"I want every information on how the Stanleys found Scarlett. Bring it to me asap." Slamming my hand against the desk, rage inarticulates me, my blood raging itself knowing that someone who belongs to me was in danger. "And find me that man who threatened her!"
Ordering my men to do something is always a tough job. They either do it well or they fucking screw up. Watching them leave, I follow them out but before I could, Sebastian stops in the way of the door.
"Move Seb."
"Calm down first, Eli." He says, arms crossed and staring at me intensely. I knew he was right but knowing Scarlett is in danger, something in me makes me want to protect her from everything.
"Move. I need to go." I was taking it out on everyone—I know—but when someone I know closely to needs protecting, I'll be on it to make sure they are.
"She'll report it—if you do something irrational." I knew who he was talking about. Scarlett would write down anything I do for this case. My eyes narrow, and I wanted to take my anger out but instead of doing that, I push him aside and walk away.
And the one person who could keep me calm is my daughter.
Walking to her room, I walk past the room Scarlett was staying in and noticing the door slightly open, I peek through to see if she was in there. But she wasn't. Opening the door fully, I make sure once again to see if she was there until I hear chuckles and giggles coming from Dalia's room.
Sucking in my breath, I could hear Scarlett's voice and Dalia's giggles. Reaching her room, I stand against the door and watch Scarlett play Dalia. My heart warms up—some sort of tingly feeling in my chest as I watch them both. They were playing with her dolls, and the smile on Dalia's face was only enough to make me better about what I was thinking about.
And on Scarlett's face, it was like there was a pure and genuine smile that she's been yearning to show.
"Scarwlt you be this pwinces." I watch Dalia hand Scarlett a doll, a smile tips on my face knowing that Scarlett was doing this with her.
"Which princess will you be, Dalia?" Scarlett speaks, her accent rolling perfectly off her tongue, I watch as she takes my daughter's hand and places her on her lap.
"Dada swid I this pwincess." Dalia points at the princess doll laying on the floor, she reaches to pick it up to show Scarlett and I almost let out a chuckle because she was right when she said I call her that.
Both of them snap their heads towards my direction, I clear my throat, standing straight whilst folding my arms across.
"Dada!" My little girl jumps in excitement the moment she sees me, "Dada, come!" She waves her arm over, motioning me to come over. My eyes meet Scarlett who was staring so attentively at me, the thought of her staying here makes me wonder if it would change things with how my daughter feels.
"What's my princess doing hm?" I walk close to her, sitting on the edge of her bed as she gets off Scarlett's lap to come over to me.
"Me and Scarwlt pway." The smile on Dalia's face puts me at ease, her smile makes it so easy to not stay angry anymore.
"I- should go," Scarlett says, standing up from the floor before she could go, I take hold of her hand and stop her.
"Stay." I breathe out and in milliseconds my heart palpitates just by touching her. She lets go of my hand, giving me a small smile before sitting beside me but leaving a fair amount of gap between us. Dalia lets go of me and run towards her toys, leaving the silence between Scarlett and me.
From the corner of my eye, I notice the smile still on her face, she looked effortlessly perfect sitting down—she wasn't in her usual attire, no red lipstick, no heels—just Scarlett. I notice the tiny freckles on her face, one that would normally be hidden.
She—she looked like her true self.
"She's an angel." Scarlett breaks the silence between us, her head tilts towards me and my only response was a nod. It was as if I lost my words for her. I didn't know what to say.
It was quiet again, but it was the silence among us that gave us comfort. It never occurred to me that I'd be sitting like this with a woman—and for it to be Scarlett, I can't help but be silent. It was like a peace, a solace between us that we needed.
"She's my entire world." It takes me a moment to think of what to say back to her.
"I can see that. She doesn't stop talking about you, you know? She loves you so much." Hearing that from her somehow puts my heart at rest because she's seeing it herself—how much I care for my daughter.
"This is why the Stanelys want to take her away from me. They know she only wants me in her life." Sighing, I keep my eyes on Dalia who was drawing something on a piece of paper.
"Why are you telling me this?" She asks and then I remember what she said last time about finding out everything herself.
"You're my lawyer, you should know." Glaring at her, her eyes soften my way and she lets out a chuckle, scoffing right after.
"Find a new line, Elijah. I know I'm your lawyer. But with the information I have, I know everything that I need to know." She rolls her eyes and it makes me chuckle at her words. "I know what the Stanleys are like." She sighs, her hands fidgeting together as she speaks.
"That's nothing Scarlett. They could do worse and they will." I tell her, she presses her lips together and I could tell she was scared about it. I try to reach out for her hand but she moves them away before I could.
"Dada! Dada! Scarwlt!" Getting cut off by Dalia, I clear my throat and look in her direction as she comes running over to me.
"Yes, baby what is it?" I exclaim and she hands her drawing to me, sitting in the middle between Scarlett and me. Skimming the photo, my heart drops and my gut wrenches when I see her drawing. I glance at Scarlett who was just as shocked as I was.
"This, dada is me, you and Scarwlt!" She jumps up, throwing her hands in the air, I almost choke looking at the drawing and I notice Scarlett still, staring at the drawing too. She snatches the paper from me and hands it to Scarlett, "Scarwlt, look!"
"I-I um it's beautiful Dalia." Scarlett stutters, my heart playing with me as I now realise why Dalia drew this.
"Scarwlt stay wit me and dada pwease." I watch Dalia as she pleads to Scarlett, the tremble on her lips was so obvious that I knew she didn't know what to say.
"Dalia, sweetheart. I-"
"Pwease Scarwlt."
"Dalia baby, why do you want Scarlett to stay here?" I ask Dalia, taking her hand into mine.
"Bwcs, Scarwlt is nic." My little girl pouts her lips, looking down at her lap as she speaks. My eyes stay on Scarlett whose eyes were glossy herself.
"But Dalia, you can't ask someone to stay just because they're nice," I tell her, lifting her chin up and making sure she faces me.
"A-And Scawrlt be l-lik m-mommy."
There it was. Those words were awaited and today, I heard them for the first time. Scarlett doesn't move or say a word, she just stares blankly at her. I didn't know what to say back—because all I think about is that Dalia may never have a mother figure in her life.
"Listen, Dalia sweetheart. I-I'm your dada's friend. I can't stay here," Scarlett starts to speak, I wanted to say something but I had no idea what. "And I have to look after someone important like dada looks after to you." She whispers, making her stand up in front of her.
"Dada awone." Dalia whispers to Scarlett, I bite my bottom lip as Scarlett looks at me.
"I will come to visit you whenever I can okay?" Scarlett cups her cheeks, whispering back at her only for Dalia to nod her head.
"Pwomise?"
Both Scarlett and I end up chuckling at her jumbled-up words. "I promise, Dalia." They pinky promise one another and my lips tip into a small smile, hoping that they wouldn't notice. "You continue playing, okay? I'm going to go to my room." She then says, kissing Dalia on the forehead.
Still not saying a word, I watch her walk away with such confidence—like she always does. My heading turned back to Dalia, she sits on my lap and I kiss her head as she takes my hands. "Dada, Scarwlt nic." She talks about Scarlett again, my stomach does that thing again that it's not supposed to do.
"I know baby. I know. But she's going to come to see you often okay?"
"Yes, dada." I notice her smile, her cheeks bright red, complimenting her golden hair.
She's coming to that age now where she realises that she doesn't have a mother. She's confused, clueless, and naive and I honestly don't know when it's the right time to tell her everything—I don't know how to.
Maybe it's my fault for not finding a woman, maybe it was the wrong choice but what that woman did to me, I could never forget. My shoulders shudder, hearing no sound from Dalia and as I look down at my lap, her eyes were closed and resting her head on my shoulder.
"I love you little one." Whispering to her, I place her on the bed, placing the blanket over her.
-----
Cooking in the kitchen, my mind stays on trying to find out how the Stanleys found Scarlett. I haven't got any information yet and it was infuriating me as the night goes on. Dalia was still asleep, I had Colleen stay with her while I find out this information.
"So he cooks as well." Tuning my back, I see Scarlett leaning against the door—I had no idea where she got my joggers and a t-shirt from but fuck that looks so hot on her. I suck in my breath, feeling my body tense up as she stares at me.
"Cooking is an essential need. If you don't know to cook then you don't know how to live your life." I speak, turning back to the stove, trying the sauce I made for the pasta.
"Don't you have a chef to cook you all this food?"
"Colleen—she looks after Dalia sometimes and also cooks when I'm really busy. Though I like to cook on my own," I speak, not facing her because I know if I did, this hard would be visible to her. "Sit, we can eat together."
"Yet you still have time to cook hm?" Her voice was so seductive, her British accent was so addicting that I wanted her to continue speaking.
"Always, darling."
Turning around, I bring two plates to the table and the pasta dish to serve. She watches what I do, I could tell her cheeks were blushing up at every action of mine. Pouring red wine into the wine glasses, my eyes stay on her, those luscious eyes screaming to be touched.
"If you keep staring at me like that—"
"In your fucking dreams, Elijah." Before I could finish my words, she cuts me off making me chuckle. Sitting beside her, I hand her a fork to start eating.
"You didn't even know what I was going to say," I mumble, sipping on the wine in front of me.
"Oh, I know exactly what." She rolls her eyes as I watch her take a bite of the pasta. Waiting for her response, I couldn't tell by her reaction what she thought of it. "Holy fuck—" She mumbles as she swallows her food and a satisfied smirk rests on my face.
"It's good, I know." Smirking at her, she nudges me with her shoulder, and both of us end up bursting into laughter which I haven't done in a while.
"Don't be too cocky. I could be lying." She hums after speaking, a scoff leaves my mouth as the corner of my eyes glances at the beauty beside me.
"You weren't lying, darling. That holy fuck was not fake."
"You're so full of yourself, you know that right?" She sniggers, making me chuckle as we both make eye contact with each other.
"And you're so—" Leaning close to her and smirking, "vivacious," I whisper my words over her tinted lips, pulling her bottom lip with my teeth. She shuts her eyes instantly, I pull away sucking my teeth, as I watch her turn red. Her eyes flutter open slowly, my sapphire pupils stare into her hazel ones, my lips twitching—my only desire was to kiss her right now.
"W-What?" She whispers as I'm still learning towards her.
Brushing my lips over hers, "I'm going to kiss you and if you want me to stop then—" Her lips crash onto mine, startling me by her action. Breathing in, I immediately take control of the kiss, her hands snake around my neck as she pulls me right into her.
I couldn't describe this kiss. It was—it was something that couldn't be. I've never kissed a woman like I am with Scarlett. The small sweet moan she let out made me push my tongue further, she grips onto my neck as I push her back slightly.
It was hot.
She was hot.
"I—" She pulls away from me, both of us breathless as our faces are inches apart. Her hands let go of my neck and her eyes turn away from me, "I- sorry we shouldn't have done that." Pushing away from me, she runs out of the kitchen before I could say anything.
"Scar-"
Sighing, I run my hands over my face, realising that maybe this was all wrong. We were wrong for doing all this.
This attraction was forbidden—yet it was so intoxicating.
a/n:
Ahh I can't with these two and their attraction
What did we think?