Chapter 82

82 Meeting My New Daughter

“Please come in. Millie is home already and she’s waiting for us,” Adrian said as he took my hand in his again.

By that time, I had gotten quite used to having him hold my hand and I had to admit that I did not dislike his touch. Adrian led me inside his mansion and the interior was as impressive as the exterior. A middle-aged woman who I assumed was a senior maid in the house greeted us politely.

“Where is Millie?” Adrian asked.

“She’s waiting for you in the living room right now with her nanny,” the woman replied before smiling politely my way.

“This is Elena,” Adrian introduced me in short.

“It is an honor to meet you, Miss Elena. My name is Gloria and I head the maids in this house. If you need anything, please let me or any of the maids know,” the old maid said before bowing politely to me.

“Thank you very much. You are so kind,” I replied politely.

“Let’s go,” Adrian said as he tugged on my hand for me to follow him.

He led me through a hallway that led to a large open space serving as the mansion’s living room. There on the sofa sat the little girl that I had met briefly before at the hospital. Millie wore a light purple dress and was playing with a doll. A woman sat on the carpeted floor close to her and I knew that that must be her nanny.

.....

“Millie, I’m home,” Adrian called out to his daughter.

“Daddy! Welcome home!” Millie cried out joyously when she spotted Adrian.

We walked over to her, and Adrian invited me to sit down on the sofa next to him. I felt Millie’s eyes on me and from her reaction, I could tell that it wasn’t common for Adrian to bring someone home with him. She looked at me with a mix of confusion, suspicion, and curiosity.

“Millie, this is Elena,” Adrian introduced me to his daughter smoothly.

I wondered how I should position myself in front of her. Should I act like I’m his friend for now?

“Hello. My name is Millie Amsworth. It’s nice to meet you,” Millie replied politely.

“It’s nice to meet you too. Your father has told me quite a bit about you,” I replied before smiling at her sweetly.

Let’s be friends please, little one.

“Daddy, is she your friend?” Millie asked as she looked from Adrian to me and then back again.

Good question. I wasn’t sure how Adrian wanted to break our relationship to her. It was also hard for me to predict her reaction. How would a kid her age react to her father having a new girlfriend?

“Elena is my girlfriend. I actually brought her here today to introduce her to you. I hope you two would get along,” Adrian said as he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him.

Millie had a confused look on her face and for a moment I wasn’t certain if she understood what a ‘girlfriend’ actually meant in this context. Her eyes widened as she continued staring at me.

“Well, let’s have dinner first. Are you hungry, Millie?” Adrian asked, breaking the uneasy silence.

I breathed a soft sigh of relief. Thankfully, Adrian had stopped the conversation by suggesting that we start having dinner. As if on cue, the nanny approached Millie and took her hand before leading her towards the dining room. Adrian held my hand and led me after them.

“I don’t think we need to rush...” I whispered to him.

“It’ll be ok, don’t worry. Millie understands more than you think,” Adrian said before squeezing my hand reassuringly.

I wasn’t scared about her not understanding the concept. I was scared that she wouldn’t accept that I’m her daddy’s new girlfriend plus he wants me to act as her mother. However, she was his daughter and so I decided to leave this matter entirely in his capable hands.

Adrian and I sat opposite Millie at a very large and long dining table that could host at least twenty people as the three large crystal chandeliers shone brightly above our heads. Once seated, Millie continued to stare at me from the opposite side of the table. The maids came in to serve us food, but I was too conscious of her stare to pay attention to anything else.

“Eat your food, Millie,” Adrian instructed a little sternly.

Millie nodded a little before she began eating her food. Surprisingly, she was very obedient to her father.

“Does the food suit your tastes?” Adrian turned to ask me.

“Oh yes, the food is great,” I replied, although I couldn’t care less what the food tasted like at that moment.

Millie glanced over at me while she ate her food. Once or twice, our eyes would meet, and I would smile warmly at her. In response, she would immediately avert her eyes before turning her head away. I guess she doesn’t like me. Although Millie’s mother passed away when she was very young and she doesn’t even remember her, it must still be tough to suddenly have another woman in your life.

“Millie, from now on Elena will be part of our family. We can go on holidays and fun trips together as a family. I’m sure that it’ll be very fun. Is there a place that you want to go?” Adrian suggested brightly.

Millie listened to her father and then her brows drew together as she frowned. Slowly, she placed her utensils down on the plate.

“I don’t want a new mother. Just me and daddy together is...good enough...” Millie said, and I could tell that she was about to burst into tears.

I glanced over at Adrian, silently pleading for him to comfort her. However, Adrian did not share my empathy at all.

“Millie. We’ve discussed this before. You need a mother and I have chosen the best woman to fulfill that role. From now on, Elena will act as your mother, and you will respect her and treat her as such. Are we clear?” Adrian said authoritatively.

Millie looked at me and then at Adrian before tears streamed down her face. She sobbed a little at first and then she began wailing loudly. Her small fists wiped at her tear-stained eyes and her whole face became red like a tomato.

–To be continued...