The car journey was unusually quiet, with Melody subconsciously fiddling with the paper bag containing the container Damian had packed for her.
She still couldn’t wrap her head around his sudden behaviour change. It was as if he had undergone a complete transformation.
He abruptly broke the silence, stating, “I will be picking you up from now on.”
Melody frowned, confused by his words. “Why not use the driver?” she asked.
Damian rolled his eyes. “Are you seriously asking me that? You’re pregnant, Mel.”
“You never cared about it before,” Melody retorted, still sceptical about his newfound concern.
Usually, he would just agree or say nothing more when she inquired about her ride home.
He set aside his tab and replied firmly, “Do you have to question everything I do?”
Melody responded with equal determination, “Yes because you’ve never done this before. I just want to know the reason. Is it that difficult for you to answer?”
Victor and Matthew, seated in the front, exchanged a knowing look. They knew what was unfolding in the back seat. The impending conflict was evident in the air.
Damian huffed, his arms crossed defensively across his chest, “Do you think I want to do this? If it wasn’t for the fact that you’re pregnant, I wouldn’t have to.”
Melody’s eyes widened in disbelief, “Excuse me? That’s not what you told me yesterday!”
“Fine, if you’re not genuinely doing this out of care, then don’t,” she snapped, the situation becoming increasingly frustrating for her.
Damian looked taken aback, his frown deepening as he retorted, “Did I say I didn’t want to?”
“Dude! You said it in other words!!” She exclaimed, her frustration mounting. “It sounds like you’re compelled to do this but don’t want it!”
He let out a weary sigh, running a hand through his hair. “That’s not what I meant. It’s just…” he trails off, struggling to find the right words.
Melody crosses her arms, waiting for his explanation. Her eyes narrowed, “It’s just what?”
He looks down, avoiding her gaze. “I just… I’m not used to this okay? I’ve never been in this situation before. How am I supposed to know what to do?”
He looked at her, a mix of vulnerability and uncertainty in his eyes, “This is all new to me, too, you know? I’m trying my best…”
His words make Melody softened. She should have realized that. The first time they met, she noticed Damian only knew his family and his comrades. Also, he has trouble showing his emotions.
She sighs.
The car came to a halt in front of her bakery. Before stepping out of the vehicle, Melody turned to Damian with a soft, hesitant clearing of her throat, seeking his attention.
“Thank you for packing the fruit,” she spoke quietly. “Well… I’m sorry. See you later,” she spoke sincerely before exiting the car and making her way towards the bakery, being greeted by Calestia with a warm smile.
It was evident that everyone was happy to have her around.
“Well, that was something,” Matthew spoke up, breaking the silence.
“Shut up, Mat,” Damian sighed, folding his arms in irritation.
Matthew and Victor exchanged a knowing glance, sensing the tension in the air. They knew they had struck a nerve.
Finally, Victor decided to chime in, a sly grin on his face. “If you don’t mind me asking, why were you asking the housemaid about how to take care of a pregnant woman?”
Damian instantly stiffened, his fingers twitching involuntarily.
He hadn’t expected to be called out on that. “I…I just wanted to take care of her. She’s pregnant, remember?” he tried to justify, his voice slightly defensive.
Matthew and Victor exchanged another knowing smirk, enjoying the situation they had created.
Damian’s irritation continued to grow. “But we didn’t expect you to bother asking for tips about it from people,” Victor added, clearly enjoying himself.
Before he could respond to their taunts, his phone beeped, cutting off his retort. He picked up his phone, silently hoping it was a distraction from the situation. Unfortunately for him, it was just a reminder about the meeting with Riccardo later.
He clenched his jaw, his irritation building. “Just… Just keep driving,” he commanded the driver.
Matthew couldn’t resist adding his two cents. “Since when are you so eager to meet Riccardo?” he taunted.
Damian’s frustration reached a new level. “I’m not,” he replied curtly, his voice strained.
Matthew smirked, knowing he had struck a nerve. “But you-” He was about to continue when Damian cut him off with a loud groan.
“Arghh!! For fuck sake! Just drive already!!” He snapped.
Matthew and Victor chuckled, knowing they had successfully riled up their boss.
Feeling victorious, Matthew and Victor leaned back in their seats, enjoying the rare sight of their boss being riled up. As the car started moving, Matthew couldn’t help but take one last jab.
“You know, if you’re that desperate to learn how to take care of pregnant women, you could always google it,” he teased.
Damian rolls his eyes.
____
Melody set down the tray of freshly baked cupcakes, wiping the sweat from her forehead. She never felt this hot standing in front of the oven before. She glanced up at the air conditioner on the ceiling, feeling hotter than usual.
Celestia wiped her hands with a towel and approached her with concern. “Are you okay, ma’am?”
She let out a sigh. “Yes, I’m fine. I just… I’ve never sweated like this before.”
Celestia’s brows furrowed in worry. “Maybe it’s because you’re pregnant. You might be more sensitive to everything around you now.”
Melody nodded, starting to understand that her body was changing due to pregnancy.
Celestia continued, “You should rest and let us do the job.”
___
Melody, being stubbornly determined, shook her head. “No way. I want to help too,” she protested, pouting.
“But ma’am-” she began, knowing how stubborn their boss lady could be.
Melody cut her off before she could protest further. “Nope. Once I say I want to do something, I will do it,” she huffed, her determination unwavering.
Celestia sighed, realizing there was no point in trying to change her mind. She had heard from Damian and others about how stubborn their boss lady could be, but it was also one of the qualities that made her even more interesting.
Melody glanced over at the clock, noticing that it was already lunchtime. Her stomach growled, signalling that she was hungry.
“Cel, can you take care of the store for a while? I want to go grab lunch for everyone,” she stated, already making up her mind.
Celestia tried to reason with her. “You don’t have to do that, ma’am. We can go out and grab lunch for ourselves.”
Rather than listening to Celestia, Melody shook her head and stubbornly insisted. “It’s fine. I want to do this by myself,” she said, her mind set on her task.
“If… you say so,” she sighed in defeat. There was no convincing Melody once she made up her mind.
Melody grabbed her bag and headed towards the door, dragging a guard with her. “Let’s go! We have a mission to accomplish!” she exclaimed excitedly.
The door shut closed behind her, leaving Celestia standing anxiously in the bakery. Even if she was only in the early stages of pregnancy, there was no denying that extra protection was necessary for her.
Mike, a guard, leaned on the counter nearby. “Looks like our boss lady is keeping us busy, huh?”
Celestia rolled her eyes playfully. “Don’t say it like that. She is a ball of sunshine. She never a burden to anyone,” she defended.
He chuckled, understanding the sentiment behind her words. “I know, but don’t you think it’s dangerous to let her go out with only one guard?” he asked, his concern evident.
“Yeah…” Celestia pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Victor.
She needed to inform him about Melody’s little outing before it got out of hand. Once she put her phone back in her pocket, she turned her attention back to the growing number of customers.
“If you’re done gossiping, we have a lot of customers,” she reminded Mike.
Mike nodded, silently cursing his loose tongue. He pushed himself off the counter and went to assist the customers, trying to distract himself from his earlier worry.
The bakery remained busy throughout the afternoon. As the number of customers dwindled, the staff had a moment to catch their breaths.
Celestia couldn’t shake off the worry about Melody’s whereabouts. She knew their boss lady was fiercely independent and often tried to do everything on her own. Not only that…
If something happened to her, who knows what Damian would do?