4. Daddy duties

Zach King's alarm sounded at 6 am as usual. He sat up in bed and looked around his bedroom. 

'She's not here today?" He thought to himself, amazed to see that Samantha, his six-year-old daughter was not in his room waiting for him to wake up as usual. 'Maybe she finally decided to stop watching over me.' He thought to himself and smiled

Six months ago after her mom was finally moved to the hospital before her death, Zach would wake up to find Samantha staring down at him in bed. After three days of waking up to find her watching over him, he asked her if she was afraid of sleeping alone and she replied, no! She was just afraid the men that came to take her mother away would also come for him while she was sleeping.

Zach felt pain for his daughter. He wished there was something to save his wife's life. If not for anything but his daughter's sake. There was nothing they could do as the terminal cancer that she had was already at its final stage. The doctors were just keeping her pain-free and comfortable.

He tried to make Samantha understand the situation of her mother's sickness and why she needs to be moved to the hospital for proper care. She understood but still insisted on coming to his room whenever she woke up, till she became his workout buddy. Well, he missed his workout buddy but was at the same time glad she decided to sleep in.

He got out of bed and immediately went down on all fours for his morning routine of one hundred push-ups, sit-ups, and squats. He properly positioned his hands and legs and was about to lower his body when he felt a familiar weight sit on his upper back.

"You're late! Tardiness won't be tolerated next time." He joked as he expertly started pushing himself up and then down while his daughter sat on his back

"Yeah, sorry dad! Grandma made me come late. She's here with your fiancee. Your fiancee is..."

My what now?" He cut her off midsentence, not letting her finish her statement because he didn't believe he heard her right

"Your fiancee... She's beautiful, intelligent, and would help you in taking care of me whenever you're at work." Samantha finished saying. Then she remembered she left out some vital information which she immediately added "And oh, she's from mommy's family too. That means she's in the best position to take good care of me"

Zach laughed but his face said otherwise. He was beginning to feel his anger rise within him. 

'What have I gotten myself into?' He wondered to himself when he remembered what happened some years before. 

"Interesting! And I suppose grandma put you up to this? She asked you to tell me that didn't she?" He asked and dropped on the floor, the exercise brought to a temporary halt for the moment

"Uhmm... Don't ask that! I'm not supposed to let you know"

He smiled and made her sit beside him on the floor. "And when did we start hiding secrets from each other? I'm your dad! Thought we were best friends?" Zach said pitifully

"Oh alright! But you can't tell her I said anything to you okay? Otherwise, she would be disappointed in me." Samantha said looking up at him pleadingly with her huge green eyes. 

He reached out and ruffled her blond hair, saying softly "Sam this is adult stuff, I don't want you to worry about adult stuff, okay?"

"Okay..." She replied with a smile. "Grandma told me those words and made me repeat myself to her over and over. She said it's for my own and your own good."

"Come here," Zach said and pulled his daughter into his arms. "Thank you for looking out for me... But I don't want you to worry about it anymore, okay? It is one of daddy's many duties to worry about you because I am built to worry for the both of us, but you?..." He pulled away from their hug and seriously looked at her from the crown of her head to the sole of her feet.  

"You're just so tiny. Why not wait until you're as big as daddy then you can worry all you want. How about that?"

  

"Excellent! She replied, clapping her hands excitedly.

"Great! Now let's get back to our exercise. How many push-ups so far?..."

 "Thirty-six..."

"Okay then. You can start counting from where we stopped" He got in position again and resumed his exercise while his daughter count the numbers for him.

Platinum & Silver Conglomerate executive meetings for the formal handing over of the Chief Executive Officer position to him by his father was scheduled for that day. Since Samantha has not been registered in any school yet, he thought it would be a good idea if he asked his mother to babysit for him but he was clearly wrong

He thought it was a joke and never took it seriously the last time she mentioned the Mancini agreement to him after he had already made it known to them that he had no intention of taking another wife much less from the Mancini family. So how come he's now engaged to the said woman that he hasn't met?  

His mother was something else and he was very angry with her right then but he had to control his temper just because of Samantha. He never knew she would be so desperate to have him do her will to the extent of manipulating a fragile child that recently lost her mother.

After they were done with the exercise, he helped Samantha shower before getting ready for work himself. When he arrived downstairs, He saw They already made breakfast and Samantha was almost done with her food. 

"Zachary there you are.." His mother's face lit up as soon as he appeared in her view. 

"Come have breakfast, I cooked your favorites... Oh and this is Christy, your fiancee. Isn't it great that she's already getting along with Samantha... Christy dear, meet your future husband, Zachary, don't you find him more handsome physically?..." His mother Regina said in one stretch not pausing for air.

He could see the one called Christy as she stood from behind the table and extended her hand with the talon-like fingernails to him in greetings. He ignored her and directed his gaze towards his daughter.

"Sam, hurry go get your backpack. We're leaving."  He smiled towards his daughter who immediately stood up with a flash and run towards the stairs

"Hey! No running! I said hurry not run!" He said before finally turning towards where his mother was still standing. Regina looked at her son and her bright and confident smile wavered when she saw his eyes that smiled towards his daughter had become hard and his mouth set in an angry line. 

 

Zach saw the Cristy woman was still standing with her fake smile and extended hand still in place but he ignored her still. As angry as he was, he would have loved to say his mind to his mother right there and then but held himself because of the woman who was no doubt another Mancini puppet. 

"Mom thank you for coming. Please don't worry about babysitting Sam again. I've decided to take her along with me to the office. After all Platinum & Silver provides daycare services for lactating mothers. Now, why didn't I think of that before" He said with a fake smile plastered on his face?

"Oh that's great then but w-what about Christy?... Shouldn't you invite her to lunch so you both can talk about your wedding..." Regina was saying when Samantha's voice interrupted her

"I'm back daddy!" She announced, happily bouncing on her feet.

Oh great!" Zach said towards his daughter before turning to his mom. "Mom, I'm sorry I can't wait to talk. I'll see you later" He said and left with Samantha tagging behind.