CHAPTER 5

THE NEXT DAY…

Falynn was hurt to her bones, but there was nothing anyone could do about those words.

Every single moment, she tried to forget it, but the words kept returning.

Brant had treated her like she was never a human and had no emotions.

However, in the meantime, she hoped to bear with it by avoiding Brant in her days of working for the Jones' s.

Falynn had always loved children, and the day she met with the twins, something within her had bonded with them like they were hers.

"That's the only reason I'm accepting this job!" She angrily arranged her clothes into her box.

Yet, she couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and nervousness. She had always been independent and had never lived with anyone since the day she was chased out.

In a short while, Falynn was done packing, she struggled with the two big bags as she went towards the park for a cab.

"You must be strong," Falynn told herself as they drove to Jones's spacious suburban home, Falynn couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

That brought back memories. She remembered her family, and how she was pushed out of the house two years back.

Immediately those memories came, the corner of her eye welled up with tears, as she remembered how her dad never allowed her to explain herself, instead he believed her stepsister over her.

"No, Falynn, you need not cry." She told herself and quickly wiped the tears.

Upon arriving, Falynn was greeted warmly by Helen and the twins.

"Thanks for coming around Falynn, you don't know how grateful I am to see the kids finally have someone to care for them."

"Yes Aunt Falynn, thank you. I missed you, and we've got a lot of catch-ups to do." Bella spoke with gleams in her eye while Andrea seemed shy but Falynn's warm and friendly demeanor quickly put him at ease.

"I'm glad my presence helped Miss Jones' , and I hope to serve this family well." Falynn shot a broad smile.

"Ok, that's fine now, let me show you to your room."

Falynn felt a bit of ease, at least some people still cared about her.

"This is my little surprise, Falynn," Helen informed after which she pushed the door open.

"Wow! This is great." Falynn was moved to tears. She never was expecting such honorable treatment, she was just a nanny after all.

"No Miss Jones , you shouldn't have gone as far as this. I'm just a common nanny."

"Shh!" Helen crossed Falynn's lips.

"You are more than a nanny Falynn, so we should treat you as one. The kids like you, and you three bounded at first sight."

"I can see how willing you are to shower them with love, you deserve more Falynn."

Falynn couldn't help but say the two words. "Thank you." She hadn't started her job yet Helen liked her so much to even provide a comfortable room.

"So, Falynn, I guess I'll be leaving to allow you to have some rest."

"Thanks, Miss Jones' ."

"Aunt Falynn, rest well alright! We've got a whole lot of things to talk about," Bella chipped in with a smile.

Falynn couldn't help but return the smile, while she squatted. "Of course darling, I'm here for you both, ok, you can tell me anything."

Thereafter, her gaze fell on Andrea, she caught him hiding behind Helen 's figure.

At first, she had thought Bella should be the shy one, but instead, Andrea was.

"Don't worry, he'll loosen up with time," Helen responded like she read Falynn's mind.

"Alright kids, let's go now. Let her have some rest."

"See you later, Aunt Falynn." Bella voiced as her voice faded into the background.

At their departure, Falynn settled into her new bedroom, she couldn't help but feel a sense of happiness and contentment. The room was spacious and well-lit, with a comfortable queen-sized bed and plenty of storage space for all of her things.

The walls had their designs colorfully placed in pink, one of Falynn's favorite colors, and the floors, were carefully tiled.

Everything was simply totally different from where she lived earlier.

Joyfully, Falynn threw herself to the bed. "This is awesome."

***

In the evening, Falynn was awoken by a knock at her door.

Earlier on after taking her bath, she had simply fallen asleep out of exhaustion.

The door opened freely and the duo made their way in.

"Falynn, it's dinner time. Let's have dinner together."

Upon hearing that, Falynn cleared her dreamy eyes to be sure she heard right.

"Dinner! At the dining?!"

"Let's be on our way now before dinner gets cold."

Instantly, Falynn reasoned. "Mr. Jones would be at the table too, right?"

Helen placed a palm over her shoulder to reduce the tension. "Don't worry, there's a lot of kind heart behind my brother's grumpiness."

Even after the assurance, Falynn was still filled with distrust.

"Miss Jones' , I'll manage to have my dinner in the kitchen."

"Aunt Falynn, please have dinner with us, else I wouldn't touch the food on that table." Bella pleaded.

Left with no option, she followed the duo with tension written over her.

As they sat down to eat, Falynn couldn't help but feel touched by the warm welcome she received from the children and Helen .

Although a part of her was quite nervous, whenever she stole a glance at the cold-hearted Brant .

He seemed to behave as though she never existed.

In a short while, Helen let go of her thoughts. She, Helen , and Bella chatted and laughed as they enjoyed a delicious meal of roast chicken and mashed potatoes.

Andrea was not left out either. Once in a while, he spoke up.

However, as the meal came to a close, Brant took his last sip from his glass and voiced.

"I have one request for you, Falynn," he said in a cold, distant tone.

Falynn got her fork stuck between her fingers immediately, as she wondered what request a whole prominent man would ask of her.

"Sitting at the dining table makes you a member of the family, therefore I think you should contribute as such."

"From now on, I expect you to be responsible for the dishes. Nobody eats for free, everything we get in life isn't for free either."

Falynn couldn't believe what she was hearing, the same as Helen .

She had been hired as a nanny, not a housekeeper. But before either of them could even protest, Brant had already stood up and left the room.

Feeling humiliated and hurt, Falynn gathered up the dishes and retreated

to the kitchen.

As she washed and dried each one, she couldn't help but feel a sense of anger and resentment towards Brant .