Chapter 6
Ellie is simply enchanting. Before going to see her, I went to my room, put away all my clothes, and changed into something more comfortable since it was nice and cool inside the house. Just as I was about to leave the room, the little one came running in and clung to my legs.
“Hi, sweetheart, good morning, how are you?”
“Hi, Auntie Li, I just woke up and came running.”
“So that means you haven’t had your breakfast yet. How about we do that now?”
“Will you come with me?”
“Of course, sweetheart. From now on, I’ll go with you wherever you go.”
I kiss her chubby cheek, stand up, take her hand, and we head out.
Since I still don’t know my way around the house, she’s the one who guides me to the kitchen.
When I get there, I find an older woman giving instructions to three younger ones.
They pass by me with a quick “good morning,” which I barely manage to return before they’ve already disappeared.
“Amélie, let’s introduce ourselves properly. I’m Marta, very pleased to meet you.”
“Hello, Mrs. Marta, I’ve already heard wonderful things about you today.”
“I’ve been with the family for many years. I helped raise the boy, and now I’m helping with little Ellie.”
“Ellie is a wonderful girl. I promise to take very good care of her.”
“She certainly is—smart, perceptive, understands everything—so be careful what you say around her,” she says with a smile, giving Ellie’s cheek an affectionate squeeze.
“Oh, thank you so much for the heads-up, Mrs. Marta. I’ll be careful.”
“You can call me Mama, just like everyone else. I really liked you from the moment I saw you. You seem like a good girl.”
“Thank you so much, Mama. I have a wonderful grandmother too, who raised me. Living here, I’ll miss her terribly since I won’t be able to see her every day like before. So thank you for welcoming me so warmly.”
“And your parents, my dear?”
“I was raised by my mother and grandmother.” I feel bad about lying, but it was necessary.
“Ah, I see. And your mother, where is she?”
“She died of cancer a few years ago.”
“I’m so sorry. You must miss her.”
“Mom was a wonderful woman. She had a beautiful heart and gave me so much love. I really did miss her terribly, but Grandma fills the role of mother beautifully.” I give a smile. “Well, shall we eat, little girl?”
Even though Ellie is only four years old, she’s very smart—pronounces words clearly, eats by herself, gets dressed, and takes her bath without help.
I keep thinking about how much she must miss her mother.
And deep down, I understand some of Mr. Owen’s hatred, but the feeling quickly passes because my father wasn’t at fault for what happened.
But despite everything, I’ll do anything for that little girl who’s capturing my heart.
She’s sweet, doesn’t complain, and is always quiet, playing with something.
Today I’ll take her to the park to socialize with other children.
I’m very observant, so I want to understand everything this girl is going through.
It’s been a week since I arrived. I’ve made friends with everyone in the house and talk a lot with Marcus, Ellie’s security guard.
He’s a great person—we exchanged phone numbers and always chat outside of work.
Mama is a sweet lady, and the girls who take care of the house have also welcomed me warmly.
Today I took Ellie to the kitchen with me.
We were going to make a chocolate cake with frosting, which she agreed to right away—she loved the idea of doing something new.
And so we began. Two hours later, it was already late, and we were decorating the cake when we heard the front door open. She looked at me and said:
“Could it be Daddy?”
“Shall we go see?” I lifted her down from the counter and she ran out, arriving just in time to see her father heading toward his office. She grabbed his legs.
“Hi, Daddy, today Li and I made a chocolate cake, and I threw a bunch of colorful sprinkles on top of it. Do you want a piece?” I smile at the way she talks. She’s so smart.
“Daddy can’t right now. I still have work to do. I’ll try your cake another day.”
I see sadness in the little girl’s eyes, and it squeezes my heart.
I lost my mother at fifteen, and the pain I felt was enormous.
I keep thinking about Ellie, who’s only four and doesn’t even have her father’s affection.
I try to turn the situation around by talking to her and comforting her. I’ll deal with him later.
“Ellie, Daddy is tired and still has work. How about we call Marcus and Mama to try it?”
When I mention the security guard’s name, Mr. Owen shoots me a sideways look, but I ignore it. I pick up the little girl and turn my back on him, heading toward the kitchen with my phone already in hand, sending a message to both of them.
When I get to the kitchen, I sit Ellie on the counter and go get the plates and forks so we can eat. That’s when Marcus comes in and says:
“I heard you made a cake, and that it’s delicious. Is there a piece for me?”
Ellie claps her hands, thrilled by the security guard’s presence, and soon Mama arrives too. I cut the cake for everyone and serve juice as well. The little girl is so happy with all the fuss over the cake she helped me make. I sense a presence near the kitchen entrance. I glance over and see him.
“Don’t you want to join us, sir? The cake is delicious.”
He walks over, looks around, and sees everyone eating and making little Ellie happy, so he asks for a piece—which she insists on cutting and serving to her father herself.
We stay a while longer, until it’s time to put the little girl to bed, but Mr. Owen calls me to his office.
Mrs. Marta takes the girl upstairs, and I follow him.
“Come in and have a seat, please.”
“Thank you. Did something happen?”
“No, I just want to thank you for taking such good care of Ellie. As you know, she never got to meet her mother, and the nannies who worked here cared more about the paycheck than about my daughter. But I feel you’re different.”
“Honestly, I connected with her from the start—that’s why we get along so well. Plus, she’s such a loving, intelligent girl, and so respectful. That’s really important.”
“She’s had a speech therapist since she was a year and a half old—that’s when she started talking. I hired one to help her learn to speak properly, which is why she communicates so well. She also sees a psychologist. You’ll meet her soon.”
“Yes, and she keeps surprising me.” I smile at him. “She’s smart and beautiful, very affectionate. I’m really enjoying spending my days with her.”
“And I appreciate you taking such good care of her. She misses her mother, and as you can see, I work a lot.”
“Yes, I’ve noticed that when you’re not shut away in here, you’re out at some hearing. But don’t you think she deserves at least a little of that time too? Sorry for overstepping, but she needs her father too.”
He gives me an angry look—of course he does. I touched on a subject he keeps to himself, and from what I can tell, no one has ever brought this up with him before. But it needed to be said.
“Don’t you think you’re meddling in something that’s none of your business?”
“Forgive me, sir. I know your family isn’t my business, but I’m with Ellie every day, and I’m the only one who sees what she feels when you push her away—like you did earlier. If you think I’m being too intrusive, I can hand in my resignation right now.”
He looks at me with those deep blue, enigmatic eyes and tells me to leave. I know I hit a nerve, but I don’t care. I’ll dig even deeper—make it hurt more than it already does.