183 Lily (19)

The next morning, Iris went to make pancakes. Gale had went shopping in the evening and bought many random products, saying that it was better that they didn't open the door to anyone. If they ordered anything, someone not friendly might come to deliver the package.

"Is this all for me?" Lily asked, sitting at the table and looking at the full plate of pancakes with a wide smile.

"Yep." Iris brought over strawberry jam and put it next to the girl. "Eat as much as you want."

Lily's eyes lit up, and she dug in like she'd never eaten pancakes before. In a few minutes, the plate was empty, and Iris looked with a touch of surprise the missing food.

"Do you want more?" The girl nodded, and Iris passed her the second batch as well, with a warning that it was hot.

There were a few drawn in breaths as Lily touched the still hot pancakes and a lot of blowing on fingers, but the whole plate was soon emptied out as well. And the girl looked like she was considering more.

'Where does it all even fit…' Iris gave her one more pancake and then said that it was enough for now. It was not good to overeat.

Once they cleaned up, they went to watch cartoons. Lily was still enamored by them, so they spent a good few hours watching a kid transform into various aliens with the help of a magical watch. It was surprisingly entertaining, and lunch rolled around before they even knew it.

Iris cooked again. Eating frozen things herself was fine, but she didn't want to push it onto the girl as well. Lily was still growing and needed a better diet than that.

Just as they finished their meal, the doorbell rang. Iris ignored it and told Lily that it wasn't for them. However, a voice soon went through the door. It was muted and barely audible, but with the silence in the house they still heard it.

"Lily, open the door."

The voice was masculine, but Iris didn't recognize it. This was not the man they had met in the shopping mall yesterday.

"Daddy!" Lily shouted out and ran over to the door.

Iris went after and caught the girl before she could unlock the door. Lily struggled in her grasp, but she didn't let go. Although Iris wasn't capable of fighting a grown man, a small child was still within her abilities.

"Calm down," she ordered in a cold voice. It caught the girl by surprise, since she had never heard it from Iris, and she stilled. "Wait here while I talk to him, okay?"

"But daddy…" The girl was almost in tears, looking up with confusion written on her face. "I want to see daddy!"

"Be good. I need to talk to him by myself first."

Lily hiccuped and nodded, folding onto herself on the sofa's corner. It was a miserable sight, but Iris couldn't do anything about it.

She swiftly wrote to Kyro, [Gale's dad at the door], then went to the aforementioned door. Upon taking a look through the peephole, she saw a young-looking middle-aged man. Wrinkle-free and with a handsome face, he could have passed for a thirty year old if he wanted.

His hair was light brown, and he wore a casual suit. If not for a frown on his face and the familiar blue eyes of Gale, Iris would have sworn that he was a friend come to have some fun rather than a father of the apartment's owner.

Behind the man stood an even younger-looking woman. Golden hair framed her face, giving her the look of the natural ditzy blonde, but her features bellied that. Her eyes were thin and sharp, her nose small and straight, while the curve of her lips showed obvious disdain for her surroundings.

"Lily—"

"Gale has said that the doors should be opened for no one. I'm sorry, but you'll have to come when he's here," Iris said, not acting too polite. These people were trying to use Lily even now, calling only for her even though they had to know that the child wasn't alone at home.

"Even his parents? Miss, if you know what's good for you, you'll let us in right away. Don't try to play games with us." The father took a step closer so she could see his face even better. "Unlock the door."

Iris was about to refuse once more when her phone buzzed. Kyro had sent her a message and in it he told her to let them in but have Lily stay in another room. Lock her up there if necessary.

'Isn't that a bit too much?' She shook her head and said through the door, "Give me a moment, I need to do something first."

Without waiting for a reply, she rushed to Lily and picked her up. After bringing her to the girl's room, she sat down on the bed with her. "You love your brother, right?"

"Yeah," Lily said warily, looking at her with red-rimmed eyes.

"If you do, then please stay in this room and not go to your parents. It's really really important. Can you do that?"

Lily noticed her tone of voice, and concern showed up on her face. "Why?" she asked quietly. "Why can't I see my parents? Did I do something bad?"

"No!" Iris denied, taking the girl's hands into her own. "It's not because of what you've done. Never think that. Your parents no longer want to let Gale see you, and if you go to them, they'll win. From then on, you might never see your brother again."

"But if I stay, will I never be able to see mommy and daddy?" Lily asked, her lips shaking

Her question was way sharper than Iris had expected. For a moment, she didn't even know what to say. "It's not that. Your brother would never do anything that would harm you."

"Right, he wouldn't do that." The girl's face twisted with mockery for instant, but it was gone before Iris could react. "Fine, I'll stay here. Go and adult there."

Lily pulled out her hands and moved to the other side of the bed. Without another word, she took out her phone and started playing. Her eyes were still red-rimmed, but they were desert dry now. The moment of near-breakdown seemed like nothing more than an illusion at that moment.

"What are you waiting for? Leave," Lily said without raising her head, her voice ice cold.