Chapter 4

“Yes, Blue Bay Villa. It belongs to Mr. Lynch.” The man’s voice on the other end of the phone sounded excited. “The Little Princess is in desperate need of someone to help her with her bath, and she chose you out of a few hundred applicants. Come quickly!” With that, the man hung up the phone. Luna frowned as she raised her head and looked at Neil before her. “This is the job you found me?” The boy nodded as he went toward her and held her hand. “Mommy, I know you’re back for a reason. It’d be easier for you to approach Joshua Lynch in his home compared to his office, don’t you think so?” Luna sighed and just knew she could not hide anything from the smart tad. She knelt. “You’re right, but...” “Mommy, don’t worry!” Neil looked at her with his bright eyes. “The Little Princess is easy to deal with!” Luna smiled helplessly, washed her face, and tidied herself up a bit. “Oh, where’s Nellie?” she asked as she put on her shoes. Nellie would dart out of her bedroom to meet her whenever she returned home. Why did Nellie not do so today? “Oh, she’s busy watching her cartoons! Don’t worry, Mommy, Nellie will be fine with me taking care of her.” Luna said nothing else as she turned and left. Neil was right. It was much easier to approach Joshua working at Blue Bay Villa than at the company. She could not miss out on this opportunity. Still… Who was this Little Princess? She researched Joshua thoroughly before she returned to Banyan City, but there was no mention of such a person. With a head full of questions, Luna was led into Blue Bay Villa by a servant. Six years. She finally returned to this villa. The little tree she planted in the garden had grown tall and strong. Everything remained the same in the villa. The vase and paintings that she personally picked out still hung in the same spot, clean without a single speck of dust. Luna felt her emotions jumbled and racing in her chest as she gazed at them. “Little Princess, she’s here!” Suddenly, a man’s humble and helpless voice rang out from behind her. Luna unconsciously looked back. Behind her, Nellie looked at her with a smile on her face as she wore her pink, princess-style dress and held a white teddy bear in her arms. Nellie?! She looked at the little girl in front of her, so shocked that she was rendered speechless! Nellie subtly placed her finger on her lips, indicating her to ‘be quiet’. “This Auntie is perfect.” She skipped over. “Hi, Auntie, I’m Nellie!” Luna’s brows furrowed as she lowered her voice. “Why are you here?” “I’ll explain it to you in a while, Mommy!” Her fair and delicate little hand closed around Luna’s thumb. “Auntie, let’s go upstairs, I want a milk bath!” With that, she pulled Luna behind her and bounded up the stairs. “Look after the Little Princess!” Looking at the woman’s disappearing figure, Lucas was finally relieved. The Little Princess was harder to deal with than her Daddy. He labored throughout the afternoon and finally found a maid that suited her taste. ... In the bathroom in the child’s room, Nellie laid in the bathtub as her lips formed a pout. “Mommy,” she whined, “don’t be mad. This Daddy is quite nice to me… I didn’t suffer or anything.” Luna massaged her aching temples. “I need to make a call.” Nellie laid on the edge of the bathtub as she gazed at her mother’s retreating figure with aggrieved eyes. Did she do anything wrong? Why was Mommy so unhappy…? “Neil.” Standing on the balcony, Luna clutched her phone tightly and spat out his name through gritted teeth. “This is the job you found for me?” Neil’s voice drifted in from the other side of the phone, and it sounded somewhat apologetic, “You met Nellie already, Mommy?” “Why do you want Nellie to recognize him as her father?” She knew her eldest son was quiet, her second son was smart and quick-witted, and her daughter was cute and obedient, but she never expected Neil would go behind her back and arrange for Nellie to meet Joshua! “Mommy, this will happen sooner or later.” Neil sighed. “I knew you’d get angry, so I didn’t dare tell you. But Mommy, don’t you think…Nellie looks too much like him? Even if we don’t tell anyone, we’re staying here in Banyan City now, and his men will see her sooner or later. He’d find out somehow.” Luna’s grip tightened around her phone. Even though she was reluctant to admit it, the truth was that Nellie did take after her father a lot, especially her eyes and eyebrows… Noting Luna’s silence, Neil rushed to convince her, “Since he’d find out sooner or later, it’s better if we swing the first punch. At least now that Nellie has appeared, he will know that you didn’t die, Mommy. What’s more, since Nellie is with him, it’ll stop him from marrying his mistress.” Luna closed her eyes. “Then have you considered what’ll happen if he refuses to return Nellie to us? I brought you up by myself, and I don’t want to see…” “Don’t worry, Mommy.” On the other end of the phone, the six-year-old boy held up his fingers, pointed toward the sky, and swore, “If in the future you want Nellie to come home, I’ll make sure she comes home!” Luna laughed bitterly and ended the call. Neil was still a child, after all, and he did not understand Joshua. All those years ago, he could send her—someone whom he shared his bed with every night—to her death for his affair with Aura. If in the future, he refused to let Nellie go… She dared not entertain the thought. At this point, she could neither expose herself nor take Nellie away. She still had matters to take care of. She had to improvise. She sighed and returned to the bathroom. The Little Princess that acted high and haughty in front of Joshua had finished her bath, dried herself, and was in the middle of putting on her clothes. She was only six years old, yet she was so mature. Luna’s heart ached slightly at the sight. Seeing Luna walk in, the little girl raised her head and stared at her warily. “Mommy, you’re not mad at me, are you?” she anxiously questioned. “Neil said…said I could help you a lot…” Looking at her daughter’s tearful eyes, Luna felt like her heart was melting. How could she still scold her? She walked over and helped Nellie into her clothes before she gave her a hug. “Mommy doesn’t blame you. Be a good girl. You can’t call me Mommy in front of other people, but if anything happens, I’m the first person you go to, ok?” “Okay!” Nellie reached out her arms and wrapped them around Luna’s thin shoulders. “I’m Mommy’s daughter, forever and always. I won’t ever forget this.” Luna hugged her daughter as she held back her tears. “Nellie.” Moments later, a man’s low, magnetic voice drifted in from outside the door. “It’s Daddy. Have you finished bathing?” Nellie raised her head and looked at Luna. Luna nodded and released her. “I’m done!” The Little Princess sucked in a deep breath and took her time walking out of the bathroom. The room door opened. The tall man entered and immediately took Nellie into his arms. His embrace was warm and snug as Nellie laid her head on his shoulder, sighing softly. Was this what it felt like to be hugged by Daddy? She hoped both her brothers would get the chance to feel it, too… Having a Daddy was not too bad after all! “I heard from Lucas that you hired yourself a servant?” Joshua frowned, asking lowly. “Uh-huh.” Nellie nodded as she pointed in the direction of the bathroom. “Auntie is still inside, and she’s a very, very nice woman! Daddy, you have to get along with her in the future!” Luna, who was busy scrubbing the washbasin, furrowed her brows slightly. Why did she feel like…Nellie was trying to match her up with Joshua?