"The wet nurses can pump the milk out for them into bottles and then I will feed them. They are strong enough now to eat like that," Zena said.
"What the hell do you think you know? Are you the first person to become a mother? Do you think your sons would have recovered as well as they did if not for those nurses. What did you do? Bragging as if you even tried to breast feed." Layla spat viciously. "Look here missy, those children are more important than you can ever imagine so you are not allowed to make such flimsy decisions on their behalf. Their feeding pattern remains and will continue till they are a year and five months."
Zena eyes widened in shock. "You plan to only breastfeed them after they start walking? Babies are allowed to start eating other food after six months."
"Preposterous!" Layla yelled. "What kind of mother are you?! How can you even suggest that?"
Zena looked at Nanny Shu with her head tilted in frustration. "Nanny Shu tell her she is overreacting."
Layla scoffed. "I have raised a son that has grown into a fine young man, and you? You have barely made the cut as a decent mother. I have experience you can't begin to imagine so what gives you the right to talk back to me? How dare you talk about their feeding when you don't even breast feed? What a mother!"
Zena lips parted in shock and she held Xander closer to her bosom. "I heard Nanny Shu also helped raise Xerxes," she said and Layla shrugged.
"And?"
"That means he was also breastfed by a wet nurse?"
"Get straight to the point, if there is one at all."
"Why am I getting crucified for not breastfeeding when you didn't breastfeed either? Besides you just had Xerxes I gave birth to twins!" She huffed.
"Also, I am not saying that I want them to stop the breast milk but that I would rather be the one that feeds them when they are hungry."
Layla's lips tilted into a wicked smirk. "Why? Are you afraid your children with grow fond of your nurses? Love them more than they love you?"
Zena nodded and her mother-in-law's brows twitched. "Yes, I am scared. This might be selfish of me but is it such a crime to want to spend more time with my boys?"
"What are you playing at Xian?"
"This week I can say for certain that I haven't slept more than four hours each day, trying to be by the little princes' sides and keep myself out of you and your son's way. I am so tired and all I want to do is be able to soak in a bathe for longer than ten minutes but I push myself up to be here by their side. Yet, somehow I still want more, it's still not enough. I want to be the sun, star and moon in their life because they are the whole galaxy to me."
Layla shook her head. "I see, if you think you can use these boys to manipulate this family-"
"The only thing I want to avoid Layla," Zena said shocking them all by the use of her first name. "Is having a relationship with my sons unlike the one you have with Xerxes."
Her eyes widened. "What the hell are you talking about? My son and I have a wonderful relationship!"
"Yet when he gave birth to kids he called his old nanny to take care of them."
"Because his mother was busy!"
"Or perhaps he knows that his sons would be better in the hands of his nanny rather than his own mother. Look, I am not trying to disparage your relationship with Xerxes, I could care less. All I want is more time to bond with my sons. And whether you believe me or not, I love them. Manipulating them would be the last thing I would do."
Layla shook her head and chuckled but Zena wasn't phased. She knew they'd never believe either way.
"The two of you will use pumps from tomorrow and keep the bottles in the fridge over there. I will feed them when the need to be fed."
They all looked to Nanny Shu and she nodded. "Do as she says, she is the mother."
"Nanny Shu!" Layla cried. "Why are you doing this? You never made such a compromise for me, all I had to endure was your constant scrutiny, you wouldn't even let me carry my own son because you said I couldn't do it right! Why are you doing this for this witch?"
Nanny Shu stared right at Xerxes' mother. "Because she asked, you never did. When I tell her to go away and yell at her for picking them up wrong she doesn't burst into tears. She has never accused me of bullying her even though I am tough on her."
Layla looked as Zena with contempt. "And I accused you of bullying me?"
"No, that is the problem. You just went along with whatever I said even though you are the mother."
"So now obeying is the problem?!"
Nanny Shu shook her head as Xander began to cry. "You should go, you're scaring the babies."
Layla looked at both of them with a pained look before she exited the nursery.
"Nanny Shu..." Zena said with a small pout as she gently rocked Xander. Quietly praying Xavier does not join him as well.
"Like I said, you are the mother. You make the decisions, I am only here to guide you," Zena nodded, tears of gratitude coating her eyes.
"The two of you heard, make sure there is no bottle that comes late am I clear?"
"Yes Ma'am." They chorused and exited the room.