Daddy's name
It was Monday morning. Everyone wanted to go back home, yet they were all stuck at work.
After the event, Samantha avoided talking with anyone. She spent her time lost in her thoughts, analysing why she had acted like a teenager prey to her hormones.
Lara did work harder to finish her job since she had half an hour to recuperate from the week before.
She had been paid for it already, so she didn't want anyone to think she wanted to slack off.
Nate didn't get out of his office because of the mountain of documents to sign or throw away.
It was a heavy day for everyone.
The Black Moon was close, and everyone started feeling the effects.
In a day or two, the whole company would have turned into a gloomy place. In that weird mood, no one noticed how Scarlet sneaked out of the kindergarten and reached another floor. She walked to a lady who smelt familiar and looked up at her.
«Hello,» she said, widening her blue eyes to show the cutest expression she could have.
«Hello. Where do you come from?» Roxy inquired.
«I'm looking for my daddy,» Scarlet said. She reached the woman and sniffed around her. «You met him, didn't you?»
«Might be,» Roxy chuckled. «Who is your daddy?»
«His name... He's CEO.»
«That's not a name, little one.»
«Uhm... Nithanil.»
«Wasn't it Nathaniel?»
«Oh, yes!» Scarlet exclaimed. «But no one calls him that. They all say Nate or CEO.»
«Except for you. You say daddy.»
Scarlet smiled, hiding her annoyance. She hated acting cute just to reach Nate, but she needed him for solving her problem. She couldn't do it alone.
And calling him by name might have made people doubt she was telling the truth.
«You are Scarlet, aren't you?» Roxy asked, even though it was quite obvious.
She was so similar to Alpha Nate, except for her hair colour.
«Yes, I am. Can you bring me to my daddy?»
«Sure,» Roxy chuckled.
She showed the way to the pup, and Scarlet strolled behind her. Once in front of the door, Roxy knocked.
«I'm busy!» Nate shouted from the other side. «Come back later if it's not urgent.»
Roxy sighed, opening the door. The CEO was in a bad mood.
«I don't know if it's urgent, CEO Woods.»
«What is it, Roxy?»
«There's Scarlet here.»
Seeing her father in a bad mood, and remembering all the tales she told the woman, she stood on tiptoe to better see him behind the desk.
«Hello, daddy!» she exclaimed.
At her words, Nate's heart skipped a beat. He didn't know why, but he felt the need to listen to her. To find out what she needed and fulfil her wishes.
Scarlet ran to the desk and held the edge, blinking innocently and giggling quietly.
«Do I have to go back, daddy?»
Nate snorted, knowing there must have been a reason for Scarlet to act like that.
«No, stay here.»
«I will come back later,» Roxy said. «Have a nice chat!»
As soon as the door was closed, Scarlet dropped the act. She crossed her arms and observed Nate in silence.
«What is it?» he asked.
«It's your fault,» the little girl commented. «Everything is your fault. The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced.»
«What happened?»
«If you didn't appear out of nowhere, mommy wouldn't have cried.»
«Lara cried?» he murmured, reaching out to the pup. «When?»
He picked Scarlet up, sitting her on his lap.
«Tell me everything.»
«A boy in school said my mommy is a bad person.»
«That is not true,» Nate pointed out. «Your mother is a wonderful person.»
«Then why did you leave her? If you didn't leave, no one would think she's bad. Was it because of Jaden and me?»
Scarlet's lips curled downwards, and her expression showed traces of rage.
«It's your fault if we are wolves! Mommy wouldn't be unhappy if we were like her!»
Nate sighed, looking for a way to explain.
«I didn't leave your mother, but she left me,» he revealed as the first thing. «I would have taken care of her if she stayed. But she didn't.»
«Why?»
«I don't know, Scarlet.»
«So, mommy left you once already...» she considered.
Nate's heart broke apart for the umpteenth time, but he clenched his teeth and continued with the discussion.
«So, you didn't leave mommy because she's bad.»
«No. It's the other way around,» he sighed.
«So you are bad.»
«I try not to be, though.»
At that moment, an old instinct of his returned raging. He smiled, realising the opportunity in front of him.
He would regret it later, for certain. Still...
«You know what, Scarlet? If your mommy and I get married, no one will say she's a bad person. Also, you and Jaden will have both a mother and a father. It will be like every other family.»
«I don't need that,» Scarlet replied.
«But your mother? What does she want?»
«She never said she wanted a husband. You don't need to marry her. Just give her what she needs not to cry anymore!»
«She wants a family, Scarlet. She doesn't need anything else. She cried because she was afraid I would bring you away from her.»
«You won't,» Scarlet pointed out. «You don't even like us.»
«That... I do like you. It's just difficult for me to express it.»
«Can we be family without mommy getting married?»
«We can,» he admitted. They didn't need to get married. Yet.
«How?»
«Let's try spending time together. Your mommy will have free time for herself. Do you want to come home with me tomorrow?»
«And Jaden?»
«Jaden can come the day after. Next weekend, we can go somewhere all four together. It won't make your mommy unhappy.»
«Why are you doing this?» she asked, suspicious.
«Because I'm your daddy,» Nate said.
Scarlet sighed. At that moment, she resembled Nate more than ever.
«If that's the price to make my mommy happy...» she commented.