CHAPTER 6

*First Person's Perspective*

~Enise~

I my bedroom, I lay on the bed and was going through some things on my laptop when a knock came on the door

“Come in" I said. The door knob turned and the door creaked open. I expected whoever the guest was to at least say something, but I heard nothing which prompted me to turn around

My heart always flew out of my mouth when my eyes landed on her small fragile figure. She was staring at me with a mixture of joy and curiosity

“Hi there little angel" I waved with a soft smile on my face. It seems like that was her cue to smile to. I saw her little cheeks burn red. She was shy

“Oh come on Miracle, there's no need to be shy" I said to her, the smile not leaving my face

“Come, come let me give you a hug. Maybe that would make you feel better and less shy?" I asked, my hands outstretched

She walked to me and embraced me. Tears welled up in the corners of my eyes

I inhaled her scent as discreetly as possible, I didn't want seem weird. I couldn't help but let the tears run freely down my cheeks. This was easily the first time I have ever held her in my arms. Her embrace was so comforting, I didn't want to let go. She also felt it too, the peace, the comfort. She just stayed put and unmoving. We stayed like that for about five minutes before I finally let go. Sniffing and wiping the tears off my face

“Are you crying?" She asked. Her little voice echoing through the walls. I shook my head in denial

“No dear, I just got something in my eyes" I lied

“Sorry about that" she said and I smiled, pulling her into another warm embrace

“Do you feel better now?" I asked and she nodded

“Yes I do, thank you very much" she said. We were silent for a few minutes while I just stared at her face. She had some of my features and I couldn't help but feel proud

“You're so beautiful" I admired, stroking the careless strand of her hair backwards

“So, your daddy tells me you have a heart condition?“ I asked and she nodded frantically. I heaved a deep sigh

" What's... What's your name?“ She asked

"I am Dr Denise, but you can just call me Denise if you like” I responded and she pulled out a note pad out of nowhere and began to scribble on it. A bitter smile appeared on the corners of my lips. Poor child. She didn't have to go through this at such a very young age

"I always right down important things so that I don't forget them. My heart condition makes it difficult to remember things sometimes” she exclaimed and I gave her an assuring smile. "It's okay, dear. I'm here now and I'll take care of you and help you over come this struggles okay?“ She embraced me and I smiled. One the realest ones I've had these past few years

“I can't wait to be well again. I'm so happy that you're here to help" she said. A knock came on the door and before I could answer it, the door knob turned and it creaked open

“Hello ma'am. Welcome to the Xandros household. My name is Sarah Reginald. I am the chief maid of this and head cook. The Alpha had instructed that I prepare your best meal in order to make you feel at home and welcomed. May I know what your favorite dishes are?“ She asked and a small smile crept unto my face

“Oh that's really nice of the Alpha. My name is Doctor Denise Richards. Nice to meet you Sarah" I said and she bows slightly. “The pleasure is all mine, ma'am" she responded. I studied her for a bit. She looked like someone that could easily be swayed, since I was in need of accomplices in order for my plans to sail smoothly, I decided to be very nice to her. It was my way of breaking her into my cycle

“My favorite dish? Hm! I'll the pan seared chicken wings” I answered. "Wow! That's an interesting choice Dr Denise”

"I know right?“

"And for dessert? “

"For dessert, I think a dark chocolate cake would be great” She nodded

"Yes ma'am. Thank you so much. If you need help with anything, I am just a call away” she said

"I'll keep that in mind” that being said, she closed the door and walked away

Miracle and I had a little chit chat. She told me about her best friend, about her daddy, her uncle Marcus and her mummy too

At the mention of that, my demeanor changed immediately. How much I hated the fact that Laura was the one who had to be a mother to my child. From what the little girl said about her, I didn't think she treated her badly. Matter of fact, she treated her like her very own child. But that didn't matter any way, did it?

That would not change the fact that they denied me five good years of my daughter's life and worst? The part of her life when she needed me the most

My heart felt heavy and Miracle noticed that I had stopped engaging with her in the conversation..

“Are you alright, Dr Denise? Why are you so quiet?" She questioned. Her little cute eyes filled with concern and worry

“It's nothing darling, I was just thinking" I answered and then there was silence between us for about thirty minutes. I felt that we needed to catch up, I needed to know her inside out, but I didn't even know the questions to ask and the more I thought about it, the more rage burned inside of me

Rage directed at both myself and Lucas. I hadn't been able to do anything to help myself or even her.

We talked though, about other things, how she's been doing in school and all that. She was a really smart kid, I would give it to Lucas, she got that from him

She was fast in comprehension but the problem was a retentive memory. She also found it hard to focus on literally anything. She had brought a coloring book to me and I saw how she struggled. But one thing about her was that she was determined, she was a fighter, just like me

She never let her struggles and challenges weigh her down. She was determined to over come those struggles and that was what strengthened my resolve to help her

She had potentials. Potentials to become great, just like me. Not that I'm trying to brag or anything but I've done pretty good for myself over the past few year

A soft knock came on the door and the chief maid in the house, Sarah, poked her head in

“I'm sorry to disturb you two ma'am, but dinner is at the table" She announced

Miracle turned to me with excitement on her face. She seemed to be a foody and I just thought it was the cutest thing ever

“Will daddy be joining us at the table?" She asked and the woman nodded

“He will, dear"

“In that case, let's not waste any more time" she grabbed my arm and led me to the dining room

By the time we got there, Lucas was already sitting and waiting for us, together with Marcus.

Flashes of what happened in the hospital on that fateful day crossed through my mind. I stared at him with so much hatred and contempt. Yes, he was ordered by Lucas to do it, that didn't mean that he was off the hook. He could have done something, he could have helped me, he had the power to choose what's right and wrong and he chose to wrong me

None of them will be spared, not even a single member of this pack. I would make sure they feel wrath, they…I noticed that he was staring at me too. He must have felt eyes on him and decided to see who it was

The shock on his face was evident and he didn't even try to conceal it. My fingers clenched by my sides and it was taking all the self restraint in me to not flare up

I seemed to have been staring at him for too long and it was getting suspicious so I tore my gaze away from him

“Good evening, Alpha Lucas” I greeted with a bright smile

He turned around with an equally bright smile. “Dr. Denise" he called out and pulled a sit out next to him. I took it without hesitation

“Thank you"

“Interesting choice!" He suddenly said and I raised a brow, clearly, I didn't understand what he was talking about

“I was talking about the food" he clarified and I nodded

“My late wife used to love this too. It was her favorite" there was silence between us for a while

“Is this a staring contest? I want to play too" Miracle's voice resonated, pulling us out of our trances

“Oh no sweetheart, it's not... Let's... Let's just eat" he said and I agreed immediately

“Marcus? Marcus are you alright?" He had been staring at me and had refused to take his eyes off me. He had been watching my every movement

Even Lucas's words didn't seem to have reached his ears

“Marcus?" He called out again and he jerked

"Why are you so calm about this? That's Enise right there” He finally spoke

Lucas laughed. "Oh that! I also thought the same but Dr Denise here is not Enise, they just bear a striking resemblance, she had made sure to make that clear to me” He said

Obviously Marcus thought otherwise

" What are you dumb or what? They just bear a striking resemblance? And her name so coincidentally happens to be Denise? And she's a doctor who's here to give medical care to your daughter? Are you dumb or what? She's definitely the same person” Marcus yelled at his friend, startling Miracle

"I don't know what you're talking about sir, I am not who you think I am. I thought I already made that clear to you Alpha Lucas?. This is my first time here, my first time in this country, as a matter of fact. And please you have to pull your acts together. You're scaring the child” I responded and Lucas nodded in agreement

He slammed his hand on the table and stormed off

“What was that all about?" Miracle asked, I opened my mouth to speak, but Lucas beat me to it

He held her chin and gave her a bright reassuring smile

“It's nothing dear, your Uncle Marcus is just not in a good mood today" that action only reminded me of where I stood in here

I was not to be seen as her mother, I was just a doctor. A stranger who wasn't part of their family. What right did I have to speak to her like a child?

I felt tears gathering in the corners of my eyes and I blinked them back almost immediately, making sure that my eyes did look teary even for a bit

“I'm sorry about that" Lucas turned to me and I nodded with a smile to show that it was fine

The rest of the time at the dinner table was spent in utter silence

We bid each other good night and went to our separate bedrooms

As I lay on the bed, I felt eyes on me and when I turned around to the window. A bird flew away

“Bird? At this hour?" I needed no genius to tell me that someone was on to me. There's someone out there in this pack who knew my secret or is maybe having doubts and suspicions. This only meant one thing

I needed to up my game