Claire’s POV.
“Mommy!” Isabel’s tiny hand raps over my door, over and over again. What does she want?
“Mommy, Mommy,” Her voice comes again, with a higher pitch, causing my irritation to rise more.
I’ve been angry since this evening and I don’t want that daughter of mine to add to it.
Gosh!
I toss around under my blanket as Isabel’s knock on my door goes off again.
“Dammit!” I curse, propping up from the bed and letting my eyes wander around the dark room to the door. “Such an annoying child!” I spit with venom and toss the duvet aside.
I pad down the floor, heading over to the door. Swinging it open, I gaze down only to see the replica of my ex-husband, making my eyes burn with hatred.
“Isabel, what’s all this about? So, I can’t rest because we want to see me?” I bark at her, seething.
I regretted my marriage with my ex-husband and all the hatred I had for him got transferred to Isabel because I never wanted a child with him.
I took every possible contraceptive but this girl refused to go like the others. When I realized about the pregnancy it was already too late to perform an abortion.
I nearly got myself killed because of her and it makes me hate her more. I know I shouldn’t but I can’t help it.
I don’t want Isabel in my life. And just like she clung to me from pregnancy to her birth, she still clings to me now.
“Mommy, mommy,” She sing-song, holding her teddy bear and looking at me with doe eyes. So oblivious of my hatred for her.
“Where is Maria!?” I scream her nanny’s name, expecting her to come do her job.
Footsteps come from the hallway and then I see my illegitimate sister, Constance heading our way.
She’s smiling but I’m in no mood for that.
“Is everything alright?” She asks, looking at Isabel and me.
“Did you perhaps see her nanny?” I boom instead of answering her question.
For a minute she crunched her brows together in thought. “Oh my, Maria’s dozing on the kitchen island. The poor girl must be tired.”
Hell, hearing that makes my anger rise more. How dare her!?
I’m just about to step outside and meet that dirt of a girl and vent my anger on her when Constance suggests…
“I think she needs a break. Maria has tried today.” She looks down at Isabel who fixed her eyes on me and says. “Hey, girl, let’s give Mommy some space, yeah?”
Thank goodness, I sigh and watch as she tugs Isabel away from my presence.
Sucking in a relieved breath, I slip back inside and turn on my light allowing the glow to spread across the room.
I’m so angry about how this evening went. All I can think about is Vera and how she keeps messing things up for me.
What’s so special about that brat? She manages to snatch David’s attention all the damn time, I’m so tired.
Running my hands through my hair, I remember just how David didn’t even reply to my love confessions.
He’s practically the first man I’ve ever said that to.
“Huhhhh…” I grunt, my irritation flowing through me in waves.
What do I do now? Am I just going to give up like that? Allow that brat to have David?
No way. I’ll keep fixing myself in his life until he has no other option but to accept me.
I’m literally breathing for the man. He’s mine.
As I wallow in the silence of my room with thoughts in my mind, Tracy’s words back then flit through me.
She said to never allow someone else to take him. And that’s what’s on my mind. I’m not about to allow that girl to take him.
Sinking into my bed with thoughts about David in my mind, I sleep off.
—
I’ve been awake since seven in the morning and now it’s nine a. m., I go through my social media, looking to see anything that has to do with Vera’s emergency David left me for but I see nothing.
The coffee in my cup is running low and I call on Maria.
“Maria, fill my cup for me again.”
“Yes ma’am.” She says, coming from the kitchen with Isabel’s water bottle in her hand. Maria takes the cup and heads over to the coffee machine to fill it up.
The servants are all busy, cleaning up as it’s weekend today.
I grab the cup from Maria and continue to enjoy the sting of the hot coffee when my father arrives.
“Oh, Claire?”
I jerk and turn to face him. His gray beard takes up his jaw but he still looks a bit strong.
“Dad,” I call greeting him.
With a smile, he comes over. “I thought you might be at work.” He says, settling before me.
“I’m not in the right mood.”
“I see. I was actually going to pay David a surprise visit. I wanted to discuss a few things with him…”
Hearing his name, my heart jolts awake and a smile finds its way to my lips.
“Really?” I ask with a cocked brow.
“Oh, yes. I want to know him way more than I do before considering my options, you know.”
He surges to his feet and I do too.
“I guess I’ll swing by with you,” I tell him, walking by his side.
My dad only shrugs as we get into the backseat of the car.
“I see you and David are growing more close.”
“Apparently.” I snap, not even certain if it’s true.
Are we getting closer or is that brat a hindrance to us?
In a nick of time, we pull into David’s mansion.
We hop out of the car and I see him with a few men in black suits as he addresses them. Did he bring more guards over?
“David!” My dad’s voice booms.
Fuck, seeing him makes my heart skip several beats.
“Mr. Oliver?” David struts over, obviously surprised. He shakes my dad’s hand and throws a curt look my way.
“Hi…” I wave at him but he’s
already padding away with dad, barely sparing me a look.
What’s wrong with him?
I leave the men for a while to discuss business as I wonder if that brat is still in this house. I wish she would leave so I can have the man to myself.
It’s been about an hour since I allowed the men to discuss and now I make my way to them and take a stand by David’s side.
“Claire was telling me you guys are becoming an item…” My dad rattles.
I grin inwardly, loving the topic. David’s breath stutters….
“Not exactly what you assume, Mr. Oliver…” David spews but I cut him off.
“Well Dad, we just recently started dating, you know.”
The instant the words leave my lips, we hear a loud thud and we all look back, only to see that Vera has tripped off on feet and fell down awkwardly.
Did she hear my words? My heart blooms at the thought. Maybe she was shocked by what I said.
Yes, I love where this is going. I won’t let her shatter my plans of becoming David’s woman…
“Oh, uh…” She stutters, bringing her gaze up she locks eyes with me briefly and I see the pain swirling in her eyes.
She heard perfectly what I said just now…
I plaster a smile on my face as she holds onto a look of jealousy…
To be continued…