CHAPTER III

Melanie didn't reply to him, she took Pia to her room upstairs. She had tears in her eyes but she didn't allow them to fall. She smiled within tears and looked at Pia. She laid the baby on the bed and placed some cushions beside her.

Melanie sat by the window, her father's words echoed in her ears. She couldn't hold her tears any longer, her hand slipped to her stomach. Tears rolled off her eyes. Glimpses of the past traveled her head, she whined like anything. The day when she was in the pool of blood appeared before her eyes. The pain pricked through her skin like needles. When her fingers again touched her abdomen, she felt a twitch, as if someone had stabbed her. She still couldn't forget the incident, she cried uncontrollably.

She heard another cry and her eyes went in that direction and immediately wiped her tears. She saw that Pia had started to cry. She immediately went up to her and picked her in her arms. She started humming a lullaby to calm her down. When Pia stopped crying she placed her on the bed again. Later, she went to the kitchen to get some warm milk. In a small bowl, she brought some warm milk for her and started feeding her.

Alice knocked at her door and opened the door a little. Melanie smiled and asked her to come inside.

"Melanie, I was here to ask her the same thing, to ask if you have fed her, and here you are already doing that," Alice said.

"Maa, she was crying uncontrollably, I felt she was hungry"

"And so were you, angry, upset and in tears, weren't you?"

Melanie wasn't surprised, she nodded with that question of her mother. Her mother was watching her feed Pia. Endearingly she caressed her forehead.

"A mother ultimately knows every little cry, every feeling of her child," her mother said. Melanie felt comfort in those words, she immediately hugged her.

"Melanie, my dear, try to forget what happened it wasn't your fault, it never was, it was that..."

Melanie stopped her from repeating the episode, she nodded.

"Melanie, Dad has asked you to..."

"I know I heard Dad said mom, but I am not going to leave Pia at Muskaan foundation Maa," said Melanie

"No Melanie, it's not about Pia it's about you, your father wants you to join the office from tomorrow and even I want so, don't let me down beta" Alice explained

"I understand Maa, but Pia..." Melanie bit her lip.

"Melanie, I am a mother, I know how to handle kids. You don't need to worry beta I'll take care of her" she explained.

Melanie nodded. She wiped her eyes, her mother served the food for her, she had her dinner and got back to her room. She saw Pia peacefully sleeping on the bed. Alice got Melanie's cradle for Pia. Melanie was surprised and overwhelmed when she saw the cradle, she had never expected that her mother must have still preserved her cradle for so long.

"Maa, you still have this with you?" she asked.

"Why not? How would I even allow someone to throw my daughter's belongings? I wanted to gift it to you when...anyways, this cradle belongs to your daughter and right now, it's Pia" she said.

Melanie hugged her again. Both of them cleaned the cradle, arranged a mattress and soft cushions in it. Melanie slowly placed Pia in the cradle. Alice smiled when she saw Melanie with the baby. She had never seen her daughter so happy for the past two years. She left the new 'mommy' and the baby alone. Melanie hummed a lullaby for Pia and laid on the bed looking at her. She didn't even realize when she fell asleep.

Kriiiiinnnnngg!!!! Kriiiiinnnnnnngg!!!

Her alarm tone rang for the fifth time. Melanie snoozed it again. This time her mother entered her room and woke her up.

"Melanie, it's your first day at the office, please get up beta," she said waking her up.

This was for the first time that Melanie hadn't woken up. She was an early riser and never got up late. Never did her mother had to wake her like that, nor even during her school days.

"Melanie, get up...Melanie"

Melanie woke up to her mother's voice, she immediately looked at the alarm clock.

"O, My God! I've been sleeping so long" she exclaimed.

"What's wrong, Melanie? Are you fine?" Alice asked.

"Ya Maa I am fine, it's because I just couldn't sleep the whole night, Pia didn't let me sleep Maa"

Alice looked at the sleeping baby girl and giggled. Melanie wondered what was her mother laughing at.

"What Maa?"

"New Mom, it happens, it's very natural, now I've got the whole story,"

"Maa, don't tease me, I must wake up, or else Dad would kill me,"

Melanie got off her bed and rushed to the washroom to have a quick shower. Soon she was downstairs dressed in her formal attire. She had to look presentable on the first day of her job. Her hands were full, in one she carried her handbag and in another were some files. She was arranging her files when her mother came to her.

"Melanie, come soon the breakfast is ready dear," said her mother.

"Sorry Maa, I am already getting late, I don't have any time" she replied.

"But Melanie..."

"Maa, please take care of Pia, it's just a matter of two-three days, I'll manage to shift somewhere else along with her," she said.

Alice was taken aback by these sudden words of Melanie. She couldn't speak up to reply. Melanie picked Pia from the cradle and kissed on her forehead. Alice saw a wide smile on her face and she decided to talk about it later to Melanie.

"Melanie"

"Yes, Maa"

"Wait a minute"

She went to the kitchen and got some sweet curd for her.

"It's your first day at the office, have this curd," she said.

Melanie opened her mouth to have the spoonful of curd, but just as she could taste it, Pia's hand touched the spoon and a few drops fell on Melanie's shirt. Alice laughed at this.

"Good luck, Melanie"

"Ya, I can see!

"Raymond" The managing director called his name just as he was to move out of the conference room.

"Yes, Sir" Raymond stopped midway.

"Our Project Manager, would be joining us today, she would be working under you, so I want you to guide her" he ordered.

"Me?"

"Who else is Raymond over here?" he asked.

"Right Sir!"

"Better, and Raymond please be a little polite, you know whose daughter she is,"

"Sure sir" Raymond replied politely and the M.D. left the room.

'I don't know whose daughter she is, but I'll learn it' was what he thought. He moved to his cabin.

A few minutes later Melanie stood in the office facing Jake. Though they both knew each other personally very well, he was a friend still, they had to be formally maintaining the decorum of the office.

"Melanie" he called her.

"Sir" Melanie flashed a smile.

"Welcome to Skyline Technologies"

"Thank You, Sir"

"Come, I'll introduce you to everyone," he said and took her for an office tour.

Melanie followed him and he introduced her to the management. One such face was there whom Melanie had known for years and she had a wide smile looking at him. She wanted to hug him right at that moment but somehow controlled and just shook hands with him.

"Melanie please go and report to the Executive Director, Finance, you will be working under his guidance," Jake said.

Melanie nodded. Jake instructed his assistant to take Melanie to the executive director's room. She knocked and then informed him. He asked her to let her in. He was reading her profile, he stood, his back facing her. She knocked in and someone said "Come in"

He heard the footsteps of her getting in. "Please take your seat," he said. Melanie sat on the seat right in front of her.

"First day and you are late Ms. Melanie Miranda" he commented. As he turned, he was surprised it was a familiar face. The same face from the other day when he had gone shopping with the little one. The girl in the mall who had commented at him for being irresponsible.

"Are you Mr. Raymond Acosta?" Melanie asked astonishingly.

"Indeed I am" he retorted with a smirk.