where are you going?¡± I felt my face get a little red and my heart skipped a beat. I had been hoping to leave without seeing him, but I couldn¡¯t not tell him anything, and I certainly couldn¡¯t tell him that I was having dinner with his brother. ¡°I¡¯m having dinner with a friend,¡± I said. The look on Edrick¡¯s face seemed to imply that he thought I was going on a date, not just dinner with a friend ¡ª but I was just having dinner with a friend. I had decided weeks ago that being anything more than friends with Ethan was not the best idea. ¡°Oh,¡± he said, clearing his throat and brushing past me, returning to his cold and indifferent demeanor once more. ¡°Well¡­ Try not to be back toote. Don¡¯t forget that E has training in the morning.¡± I nodded, averting my gaze, and gathered my purse before taking a deep breath and stepping onto the elevator. Even though Ethan offered to pick me up in front of the penthouse, I decided that it wasn¡¯t the best idea for Edrick to know who exactly I was going out with, so I walked a few blocks away toward the nearest subway station where Ethan was pulled over, waiting for me. A wide grin spread across Ethan¡¯s face as he got out of the car and came around to open my door for me. ¡°You look stunning,¡± he said. ¡°That dress¡­¡± ¡°E actually picked it out,¡± I said with a chuckle as I climbed into the car. His smile widening, Ethan closed the door and climbed back into the driver¡¯s seat. The next thing I knew, we were pulling up to a fancy restaurant down by the waterfront. Ethan held his arm out for me to take as we entered. I felt my face get hot and red as I hooked my arm with his, but that shyness turned to astonishment when I saw how beautiful the inside of the restaurant was. And it was empty, too. ¡°Did you¡­¡± I began, looking around at the empty restaurant with its high ceilings andrge windows overlooking the ocean below. Ethan nodded. ¡°I rented the whole ce out. For privacy, of course.¡± A waiter came up to us then and showed us to a table. It was located not inside the restaurant, but rather on an intimate, covered balcony on the second floor. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°We¡¯ll have a bottle of wine to start,¡± Ethan said to the waiter, who nodded and scurried away before I had a chance to protest. How was I supposed to exin to Ethan that I couldn¡¯t drink alcohol because I was pregnant with his brother¡¯s baby? ¡°So¡­¡± Ethan said, leaning on the railing of the balcony and looking out over the ocean. ¡°How is everything going? With¡­ you-know-who. If you don¡¯t mind me asking, of course.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Edrick is Edrick,¡± I replied, not wanting to get into too much detail. ¡°I can¡¯t tell sometimes if he hates me or not.¡± ¡°He¡¯s always been like that.¡± Ethan lifted his gaze from the ocean to look at me. ¡°Don¡¯t let it get to you, though. You¡¯re lovely. Whatever issues he has are issues with himself, not you.¡± His kind words made me smile a bit, but also made me feel a bit curious. Ethan and Edrick had grown up together, after all. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking,¡± I said, ¡°what was it like growing up in the Morgan household?¡± Ethan chuckled. ¡°Not as painless as one would expect, despite all of the luxuries provided for me,¡± he replied. ¡°You¡¯re aware that my mother isn¡¯t Verona, correct? Edrick is my half brother.¡± I nodded, averting my gaze. ¡°I¡¯ve gathered that.¡± Ethan shrugged nonchntly. ¡°Yeah. I know it seems a bit inappropriate for the offspring of a mistress to be raised in the home, but Verona was a good mother and treated me like her own. She always made sure to tell me that it wasn¡¯t my fault that her husband was unfaithful. Edrick, on the other hand¡­¡± ¡°He never epted it, did he?¡± I asked. Ethan shook his head. There was a moment of silence, followed by the waiter returning with a bottle of wine and two sses. Ethan gestured for me to sit as the waiter poured our wine and prattled off his spiel about where the wine was from, how long it had been aged, and the vor notes. When he was finished, he left us alone once more. I was about to mention that I would only be having water to drink when Ethan picked up his ss and raised it for a toast. ¡°A toast to the lovely Moana,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m d to have met you. Here¡¯s to not getting scolded by Edrick.¡± I chuckled nervously, trying my best to hide the fact that my heart quickened its pace and my nerves raised as I picked up my own ss of water instead, raising that for a toast. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind if I don¡¯t drink tonight, actually,¡± I said. ¡°Oh.¡± Ethan c****d his head. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± Then, jokingly: ¡°You¡¯re not pregnant, are yo Chapter 52 Chapter 52 #Chapter 52: The Alpha¡¯s Gaze Moana ¡°You¡¯re not pregnant, are you?¡± I froze at Ethan¡¯s words, my eyes wide as I stuttered toe up with a response. ¡°I¨C I¡¯m not¨C¡± Ethan, seeing my ufortable struggle, lowered his ss and quickly shook his head to dispel the seriousness of the suggestion he had just made. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said. ¡°I was only joking. Maybe that wasn¡¯t a very appropriate thing to joke about. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to drink alcohol tonight.¡± I tried tough off Ethan¡¯s joke, but it was almost embarrassing how astute that joke actually was ¡ª if only he actually knew. Then, quickly, I fumbled in my mind to find the right excuse so as not to raise any more red gs about the reality of the situation. ¡°I just¡­ I need to be up early tomorrow, to take E to her training.¡± Ethan nodded understandingly, but oddly looked a little disappointed at the same time. I watched as he silently took a sip of his wine, then set the ss down. ¡°I hope that¡¯s okay,¡± I blurted out. ¡°I suppose I should¡¯ve said something before you spent the money on a bottle of wine.¡± ¡°No, no,¡± Ethan assured me. ¡°It¡¯s perfectly fine. Although, I must admit, I was secretly hoping for something.¡± I raised my eyebrows. ¡°Hoping for what?¡± Nothing could have prepared me for what Ethan said next. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m staying at my penthouse downtown for the weekend,¡± he said. ¡°Admittedly, I was hoping to bring you there tonight, but I suppose you can¡¯te since you¡¯ve got to be up early for E tomorrow.¡± I felt a bit taken aback by Ethan¡¯s admission, and a little ufortable. I had thought that we were just two friends going out for dinner; I never thought for even a moment that he brought me here tonight with the intention of taking me home to his penthouse for the night. I supposed, then, that it was silly of me to ever assume something like that, and it reminded me of how naive I had been on the night of my one night stand with Edrick, when I stupidly took a drink from a strange man. ¡°Ethan,¡± I said, frowning a little, ¡°I thought we were just going out for dinner¨C¡± Ethan¡¯s face went a little red, and he nodded. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sorry. I just¡­ I guess I was hoping to have a little time to get to know you, without Edrick looming over us.¡± There were several long moments of palpable silence that hung so thickly in the air that I felt I could cut them with a knife. Just as it was bing unbearable, the waiter finally returned with two tes of food. ¡°Filet mignon for the gentleman,¡± the waiter said, abruptly ending the awkward silence, ¡°and penne a vodka for thedy.¡± The food smelled delightful, making us both momentarily forget our ufortable tension. For the first time in days, I actually wanted to eat. In fact, the food was so tantalizing, that as soon as I took the first bite, I knew that this very dish could perhaps be my first pregnancy food obsession. ¡°This is delicious,¡± I said, setting down my fork so as not to eat too fast, and savored the vor in my mouth. Ethan smiled and took a bite of his steak. For the remainder of the night, we didn¡¯t bring up the awkwardness surrounding Ethan¡¯s penthouse, and actually had a lovely time and many deep chats that made me temporarily forget about the looming issue at hand of the pregnancy. ¡­ Later that night, after enjoying a lovely dinner together, Ethan took me back to the spot where we initially met just outside the subway station. ¡°I really had a wonderful night,¡± I said. ¡°Thank you for everything.¡± Ethan smiled. ¡°I¡¯m d. And¡­ I really am sorry about that misunderstanding earlier. I know that it was inappropriate of me to assume that you would want to spend the night with me on our first real date. Can I be honest with you?¡± I nodded. ¡°I think I¡¯m a little jealous that you sleep with Edrick every night,¡± he said. ¡°I know it¡¯s just to help him sleep, and he¡¯s paying you for it, but¨C¡± ¡°We actually terminated our agreement,¡± I interrupted. ¡°On the night of the exhibition.¡± Ethan appeared to be taken aback. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I hope that I didn¡¯t somehow cause that.¡± I shook my head. ¡°No. It¡¯s alright ¡ª it was a weird arrangement anyway, so I¡¯m d that it¡¯s over.¡± I realized, as I finished talking, that my hand was on my belly. I quickly pulled it away and got out of the car as I pushed the memories of that night after the exhibition out of my head. ¡°Oh,¡± he said, looking a little relieved. I bit my lip, thinking for a moment, before speaking again. ¡°Ethan,¡± I said, taking a deep breath, ¡°I really value your friendship. I¡¯d like us to just stay friends, if that¡¯s alright.¡± Ethan stared down at hisp for a moment. He looked sad, but finally nodded understandingly after a few moments and shot me a soft smile. ¡°That¡¯s alright with me,¡± he said. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, feeling a little relieved that he wasn¡¯t too upset by it as men often could be when a woman told them that she just wanted to be friends. ¡°I would love to spend more time together, though.¡± Ethan nodded. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll see you soon, okay?¡± After that, he kissed my hand and I began my walk home. The streets were quiet, filled only by the sound of my heels clicking on the pavement. My belly felt full and satisfied after the wonderful meal, and I felt rxed after chatting with a good friend, despite the temporary difort of Ethan¡¯s proposition to return to his penthouse together. As I entered through the lobby of the apartment building and took the elevator up, however, I began to feel mounting anxiety as I wondered if Edrick would be awake. I hoped that he wouldn¡¯t question me any further about my dinner. If he found out that I secretly went out to dinner with his brother, who he insisted that I stay away from for whatever reason, it would only end in an argument. When I arrived back at the penthouse, everything was dark ¡ª except for a singlemp in the living room. I stepped into the room and crossed over to themp to shut it off, not realizing that Edrick was sitting in therge armchair by the couch until I passed by him. I stopped in my tracks, my heart racing already as I locked eyes with the Alpha billionaire. There was a whiskey ss in his hand and a hint of sadness behind his steely gray eyes as his gaze slid over my N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. hair, my face, and eventually down to my new blue dress. His face contained a mixture of pain and attraction; the alcohol made him disy his emotions inly, as opposed to how closed off he had been earlier. ¡°Hello,¡± I said, clearing my throat to break the awkward silence. ¡°You¡¯re upte.¡± He didn¡¯t answer. With ast look at my dress, he turned on his heel and retreated to his room. Chapter 53 Chapter 53 #Chapter 53: Charity G Moana I didn¡¯t see Edrick the next day, or the day after that, for that matter. When he was not at work, he mostly stayed in his bedroom or in his study, and only spoke in brief words to me in passing. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he had some idea that I went out with his brother for dinner, although admittedly, I also didn¡¯t hear from Ethan at all either. As the days ticked on and Selina¡¯s deadline came closer, I still hadn¡¯t made a decision over whether to keep the baby or not. I appreciated the housekeeper¡¯s kind generosity, but I could tell that her patience was starting to wear thin. If I didn¡¯t make a decision soon, I was almost certain that she would say something to Edrick; the housekeeper no doubt realized immediately from my insinuations that the baby belonged to Edrick, and she was too loyal to the Morgan family not to say anything to him about it. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder about something else, too: if I decided to keep the baby, would it also be a good idea to finally tell Edrick that I had started showing signs of having my own wolf? Would he be more likely to ept the baby as his own if he knew that it wasn¡¯t actually a hybrid? But then again, would that also cause more disappointment for him down the line if the child wound up being wolfless? Mina still hadn¡¯t shown any signs of fully emerging any time soon, so there was no telling as to whether I was always going to be considered a human in everyone¡¯s eyes. Despite all of these questions floating around in my head, however, I still had a job to do. I spent the next few days tending to E as much as I could, and continued to take the nausea pills that the doctor prescribed me so that I could perform my job duties. If I did decide to keep this baby, I would have to know for certain that I would have enough job stability to at least be able to save up a bit of money in case Edrick decided to fire me if he found out. I couldn¡¯t be going around taking any more personal time off, upsetting Edrick, or shirking my job responsibilities due to nausea. N?velDrama.Org (C) content. One day, it was particrly rainy outside. I was sitting on the living room floor with E and putting together a puzzle with her when I suddenly heard the elevator doors open, and looked over my shoulder to see Edrick hanging his raincoat and umbre on the hook by the door. He saw me looking and frowned briefly, his eyes darting away as though he didn¡¯t even want to look at me, before he came to stand in front of E and myself. ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked, his question directed at E instead of me, which I was getting used to at this point. ¡°A puzzle,¡± E replied thoughtfully as she dug through the pile of pieces to find the next piece of the giraffe that we were working on. ¡°It¡¯s an¡­ African¡­ Saforee.¡± ¡°African Safari,¡± I corrected her. ¡°Looks interesting,¡± Edrick said. It was strange of him to be socializing with both of us together considering how aloof he had beentely, but I figured that he was ramping up to something ¡ª and I realized that my assumptions were correct only a few momentster. ¡°Moana, I¡¯d like to talk to you,¡± he said, turning toward his study. I nodded and climbed to my feet, watching as he stormed off without another word. At that moment, I was certain that I was going to be scolded for something, and I could feel my heart quicken its pace. Had Selina mentioned the pregnancy to him after all? ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± I said to the thoroughly distracted E, ruffling her hair before following Edrick and closing the study door behind me. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m holding a charity g tomorrow night,¡± Edrick replied. ¡°I expect you to be there.¡± I furrowed my brow, taken aback by the Alpha billionaire¡¯s sudden mention of charity. ¡°A charity g?¡± I asked. ¡°What for?¡± ¡°Contrary to popr belief, I do keep my promises,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s for the orphanage.¡± Now, I was even more taken aback. I thought back to myst conversation with Sophia, who told me that Edrick had been updating her on the process, but I never thought that he would go so far as to host a charity g for the orphanage¡¯s sake. Once my shock had faded enough for me to speak, I finally said, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s really nice of you. Thank you.¡± Edrick shrugged. ¡°It looks good for thepany.¡± I didn¡¯t believe him. I knew that there was a tiny bit of the Alpha CEO deep down that secretly wanted to help people, but I didn¡¯t say that. ¡°Anyway,¡± he continued, ¡°be ready by six o¡¯clock.¡± I nodded and excused myself before turning to the door to leave, but just as I ced my hand on the doorknob, Edrick called after me onest time. ¡°Oh, and by the way,¡± he said, ¡°my brother won¡¯t be there. So there¡¯s no need for you to show off.¡± I froze, my grip tightening on the doorknob. Had Edrick realized that I went on a date with Ethan after all? ¡°Show off?¡± I said, turning around to face him and feeling my hand curl up into a fist at my side. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Edrick scoffed. ¡°I saw how you were dressed the other night. You looked far too beautiful that night for someone who was just going out for a simple dinner with a friend.¡± I felt my face get red as Edrick called me beautiful, and judging from the surprised look that shed across his visage, I could tell that even he was a bit surprised by his own choice of words. ¡°Anyway,¡± he continued, turning around to face the window as well as to likely hide his own embarrassment, ¡°dress well tonight, of course, but don¡¯t dress too well. And remember: many of the people in attendance are going to be wealthy werewolf socialites, so I expect you to behave ordingly.¡± ¡°And¡­ As for E?¡± I asked, choosing to ignore the fact that he had essentially just told me that I couldn¡¯t be trusted to act appropriately in front of wealthy werewolves. Edrick turned around to face me once more. ¡°She¡¯ll being, too,¡± he said. I c****d my head. ¡°I thought you have to keep her from the public eye¨C¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Edrick said, waving me away with his hand, ¡°but the g will only have trusted friends and family in attendance, as well as only a few trusted reporters. I¡¯m not worried, so long as you keep her upied.¡± I nodded. ¡°Is that all?¡± Edrick nodded as well. ¡°Yes. You can go now.¡± Without another word, I turned and left the room. I still felt strange around Edrick after ourst interaction, when he essentially told me that my social ss was too lowly for him to treat me with respect ¡ª but, at the very least, he hadn¡¯t mentioned the pregnancy. I was relieved to know that Selina had indeed kept her promise to keep my secret, although I wasn¡¯t sure for how much longer. Chapter 54 Chapter 54 #Chapter 54: G Day Moana On the morning of the g, I woke up early with E to get ready for the day. She had an appointment with a stylist and hairdresser before the g. Selina exined to me, after I questioned the reasoning behind this for such a little girl, that it wasmonce for these sorts of events. Even though E was not publicly known as Edrick¡¯s daughter, everyone in attendance at the g was aware of it, and it was important for public rtions for Edrick¡¯s daughter to look her best ¡ª even though she was only eight years old. It felt a little ridiculous to me for such a young girl to be subjected to hours of having her hair done and being fitted for a perfect dress, but I didn¡¯tin. Once E was bathed, we walked out to the dining room for breakfast. Much to my surprise, Edrick was sitting there with his te of food, a coffee, and a newspaper. ¡°Good morning, Daddy,¡± E said, walking up to him and nting a kiss on his cheek. ¡°Good morning, Princess,¡± he replied, not so much as looking in my general direction. ¡°Are you excited to get your hair done?¡± E sighed and sat down at the table. ¡°No,¡± she grumbled as she began to pick at her eggs and sausage with her fork. ¡°I hate getting my hair done.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be alright, E,¡± I chimed in as I sat down next to her and tucked a napkin into the front of her shirt to keep her from getting scrambled eggs on her clothes. ¡°It¡¯s no different from now you y with your dolls and do their hair.¡± ¡°Except I¡¯m not a doll,¡± E said. ¡°I¡¯m a real girl.¡± I smiled and, wanting to cheer her up, gently tickled her waist and made her giggle. ¡°Well, you look like a doll!¡± I eximed. The air became filled with the sweet sound of the little girl¡¯sughter. I nced up momentarily to see Edrick¡¯s eyes gazing at me over his newspaper, but he quickly hid his face again. Just then, I turned around to start eating¡­ but that was when the smell of the eggs and sausage hit me. I felt as though I was about to retch. I couldn¡¯t keep a gag froming, which E unfortunately saw before I covered my mouth. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. ¡°Are you okay, Moana?¡± she asked. ¡°Are you gonna puke?¡± I shook my head, my eyes watering. I was still holding my hand over my mouth to steady myself as I breathed deeply through my nose ¡ª but as I did, the smell only worsened, and I gagged again. Selina, who had poked her head out of the kitchen at E¡¯s mention of vomit, suddenly saw what was happening and rushed over. She took my te away. I heard some banging around in the kitchen for a few minutes before she reemerged with a ck coffee and in toast. ¡°Thank you,¡± I whispered. Selina only nodded. I took a sip of my coffee, feeling relieved, but that feeling of tension only returned as I looked up again to see that Edrick was now staring daggers at me over his newspaper. Surely he noticed that something was awry, but before I could say anything, he finished his meal and quickly stood. I watched as he nted a kiss on the top of E¡¯s head, then disappeared without a word. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay, Moana?¡± E asked, c*****g her little head to the side with a concerned expression on her face. She spoke with her mouth full, giving her the appearance of a funny little chipmunk with her chubby cheeks. I nodded, taking my napkin to wipe a bit of sausage grease off of her lips, then pulled her te closer to her and tapped the edge of it with my finger. ¡°Eat your breakfast. The stylist will be here soon. Don¡¯t you want to go on our walk before she gets here?¡± E, satisfied with my response and excited now over the prospect of our morning walk, wolfed down the rest of her breakfast. I soon felt the positive effects of the ck coffee and in toast on my stomach, and felt well enough to go on our walk. When we returned from our walk, the stylist arrived soon afterwards. Once E was busy with the stylist, I headed to my room to get some rest before the g. Not long after Iid down, however, I was startled by a knock on the door. Before I could even answer, the door cracked open and Selina stepped in. I sat up, puzzled as she walked over to me with something in one hand and a ss of water in the other. ¡°Here,¡± she said, handing me the ss of water and opening her other hand to reveal tworge pills. ¡°They¡¯re vitamins for expecting mothers of werewolves. It should help with the nausea so you don¡¯t have any idents tonight.¡± I hesitantly took the pills, but I trusted Selina, so I popped them in my mouth and swallowed them. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said. ¡°And thank you for what you did at breakfast this morning, too.¡± Selina didn¡¯t answer. I watched as she walked over to the door, but just before she left, she hesitated and looked over her shoulder. ¡°I hope you make your decision soon,¡± she said. ¡°Please try not to put it off for too much longer.¡± I bit my lip, then opened my mouth to speak, but she was already gone. I sighed,ying back down on my bed. Instead of resting, I spent the entire afternoon puzzling over what I should do about this baby. ¡­ That night, I put on a simple, but elegant, ck dress with low heels, and a simple silver ne. I pulled my hair back into a half bun and put on some subtle makeup before walking out of my room. E was dressed in an adorable little emerald green dress with matching Mary Jane shoes and a pearl ne. The stylist had done an excellent job, even going so far as to weave tiny little pearls into E¡¯s hair. ¡°Moana, you¡¯re so pretty!¡± she said, running over to me with a grin on her face when I emerged from my room. ¡°You¡¯re like a princess.¡± I smiled and crouched down to her level, pinching her cheek with one hand. ¡°I think you¡¯re the only princess here,¡± I said, which made her cheeks turn rosy. Standing, I then took her small hand in mine before we stepped onto the elevator. Edrick was already waiting in the car, and as we made our way across the lobby, then stepped out into the warm summer air, I felt almost as if E and I were mother and daughter ourselves and began to feel a little emotional over it. I quickly pushed the thought out of my mind and chalked it up to the pregnancy hormones. The driver gave me a polite nod and opened the back door for us. We climbed in, and I noticed that Edrick was sitting in the back seat along with us. His cold gray eyes