GRAYSON'S POVHearing that the kids had been bullied, especially Zendaya, broke my heart. I wished I could shield her from the cruelties of the world, to protect her from any harm. I stepped over to where Zendaya and Zenith stood and squatted down to their level."Hey," I began softly, "I want you both to know that you have me in your life now. I will never leave you, and I'll do everything to keep you safe. Your mom and I are going to find the best school for you, where no one will pick on you, okay?" I said, placing my hands gently on their cheeks.Zenith stepped forward and hugged me tightly, his small arms wrapping around my neck as I kissed his head. It felt like a breakthrough, a small victory. Zendaya, on the other hand, remained still, her big eyes studying me warily. Though she didn’t hug me, she didn’t pull away when I cupped her cheek. It was a tiny gesture, but it felt like a significant start.I looked into her eyes and smiled. "I promise, Zendaya, I'll be here for you."
SLYVIA'S POVThe kids were taken for measurements by the school tailor for their uniforms, leaving Grayson and I in the principal's office to finalize the paperwork for their enrollment. I sat there, trying to focus on the forms, but my mind kept drifting to the enormous fees."I'll call Paul to bring my checkbook from the car," Grayson said, snapping me out of my thoughts."Grayson, you don't have to do this," I insisted one last time, though my resolve was weakening.He gave me a reassuring look. "It's for the kids, Sylvia."I sighed, nodding reluctantly. A few minutes later, Paul appeared with the checkbook, handing it to Grayson. He quickly signed a check and passed it to the principal, who accepted it with a smile."Thank you, Mr. Lockwood. We’re thrilled to have Zenith and Zendaya join our school," the principal said warmly.By the time we finished the paperwork, the kids had also finished with their measurements and joined us, their faces glowing with excitement."Mummy, we saw
SLYVIA'S POV"Hi, everyone," Jocelia said with her fake smile, sliding into the chair next to Grayson. I watched Grayson's expression shift to frustration at the sight of her."What are you doing here... and how did you find me?" Grayson asked in a cold sharp tone."Oh, come on, Grayson. You dining at a place like this tends to make the news," she replied casually, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. I glanced around and noticed a few people sneaking glances at our table.Jocelia settled into her seat and looked around expectantly. "So, what are we having?" she asked, but no one responded."It's good to see you, Slyvia," she said, turning her attention to me."Is it, Jocelia?" I sneered, unable to hide the spite in my voice."Come on, you're not still angry, are you?" she continued, ignoring my tone. "We can get past our differences, especially since we'll be seeing more of each other now that you and Grayson are working together. And besides, Grayson and I are togethe
JOCELIA'S POVAs soon as I saw Grayson leave, I picked up my phone and called Alice. "I just met with Grayson," I told her as soon as she picked up."Listen, child, I have better things to do than listen to you and Grayson’s relationship problems," Alice said, sounding irritated."Wait, Alice, that’s not the issue," I said quickly."Then what is it?" she asked, clearly impatient."He was having lunch with Sylvia," I said."Okay, they’re business partners now, so I guess that's bound to happen. This is not a reason for you to call and disturb my manicure session," she replied dismissively.I felt my frustration rise at her casual dismissal. "Listen here, Alice, the problem isn’t just the lunch. Sylvia brought two kids with her—a boy and a girl. They looked like twins," I said, my voice filled with urgency.I could hear the concern creeping into Alice's voice. "Who could be their father...wait, you don’t think Grayson could be their father, do you?" Alice asked, her tone shifting to one
SLYVIA'S POVI woke up early to finish some work I needed to drop off at the office today. Glancing at the kids still sleeping peacefully, I smiled. Then panic struck me. "What about their lunch for school and breakfast? Shit, how could I forget?" I muttered to myself.I needed to get them breakfast before school and also sort out their lunch. Thankfully, I remembered that the school provides lunch for the students. I mean, paying almost six figures a year for each of them, the least they could do is provide lunch. But what about breakfast?I stood up and glanced out the window, hoping to spot a store that might be open. Then, my phone buzzed with a message. It was from Grayson. "Paul is coming over now to pick you and the kids up for school. He will be over in 15 minutes. Here is his number," it read. I breathed a sigh of relief and quickly called Paul."Good morning, Paul," I said, trying to sound calm."Good morning, ma'am. I'll be at your place in 12 minutes," he replied."Sor
I finished most of my work for the day and called my assistant. "I'm going out for a bit," I said."Okay, sir," she replied."If anyone calls, tell them I'm out," I added, feeling a twinge of excitement.I glanced at my watch. It was almost time for Zenith and Zendaya to get out of school. I don't know why, but I wanted to pick them up. I wanted them to know they could rely on me. I hadn't felt this excited in a while. I took the elevator down, ignoring a few colleagues who tried to stop me with questions."Sorry, I've got somewhere to be," I said, brushing them off.I walked briskly to my car in the parking lot. I could have called Paul to drive me, but I wanted to do this myself. For some reason, I felt protective of those kids. I enjoyed the look in their eyes when they saw me.I got into my car and drove to the school. As I approached, I noticed Zenith and Zendaya coming out of an ice cream shop with a strange man. I looked again, thinking I must be seeing things. Then the man tr
SLYVIA'S POVI was almost done with the meeting when my phone rang. I glanced at the screen and saw it was the movers. "Miss, we are at your house," the truck driver informed me."Oh god, I will be there in ten," I frantically replied. I turned to Lisa and the contractors. "You guys can handle it from here without me?""Yeah, we're good," Lisa assured me with a confident nod.I rushed outside, my mind racing with a million thoughts. I needed to get home as quickly as possible. I looked around, desperately searching for a cab. After a few seconds, I spotted one driving down the street. I practically ran in front of it, waving my arms frantically.The cab screeched to a halt. "Jesus, woman, you wanna die?" the cab driver yelled in a thick New York accent, clearly irritated."Sorry, I just really need to get to this address," I said, breathless, as I told him where I needed to go.The cab driver gave me a once-over, his expression softening slightly. "Alright, get in," he said, motioning
SLYVIA'S POVI stood up to resume unpacking, but before I could get started, I heard a truck pull up outside. Moments later, I heard the excited sound of Zenith and Zendaya's little feet running towards the house."Mummy!" they shouted in unison as they ran inside and gave me a big hug."How are you?" I asked, smiling as I hugged them back."We're fine!" they both said eagerly.Raymond entered the apartment behind them, looking around appreciatively. "Wow, nice place, Sylvia," he said."Thank you," I replied, still holding onto the kids."How was your first day at school?" I asked them."It was good," they answered, their faces lighting up with excitement.Zenith took a deep breath and started, "Mummy, we did so many things! We played games, and I made a new friend named Tommy. He's really good at soccer."Zendaya chimed in, "And we painted pictures! My teacher said mine was really good. I drew a rainbow with a unicorn.""That's wonderful!" I said, beaming at them. "I'm so glad you bo