"Mommy! Look at what I drew!" Ella said while rushing towards my desk.
Mom and Dad went on a vacation and since I don't feel comfortable with my daughter just staying with the maids, I've been taking her to my office. And eventhough at times she can be very pushy to get my attention, I would rather have her here with me than anywhere else.
"That's very good baby! You're getting good at this! Now continue with what you're doing and mommy works here, okay?" I told her in hopes she would just continue playing and stop showing me everything every minute.
Don't get me wrong. I love my daughter so much. She's my life, she's my happiness. But at times it can be very tiring when I really need to focus with my work and she would come at me to show her masterpiece. Of course, I would look at them and make her feel I appreciated her works, aside from I really do, I don't want her to feel unappreciated.
"M'kay!" She ran back to her mini workstation, which is basically just my corner table and couch.
I don't know how many minutes or hours have passed, but I knew I have read multiple e-mail and reports when I noticed my daughter has stopped bugging me. When I looked at her, I saw her head was leaning on the table while she was still holding a piece of crayon.
She fell asleep while coloring.
I went to her to see she was knocked out really good. I smiled before carrying her and laying her at the couch. I put her blanket on top her and positioned her comfortably.
"Ice cream" Ella said.
I looked at her just to see she was still sleeping.
She must be dreaming of an ice cream.
I walked back to my desk and continue with my work.
This has been my routine for years now. I would spend my days in the office and my night with my daughter. Ella would stay at my parents' house whenever I'm at work and I would pick her up so that we can go home together. During weekends, we would spend our Saturdays and Sundays with my parents. They really love my daughter and wanted to spend as much time as they can with her. I think they have even spoiled her, but I'm glad my daughter did not grow-up to be a stuck-up spoiled brat. She remains to be respectful and humble with everyone.
But don't think I have stopped socializing with other people and just spent all my time with my daughter. There are some nights where I still meet-up with my friends, or some guys who would ask me to have some dinner. I just don't want to be rude and decline their offer right off the bat, but I always make sure that that dinner would be the first and last because my sole focus now is my daughter.
But it's a different story when it comes to Mark.
Yes, Mark.
I don't know how he did it, but he worked his way to earn my daughter's favor. He would sometimes go to my parents' house and spend time with Ella, of course with my parents watching them. He has been very honest with his intention, saying he wanted to win me again and be the father figure to Ella, and he promised to treat Ella like she was her own.
Like hell I care whatever his intention is.
From the start, I have made it very clear to him that I don't want anything to do with him. I loathe him and his entire being. I couldn't believe I was so madly in love with him.
I was so stupid back then.
But he was persistent. He made sure to make his presence felt especially with Ella, and now my daughter would be asking for him when he wouldn't visit for days.
He surely knows how to play his game.
I must have been staring off blank because I was startled when I heard my daughter speaks.
"Mommy, I'm hungry," Ella said when she was standing up from the couch.
I looked at the time to see it was 30 minutes past 3 in the afternoon.
Who wouldn't be hungry when you're dreaming of an ice cream?
"What would you like to eat?" I asked her eventhough I already know the answer.
"Ice cream!"
Thought so.
"Okay! Let me just grab my things and call Bambam, okay?" I told her.
"I will call Uncle Bambam!" Ella ran towards my desk and grabbed my phone to call Bambam.
Yes, she's calling Bambam "Uncle", like Mark.
"Uncle Bambam! Let's eat ice cream! Bye!" She hangs up the phone then she went back to her table to collect her drawing materials. I'm not even sure if Bambam understood clearly what she said, I'm assuming he did.
I pressed my intercom to call my secretary and not a minute has passed, she came knocking on my office door.
"Can you move my 4 o'clock meeting at Kiss the Tiramisu?" I told her.
"Of course, Ms. Minatozaki. I will call them now."
"Are you done preparing your things?" I asked Ella.
"Yes!" She excitedly said while carrying her small Peppa Pig backpack.
Eventhough she was messy when she was playing, she knows how to clean her toys and arrange them like how they were before she took them. I don't remember teaching her to do it, and my Mom also told me they didn't bother teaching her that because we have helpers that can do that for her, but somehow she just did that on her own.
She probably took it from Tzuyu's.
I honestly don't know how some of Tzuyu's traits were passed down to her, but they just did. That's why even when I felt like I was looking at a younger version of me, I felt like I was sometimes talking to Tzuyu.
I grabbed her backpack and put it on her back then I held her hand before going to the door.
"Mommy carry!" Ella said while raising her arms.
"Oh my baby wants to be babied?" I teased her while crouching to pick her up.
My daughter wrapped her arms around my neck while I'm carrying her.
"I don't think I will be returning to the office. Just call me if something happens," I told my secretary when we passed her table.
"I will, Ms. Minatozaki. Enjoy your day."
When we arrived at the basement, Bambam was already waiting in front of the elevator and the car was parked right in front of the entrance.
"I'm surprised you actually understood what she said on the phone?" I asked Bambam.
"I just catch the word 'ice cream' before she hang up and I knew you would be going out," Bambam said while opening the door for us.
"Where to, Ms. Minatozaki?" Our driver asked when we entered the car.
"Kiss the Tiramisu," I replied shortly.
I put Ella's seatbelt on before resting my eyes in hope to relieve just a bit of the stress my eyes are feeling.
I opened my eyes when Bambam announced that we're nearing the ice cream parlor.
When we get off the car, the store manager was waiting for as the store's entrance.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Minatozaki. We heard you will be visiting us today," he offered his right hand for a hand shake.
"Thank you," I said while accepting his hand gesture.
"Please, come in. We have reserved the best table for you," he directed us to our table which I appreciated because it was at the corner. My secretary probably told him that I value mine and my daughter's privacy because a noticed that this table has a partition compared to the other tables.
Ella sat already while Bambam took the table just across ours.
I looked around and I saw the man I would be having a meeting this afternoon.
"Bambam, keep an eye on my daughter for me for a while. I will just stop by at one of the tables," I told him then I walked to where the man was sitting.
"Ms. Minatozaki," the man bowed.
"Mr. Chung, I apologized for the sudden request to move our meeting in a different location," I told him while bowing my head.
"No, please. It is our pleasure that you are willing to listen to our company's proposal." Mr. Chung said.
"I will just have a quick bite with my daughter, she suddenly craves for an ice cream. Please, have anything you want, the bill is on me for all the trouble," I told him before returning to our table.
I noticed that there were already ice creams and cakes served on our table. These must be their specialties.
"Which one do you like?" I asked my daughter.
"Chocolate!" Of course, kids know nothing except chocolate flavored ice cream.
I put the chocolate ice cream and cake in front of her then she started eating them. I let her eat on her own and be messy because that's how kids are.
"Mommy" Ella called to get my attention and when I looked at her, she was pouting. I understood what she wanted me to do so I grabbed the table napkin and wiped the chocolate stains around her mouth.
"Okay clean now," I told her. She once again continued making a mess and she would soon ask me to wipe her mouth again.
After a couple of minutes passed and wiping of mouths, we are now done having our snack.
"Bambam, can you take Ella to the playground across the street? I have a meeting I need to attend to," I asked Bambam.
"What about you, Ms. Minatozaki?" he asked me. Of course, it was his job to protect me and I'm sure leaving me alone here, and in a public place that is, is not sitting well on him.
"I'll be fine. You will just be across the street, and the car is parked right in front of the store. This will just be quick," I told him.
I saw Bambam contemplating before he talked to someone on his microphone. I looked at the door and saw our driver went in.
Of course, everything I said would not suffice. He would still have someone to look after me.
"Ella, go with Bambam and play at the playground across the street. Mommy will just have a talk with someone really quick, okay?" I told my daughter.
"M'kay!" Ella said before standing up and holding onto Bambam's hand.
"Uncle Bambam let's go!" Bambam could not do anything when Ella grabbed his hand and lead him to the playground.
I asked one of the servers to clean our table before asking Mr. Chung to join me so we can begin with his business proposal.