As she hugged her daughter tight, Astrid breathed in her daughter's scent, calming her raging heart and hazy mind. The woman finally was able to breathe properly again. "You really are my angel, Acashia."
The little girl giggled. "You're silly. It's late too, why are you outside? Let us sleep, my pretty friend."
Astrid nodded in agreement as she let out a soft hum. "Let's do it."
"Can I sleep with you?"
It was an innocent question, but Astrid had trouble answering it. Matthew did not put any limitation regarding her intimacy with her daughter, she's the one who placed it on herself. She wasn't mentally stable and did not want to hurt the girl, so she said with a heavy heart a, "I'm sorry… you need to sleep in your own room."
Acashia frowned, but still answered in a soft spoken voice. "Okay… let's play tomorrow then? Promise?"
"Promise."
As the maid helped Acashia get into bed, Astrid closed the door of her room as well. However, as she laid still on her bed, Matthew's face entered her mind.
He was standing in front of his room while Astrid was climbing up the stairs. He was staring at her with those deep ocean eyes that brought chills to his spine, and as she felt the man's gaze, she could not look at him back. Instead, she looked away and pretended he wasn't there. She walked into her room and abruptly closed the door, locked it shut.
And just like how she predicted it, it was another sleepless night. She tossed and turned and closed her eyes, but all her attempts failed. She only managed to fall asleep when it reached four in the morning.
And after a few hours after sunrise, Astrid Starling opened her eyes to fight another day. She woke up at seven o'clock, got up from her bed, took a shower and changed into some formal clothes. A maroon shirt tucked into high waisted black pants. After checking herself in the mirror, she went downstairs and was greeted with the view of her daughter and Matthew Cullin.
Matthew and Acashia were already seated at the dining table. This scene surprised Astrid a little. Because she was distracted, she was moving in a weird way and moved the chair a bit too clumsier than what she normally does. When she sat down, the front feet of the chair lifted up and landed on the marble floor with a loud thud. Because of this, she had to prop her elbow against the table, causing Acashia's milk and Matthew's coffee to spill a little.
Matthew, who was reading the morning paper, was disrupted by all the noise. He raised his head to check on the clumsy woman before going back to his paper. "So noisy." He hissed. Matthew placed down the newspaper on the table beside him and placed a sunny side up egg on his daughter's plate. "Eat up, Acashia."
"Yes, daddy." The little girl turned to Astrid and gave her the sunniest smile that she could. "How about you? Aren't you going to eat with us?" Acashia's sweet voice sounded like honey, making Astrid smile. She moved a little closer to the little girl, feeling a bit recharged.
"I'll eat with you." She replied.
Seeing that the little girl was still a little unsteady using her spoon and fork, Astrid almost blurted out, "Do you want me to feed you?"
Matthew was stunned for a while. He was drinking his coffee when Astrid spoked, and now his coffee was hanging mid-air. Thankfully, it did not spill. On the other hand, the little girl had a different reaction from her father. She squealed in excitement and trotted over to Astrid. She pulled and sat on the chair and obediently waited to be fed.
"What do you want to eat first?" Astrid asked.
"The eggs!"
Astrid nodded and smiled unconsciously. She picked up her plate, reached for the food and began to feed her daughter. And though her stomach was churning from hunger, her heart was full. "Open your mouth, Acashia."
And the girl obliged.
As Astrid was feeding Acashia, the man of the house was looking at the clock uneasily. It was already eight in the morning. The thought of having Blaire Cynclaire coming to his home made the small muscle on his jaw tense up.
Not only that but Astrid was masking all the building up tension she had been feeling, making her feel like her head was clouded.
The two of them were silently thinking of this, wishing that Blaire Cynclaire forgot about it. But when the doorbell rang and the housekeeper walked over quickly to open the door — the two of them knew there was no way out of this mess.
"Good morning, Miss Cynclair. May I ask why you're here? Do you have a prior appointment with Sire?"
Blaire Cynclaire straightened her back, tossed her hair that was as dark as a Raven's feather and gave the sweetest smile. Today, she wore something casual, unlike the party. She opted for a comfy look, something that is homey, something that would make anyone mistook her as the lady of the house. The tight jeans she was wearing made her beautiful legs more perfect. And her hips were pronounced, showing that beautiful hourglass figure. She was sporting a white short sleeves on her upper body that made her look extraordinarily youthful and beautiful.
"I'm here to teach Acashia Cullin French." She answered politely. "The Mada'am from the house of Cullin's said so."
The maid looked a bit surprised. "O —oh. My apologies, Ma'am. The sire and his daughter are in the dining area."
"Don't sweat, don't fret, mademoiselle." She said with a wink, looking as perfect as a doll.
Blaire Cynclaire strutted towards the dining room, her louis vuitton sneakers shining against the polished floor. When she arrived at the dining area, she could feel eyes on her. Something that she had always wanted, knowing that she had stolen their attention. Knowing she was worth looking at.
"Matthew Cullin, and sweet darling Acashia…" Blaire Cynclaire let their names roll on her tongue, calling them and hopefully would reel them in with her charm. "...good morning."
She walked closer to the little girl, deliberately overseeing Astrid who was feeding her. Blaire Cynclaire bent down and pinched Acashia's chubby cheeks, "Hello, my little one."
The little girl didn't like this woman. Even Blaire Cynclaire's smile left a bad taste in her mouth. But since her father managed to raise her well, she only smiled politely to the lady, and then her chubby little hand took Astrid's arm, wiggling it to grab the latter's attention.
"My pretty friend, let's continue to eat."
Hearing that the little girl was so comfortable with Astrid, Blaire Cynclaire looked surprised. 'And yet she doesn't acknowledge the leech as her mother. Pity, pity.' She hummed in her mind.
"I heard from Mrs. Abel that Ms. Starling has been staying here for a while now…" She placed her hand on top of Acashia's head. "...is this why our little angel is happy?"
Astrid's hand clenched against the silverware. And her jaw gave away what she's feeling as well. 'Seems like this bitch came prepared.'
And before she could refute, Acashia spoke and gave her away. "I want my pretty friend to be my Mommy. But…" Acashia looked at Matthew. "...I think she's scared of my Daddy. That's why she doesn't want to."