07. Quick!

POPPY:

My mouth gaped open wide upon hearing my daughter.

Daddy?

My head spun and got dizzy as I stared at my baby hugging Sebastian. She wrapped her little hand around the man while sniffing at him.

"You smell so good, Daddy!"

Sebastian cocked his eyebrows and looked at me. His eyes ordered me to remove Kelly away from him.

But…

I could not move.

How could I do it?

For the first time, I saw my baby smiling from ear to ear. How could I extinguish the fire from her eyes and dampen the mood? How could I hurt her feelings right now?

Mr. Holding continued looking at my baby. He glanced at his back and his bodyguard automatically stepped forward.

No! No one will embarrass my child. I would kill anyone who dared to. 

Clearing my throat, I went to my baby and carefully untangled her away from Mr. Holding.  "L-love? Come to Mommy."

Kelly shook her head continuously and held Mr. Holding tightly. My heart tightened at seeing her hug Sebastian like he was indeed her father. I forgot these were the times when she needed a father figure. Someone who would give her the love of a father. If I could not address that need, there would be a high chance she would be looking for a father’s love for any male she met. 

"No. I want Daddy."

Sebastian raised his eyebrows. 

"Love. Please." Gently, I tried to remove her hands away from the uncomfortable man. His bodyguard moved backward as if the threat was around his master.

"No, Mommy."

Biting my lip, I said, "Let's step aside and listen to our visitor, shall we? If you will be a good girl, I will buy the bag you wanted."

Even at such an early age, Kelly was already fond of bags, but due to a tight budget, I told her I will buy them if I will have extra cash. 

I already received Mr. Holding’s money in my bank account, but until now, I could not fathom spending it. I will just let it sleep on my account until I will know what I will do with the money.

Looking at me, she said, "Really?"

"I won't be breaking my promise."

"But you always broke your promise, Mommy. You said you would buy me a new bag, but you did not. You said you would buy me a new tablet, but you did not. You’re gonna break your promise again."

I stared at her guilt. I did say those things. "Sorry, love. Mommy will find money to buy what you like this time, okay?"

Kelly grinned from ear to ear. "Don't worry, Mommy. Daddy is here now. He looks like he is rich."

"Love. That's not something to say to someone."

I coughed nervously. Nevertheless, my baby untangled herself from Sebastian and went to me.

Wrapping my hands around Kelly's shoulders, I asked, "What do you want, Mr. Holding? Isn't it a bit early in the morning?"

"You replied to my text.”

Oh. “That one? Yes, I did.”

Looking down at Kelly, Sebastian folded his arms in front of his chest. “Let’s talk somewhere private," he ordered, and by private he meant alone with me… without my baby. 

Kelly was making him uncomfortable. I knew. Especially how my child stared at him with amazement.  Who wouldn't want this man as their father? He was loaded and could give anyone what they wanted. What they needed. Except for his time. Time was gold. Time was money for Sebastian Holding. Besides, I did not know if he would be an amazing Father. 

Stop fantasizing about things. You already made this far, Poppy. Kelly grew into an amazing child through your hard work alone, without asking for anyone's help and you will continue this. 

"Well? Will you answer me or will you just waste my time by standing here? I don't have all the time for this."

I scoffed inwardly.  

Asshole. 

Treating everyone as if we were his slaves. Did you not turn yourself into his slave by accepting his money?

Yeah, right. I did make myself a slave to his money.

“Move.”

I gave way to him and he entered my house as if he was the king of our neighborhood.

I felt someone tugged my hand. When I glanced down, it was Kelly. Her eyes were nearly swimming with tears.

"Does Daddy not like me?"

Nolan did not before, but it seemed he had a change of heart when he tried to get back to me. 

"Love? Can you go to your room first? We will talk about this later on, okay?"

"I want to see Daddy, Mommy."

Something tugged my heart.

My poor baby girl. I'm sorry for seeming to fail you.  All I wanted was to give you a happy childhood. How can I protect you forever from the world of pain?

"We can do that later, okay? For now, please listen to Mommy and go to your room."

"Will he join us in buying my bag?"

"I...I don't think so, love."

"Why is that, Mommy?"

"He is busy, love."

"Can't he give time for me?"

I took back my words. Sebastian would never be a good father. He would always be absent and I did not want my baby to experience that she was not a priority.

"Go to your room now, Kelly. We will talk about your dad later."

Whenever I mentioned her name, she already knew the seriousness of the situation.

"Don't let Dad go home without saying goodbye to me, okay?" 

I nodded and watched her go to her room. “This will be quick, love. I’ll be in your room. Now kiss Mommy.” Kelly leaned in and gave me a peck on both sides of my cheeks. Then she ran towards her room. 

"What took you so long?" Sebastian asked when I reached the living room. He kept glancing at his watch. "You already wasted ten minutes of my  time."

Ha. Wasted his time? I never considered bonding with my baby a waste of my time. 

"No, Mr. Holding. It is you who is wasting my time. What made you come here unannounced?”

His eyes narrowed into thin slits.

“I don't think you texted me that you will come here."

I settled on the couch opposite him. 

"Excuse me?"

"You are excused, Mr. Holding. Tell me what you want so we won't be wasting our time anymore."

Sebastian did not like my answer. I also did not like how he viewed my kid. “I don’t want to repeat myself, woman.”

I smiled sweetly, and responded, “I am afraid you’re gonna repeat yourself this time, Mr. Holding.”

“I. Sent. You. A. Text. Remember?”

Oh. That one?

Why did it keep on slipping my mind?

“Ah. I did remember that. My apologies, Mr. Holding.”

"You will be coming with me."

"I still have a lot of things to—"

"That's not what you agreed to when you signed the contract, Miss Poppy."

Damn.

As far as my memory is concerned, I must free all my schedules when this asshole wants something from me. Especially when it comes to his Olivia.  

"I promised my child that we will go to the mall," I grumbled. 

I never thought today would be the time I would be helping him fix his ruined relationship all because of that stupid mistake of saying it was I who ruined his wedding.

Sebastian gave me his icy glare. I felt cold at such intensity. "Will you honor the contract or will you pay for the damages? I am talking about the breach of contract, Miss Poppy. Let's not prolong this. Will you go with me or not? Pay the damages if you won't follow what we had agreed."

Damn him. 

Why did I sign the contract again?

Sebastian tapped the couch with his long fingers. Even his fingers looked pretty and well-kept. 

"Time is ticking, Miss Poppy."

"But Kelly."

He stood. "My lawyers will now be talking to you after this. Return the money. Double it and be sure to pay the damages—"

"Who said I will not help you?" I hissed, cutting off his words. I started getting sick of signing the contract with him. He was a devil in disguise. Why would his company prosper without getting his hands dirty?  I was certain he did some things... unimaginable things for the sake of money. Maybe he was the head of some mafia organization or whatever they call the boss. "I will help you, Mr. Holding. But first, I have to ask my friend first if she could babysit my baby."

"Do it quick," he ordered as he owned me. “I’m giving you five minutes to call whoever you want.”

I inhaled deeply.

It wasn’t a day we spent in each other’s company, but I already hated this asshole's guts, and I also needed his cash. So I had no choice but to be with his company.

I just hoped I wouldn't be hurting someone just because I lost my cool. I totally hoped so.