A little stranger

After completing her interview for her promotion of becoming a professor, Angela's face spread into bliss. She was nervous before but she kept her cool during the whole process. 

She got a positive response from the chief Surgeons so that made her confident to ace it. But she couldn't count the chickens before hatching. 

She had to patiently wait for the results to come out. 

"Ouch,"  A sweet child-like voice squealed below her. Angela was so tranced that she had not noticed a little girl running into her. 

"Oh, I am so sorry!" Anglea knelt down to meet the little girl's eye level. The girl cried with a high pitched voice. Hearing the girl cry so loudly people were giving hostile glances at Angela. 

She did not mean to make this girl cry okay?!

"Please don't cry dear," Angela coaxed. she looked at the child with tender eyes. "Does it hurt anywhere, dear?" She asked. Looking back and forth at her frail little body, there were no signs of bruises or anything. 

The little girl nodded. "My bum hurts." That's because she fell on her butt. Angela fetched a bar of coconut candy from her pocket and placed it on the little girl's hands.

"Eat this, you will forget the pain okay?" Angela lied. But seeing her favourite chocolate the girl's baby blue eyes sparkled with delight. 

"Thank you," The girl said meekly, her chubby cheeks turning pink. It looked so adorable Anglea was almost taken aback by the girl's doll-like beauty. 

"Are you alone? What is your name?" Angela asked, she looked around and no one seemed to be looking for this girl. 

"I was with my nanny, my name is Alicia," The little girl said. Her eyes glistened with tears.

"Are you lost?" Angela knew this was the case since this is a big hospital a little girl like Alicia must have gone lost. Alicia nodded in a yes. 

"Do you know your nanny's number?" The girl shook her head in a no. "I wanted to see daddy," She cried. Angela consolingly patted the little girl's head. Who would leave such a little girl wandering alone in a huge building like this?! 

"What's your daddy's name?" Angela requested. 

"Lucifer...daddy's name is Lucifer," Alicia said. Angela's eyes widened in shock. Lucifer Camphell?! This little angel is that jerk's daughter?! That means mother must be a saint! 

"I know where your daddy is, so don't worry," Angela said. The girl smiled instantly. Angela reached her hand for her to hold but Alicia spread out her hands wide hopped up and down like a cute bunny. "Pick me! Pick me!" 

Angela laughed heartily in response. She picked her up and made it to the lift to the upper VVIP section. Angela stepped out of the elevator walked through the long deserted corridors.

She slid open a VVIP  hospital room where Lucifer was busy reading something on his iPad.

"Daddy!" Alicia came running towards his bed. Lucifer looked as if he had not expected her to come here. 

Alicia troubled to get on the bed because of her small body but Lucifer picked her up with ease and sat her on the bed. Angela watched the father and daughter closely and was enamoured by Lucifer's genuine smile shown to his daughter. He looked kinda sweet not gonna lie. 

"What are you doing here? Where is your nanny?" Lucifer asked turning serious. 

"she got lost," Angela walked inside the room tucking her hands in her pockets. The cool air from the AC made chills run up her spine. Angela had contacted the front desk to inform her nanny that she was with Lucifer right now. 

"Is it true?" Lucifer asked turning to Alicia. 

"I ran away from nanny...sorry daddy..." Alicia gave Lucifer a puppy look. Alicia nodded puckering her bottom lip in a cute way. Lucifer's stern look melted away instantly. He ruffled the child's beautiful ebony hair the same as his and noticed brown stains on her pink dress and fingers. 

"You ate chocolate?" He asked. 

"She gave it to me." Alicia pointed at Angela grinning, showing off her chocolate stained teeth. 

"I had bumped into her and she cried so I gave her a bounty," Angela replied sheepishly. She had not eaten lunch yet so she had bought that for herself and now her stomach was growling to feed it. 

She hoped no one heard it. It was damn loud. 

Her phone buzzed from her pocket. She looked at the ID and it was written, "Bethany". A smile appeared on her lips. 

Lucifer noticed the stupid smile on the woman's face and somehow he felt unpleasant by this. He had no idea why. Suddenly a thought went into him 

"Is that her lover?" He internally slapped himself at the thought. Why would he even care if she had a lover?! 

But it was hard to ignore the bitterness he experienced just now.

She excused herself and walked out of the room, his eyes intently followed her back until she closed the door behind her. She picked up the at the fifth ring. 

"What took you so long!" Yelled from the other side. Angela was almost deafened by the high pitched noise of her bestie. 

"I was talking to a patient," Angela resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "And someone did not give a call or texted me for a day hmmm?"

"I was gonna text you! But I lost my fucking phone! Thank god I got it back!" Bethany Addams complained. Angela chuckled at her best friend's childishness. They had been best friends since their diaper days.

And as childhood friends, they had been through thick and thin. Bethany is one of the most aspiring architects in the country. And she had a high prize set up for herself. There weren't many female architects in the country but she stood out not because she is a woman but because of her splendid works. 

Many investors and business agencies were waiting in line for her to take over their projects. For the world, she is a successful career woman with a charismatic persona but for Angela, she was a childish brat. 

"When are you gonna return to the US hmm?" Angela demanded playfully. It's almost been months since they saw each other in person. Bethany's brief silence perturbed Angela. 

"Well... I am not returning to the US and..." Her good friend's tone was off. Almost depressing. 

"And?" 

"I have a favour to ask..." Angela could tell Bethany hesitated to say something. 

"Then ask silly girl," Angela playfully urged. Has Bethany ever asked for favours? Never. She would only ask for help but not favours. 

"I will be staying in Dubai from now on and I don't want to keep Adrian with me..." Bethany bit her lower lip until it turned blood red. She turned to her boy who was sleeping peacefully on the bed.

His blue eyes that mirrored her's were closed, her hands ran through his black hair but she could not feel warmth in what she was doing. 

"Beth, what's wrong?" Angela could not grasp what her friend is implying right now. Bethany had always been a cheerful woman but now she spoke like a different person. 

"Please be Adrian's godmother,"

"..."

Stating that Angela was shocked would be an understatement. She looked as if someone had thrown ice-cold water on her face. 

"Hello? Angela?" Bethany's core clenched hearing Angela's silence. The ghostly hush of her dim lighted room frightened her. 

"I can! but please tell me what's bothering you!" Angela heard her friend's breathing turning unstable.

"I can't raise Adrian anymore Angela...I am tired. You know what happened between me and my ex-husband right? Our marriage was nothing but a business deal to satisfy our fathers. I did not want to have a baby but I was forced by him. He did not love me, Angela! I left my daughter there because of my kind mother in law. If not for her then I would have been turned psychotic by him! He even cheated on me multiple times! I did not deserve any of that shit!" Bethany cried. She tried to silence herself with her clenched teeth. 

"Calm down Bethany, please. drink some water okay?" Angela has never seen her friend having a meltdown. Never in these 30 years of friendship. She could hear Bethany wheezing with pain. 

"I am sorry Angela...do you think I am pushing my burdens on you?" Bethany croaked. She poured herself a glass of water for relief. 

"No...You are never a burden silly! Nor is Adrian but you need to be strong okay?" Angela wanted to hug her so bad right now. 

"I know...Adrian needs a presence. I am too detached from my son. I am too busy to raise him. meetings, work and business parties...Adrian doesn't even talk to me anymore...I have been a bad mother Angela. So please be a good mother to Adrian," Bethany pleaded. 

Adrian is only six years old and at this time he needs a presence to guide him and help him grow. Bethany never had enough time to look after Adrian because of her work. 

Not that she didn't want to. She had subconsciously deviated Adrian out of her life. Perhaps because he was a child that was forced upon her...

"I can look after Adrian for you okay? You don't need to worry anymore. I will take care of him until you are back," Angela assured her best friend. Having Adrian as her godson wasn't a bad idea. 

Since Angela had been living alone she didn't mind having company. Plus, she was fond of Adrian ever since he was a baby. 

"Thank you, Angela..." A burden that had been weighing on Bethany's shoulder had now been lifted at Angela's words. Until she comes back...or never...