Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Sydney
Sydney successfully avoided Sadie’s question and focused on her breakfast. Her plate was nearly empty, though she wasn’t entirely sure what she’d eaten.
They’d called them pancakes, but these weren’t the pancakes she was used to. Back home pancakes were thin, big, and covered with loads of cinnamon sugar and a drizzle of lemon juice. Not these fluffy, towering stacks slathered in butter and drizzled in maple syrup.
“How are your pancakes?” Sadie asked.
“These aren’t pancakes,” Sydney muttered with a bemused expression.
“They’re American pancakes,” Megan replied with a giggle.
Sydney corrected her with a small shake of her head, “No, these are flapjacks.”
The entire table erupted in laughter again.
Chastity nearly spat juice across the table. “Oh no, no, no, honey. That’s adorable. But these are without a doubt pancakes. What even is a flapjack?”
Sydney waved at the plate in front of her with a huge smile on her face. “These are.”
“Well, I don’t know what Jack ever did to South Africans to cause them to want to make him all flappy, but we’ll just stick to calling them pancakes, shall we?” Sadie teased.
Despite the mild roasting, Sydney found herself giggling again. She hadn’t even noticed how much lighter she felt until the plate was cleared and her stomach was full and warm. Until, of course, Master Derek appeared.
He was already walking toward them from the other side of the cafeteria, his calm and commanding presence cutting through the chaos like a blade. When his eyes met Sadie’s she immediately straightened and nudged Sydney.
“That’s my cue. Come on then,” she whispered.
Sydney stood, tucking Banana tighter under her arm, and followed obediently.
“Ladies,” Master Derek said, with a nod. “Sydney, could you please come with me to my office? We need to talk through a few things, alright?”
The weight dropped back into her chest instantly.
Sadie offered a reassuring smile and a soft squeeze of her hand, and gave her a big hug before moving into her Daddy and letting him kiss her before patting her on her bum and sending her on her way to get dressed for class with a warning that her hide would be tanned if she was late again.
Master Derek and Sydney made their way through the halls in silence. His office was warm, comfortable and inviting. Sydney immediately sunk into the soft couch.
Master Derek sat behind the desk, and folded his hands. “We’ve tried to reach Greg.”
Sydney’s heart stopped.
“He answered once. When we told him who we were, and that you were here with us, he got... aggressive. Angry. Told us to mind our business and let you go back to the airport. Then he hung up. We tried again, and the line was already disconnected. We haven’t been able to get through since.”
Sydney’s throat went dry. She didn’t try to speak. Couldn’t.
“It would be an understatement to say that we’re worried about this,” Master Derek continued gently. “And I imagine you are too. So I’d like to call someone in who I think might be able to help you stay grounded while we work through all of this.”
Sydney looked up, startled.
“Levi,” he said simply.
Her stomach flipped. “O-oh. Um... okay,” she whispered, cheeks blooming crimson.
Sydney barely had time to prepare before Levi entered, tall and broad and steady as ever.
His eyes landed on her first, and when he saw her expression, he crossed the room without hesitation and knelt in front of the couch.
“Hey,” he said softly, voice low and warm. “You alright, little miss?”
The tears started before she could answer. She shook her head once, biting her lip, and he opened his arms. Without thinking, she climbed into them, clutching Banana between them as he wrapped her up and held her close.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered, rocking slightly. “You’re safe with me.”
It took a minute before she was calm enough to sit beside him, still close, curled partly against his side.
Master Derek spoke again. “We’ve already started trying to track Greg’s digital footprint.
But there are limits to what we can do without access to your side of the communication.
I know this is a big ask, Sydney, but...
would you be willing to give us your phone and allow us to look at your messages with him? ”
Sydney’s breath hitched. “My... phone?”
Levi glanced down at her, his expression kind but serious. “Only if you’re okay with it. No pressure. But it might help us figure out who he really is. Or at least where he is.”
She hesitated, then slowly reached into her hoodie pocket and pulled out her phone. “Some of it is really personal. Like really personal.”
Levi’s smile was gentle. “We’ll be respectful. We’re not here to judge, little miss. Just to help.”
Her fingers tightened around the device before she finally, carefully, placed it in his waiting hand.
Master Derek accepted it from him and began unlocking it as Sydney buried her face in Levi’s arm and muttered, “I can’t believe I’m letting two big scary Daddies read my sexts.”
Levi chuckled, a warm rumble from his chest. “We’ll consider it a trust exercise.”
As Master Derek began tapping through her phone, Sydney shifted slightly, still curled up in Levi’s arms but drawing Banana up to her chest like a shield.
The embarrassment was manageable. The sadness.
.. surprisingly, also manageable after that initial crying jag.
What weighed her down most was something far more uncomfortable.
Confusion.
She should be utterly heartbroken. In fact, she had originally thought she’d been pushing it down, trying to hide from it, but now, in the light of day, out of the Little headspace where she’d spent the first few hours of the morning, it was clear now. It just wasn’t there.
She had crossed an ocean for Greg. Had believed in something with her whole heart. Believed in him. They’d shared secrets, fantasies, late night laughter and soft, silly bedtime rituals. He’d called her his.
And now... poof. Gone. Just like that.
Was she broken?
There was no sobbing for him. No curling up in bed refusing to eat or a yearning for what was. Instead, now, she just felt sort of... stupid. Stupid for believing in a dream spun through phone screens and voice notes. Stupid for thinking something that perfect could be real.
Even more unsettling than the embarrassment was the fact that, somewhere deep inside, her heart was already reaching for someone else.
Someones if she was being honest.
Levi and his handsome partner. Roland.
The very thought made her squirm.
Was she a fickle tease who didn’t know what she wanted?
There were too many confusing thoughts running through her head for her to get a handle on it.
Levi had been nothing but kind. Strong. Gentle and protective.
She’d melted in his arms twice now in less than twenty-four hours.
And when he looked at her, it wasn’t with pity.
It wasn’t some bored Daddy humoring a stray Little.
Despite him having a partner, it was clear there was something in his expression that showed interest.
And even through her daze yesterday she saw the same in the other man’s expression when he’d stared at her from his seat across the office.
And wasn’t that exactly the problem?
Her feelings were being flung around like laundry in a tumble dryer, and she didn’t know what or even whom to trust. Especially not herself. It scared her how fast she was attaching herself to this new Daddy. Was she that desperate and starved for affection? For belonging?
Her thumb rubbed slow circles over Banana’s threadbare ear as she stared at nothing in particular. Maybe she couldn’t be sure about Levi just yet. But there was something she was sure about.
She trusted Rawhide.
Sydney trusted the way Master Derek looked at her.
Not like she was a burden or an idiot, but someone worth protecting.
She trusted the warmth in Sadie’s teasing, the way Chloe had yelled about zebras, the hush that had fallen when she’d said she’d never had ranch dressing.
She trusted this place in the way a child trusts a nightlight, not to go out.
So maybe, just maybe, she didn’t have to decide right now if she could trust Levi and Roland completely.
Because Master Derek clearly did. And that could be enough. For now.
Levi’s voice pulled her from her spiraling thoughts.
“Hey, little miss. You hear there’s an extra special art class today?”
She blinked up at him.
“A what?”
He grinned, causing her belly to go whoosh.
“Art class. A world-famous artist is hosting it for all the Littles. Maybe you’d like to check it out while we go through all this?
” He tilted his head toward Master Derek, who was still quietly scrolling, looking more serious by the second.
“Might be good to get your mind off things.”
“You mean Megan’s Daddy is a famous artist?” Sydney blurted.
Levi’s face split into a grin. “That would be him, yes. What do you think?”
It didn’t sound bad. In fact, when she’d heard about it she’d been excited about the idea. She wasn’t an artist by any stretch, but the thought of being around paint, giggles, and maybe some glitter sounded far preferable to sitting here while Master Derek read through her dirtiest messages.
She nodded, shy but sincere. “Okay. Yeah. That sounds nice.”
Levi gave her arm a gentle squeeze. “Good girl.”
The warmth of that praise settled low in her belly.
Master Derek finally looked up and gave her a small, reassuring smile. “Thank you for trusting us with this, Sydney. I’ll get someone to escort you to the art studio. If anything comes up, we’ll find you, alright?”
“Alright,” she said quietly, giving him a grateful smile.
A few minutes later, she was on her way down the hall, being led by a soft-spoken staff member whose name she instantly forgot, but who chatted easily about how fun the art class would be.
Sydney clutched Banana to her chest and tried not to overthink the way her heart fluttered when she looked back over her shoulder.
.. and caught Levi still looking at her as she walked away.