Moana“Ahem.”Ethan and I jerked our heads up from the portfolio of his childhood drawings, our train of conversation now broken, to see none other than Edrick standing in the doorway -- and he didn’t look happy.“Oh, hello,” I said, feeling a bit nervous under the billionaire’s strangely disapproving stare. “Ethan was just showing me some of his work.”Without a word, Edrick slowly walked into the studio. His shoes clicked loudly on the concrete floor, echoing through the room’s tall ceilings. For several long moments, the Alpha billionaire slowly circled the studio and looked at all of the art with his hands in his pants pockets. I noticed that he wasn’t looking around with wonder, like I had when Ethan first turned on the light, but rather with an almost disgusted look on his face. He almost seemed repulsed by the art, which was surprising considering the fact that he had plenty of expensive artwork hanging in both his mansion in the mountains and his city penthouse.Finally, Edric
MoanaAs I was drying off my hands on the plush hand towel, I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder.It was Kelly.“Oh… You scared me,” I said, taking a step backwards. “Do you need something?”“Why haven’t you been doing your job?” she asked abruptly, her voice somewhat shrill. She seemed incredibly irritated, and her face was a bit red from alcohol.“Um… Excuse me?” I asked.Kelly laughed and rolled her eyes abrasively, folding her thin arms across her small chest. I was never much of the type to judge other women negatively for their bodies, but it was apparent that she was wearing a pushup bra through her almost-sheer dress, and it wasn’t working. In fact, now that I thought of it, I had hardly seen her eat anything at the luncheon the other day or at the banquet just now. It made me wonder if it was a regular thing for her to refuse food, which made me sorry for her.“You’re the nanny,” she said, stepping toward me and poking her index finger into the center of my sternum. “You’re b
EdrickI returned to the party with Moana, trying to quell my anger over seeing Moana and Ethan together. I wasn’t quite so much mad at her, although she should’ve been more professional, as I was mad at him. I knew that he was up to something… Always.“There you are, darling,” my mother said, reaching out and squeezing my hand as Moana and I approached.“Edrick,” my father suddenly said, pushing himself up from his chair. He didn’t like to admit it, but he was getting older and was starting to have some difficulty with sitting and standing. “Come with me. I’d like to talk to you.”I knew where this was going, but I also knew that I didn’t have a say with it as I watched my father walk away. My mother, who also knew what he was about to say, gave my hand another squeeze before I followed him.We walked over to the bar, where he ordered us each a glass of whiskey.“Here,” he said, shoving the glass of whiskey in my hand.“Thank you,” I replied, swirling the brown liquid around a bit in
MoanaThe night was finally over. By the time we all returned to the banquet hall, many of the guests had left. Ella, following her territorial outburst in the garden, seemed to have completely exhausted herself and now slept soundly on my shoulder as I carried her.“Oh, tired little thing,” Verona said in a hushed tone as she came up to us.“We should get going.” Edrick’s voice was cold and stern; I could tell that he wasn’t particularly happy with me, although I wasn’t sure if it was because I was spending time with Ethan earlier that night or because I got involved with the two wolf pups. I wasn’t particularly happy with him, either -- not after what he supposedly said to Kelly about me.Verona frowned. “Stay the night,” she said. “There’s no need to drag a tired little girl home when we have plenty of space here. You can leave tomorrow, after breakfast.”Edrick glanced over at Ella, then back to his mother and nodded reluctantly.Verona showed us to our rooms. Ella’s was situated
Moana“Good morning.”I jumped, clasping my hand over my heart and taking in a sharp breath as I slipped out of Edrick’s room, only to be immediately met with a familiar voice.Ethan’s smiling face stared back at me. From one look at him, I knew that he knew that something was going on.“Uh-- I-It’s not how it looks like,” I stammered, looking around frantically with my back against the bedroom door in the hopes that no one else was watching.Ethan merely chuckled. “Are you really an au pair?” he asked. I could sense a hint of humor behind his voice and it helped me relax just a tiny bit, but I still feared that I had ruined Ethan’s impression of me. I liked him as a person and desperately did not want him to think that I was just after his brother for money or sex.“I am, I swear,” I replied, grabbing Ethan’s arm without thinking and pulling him away from the door in case Edrick was awake and listening. “I’m not a mistress, or anything like that.”“Well, not that it’s any of my busin
Moana The following morning, I woke up early to get Ella ready for training. She was tired after the party, but was cooperative, and her sweet disposition distracted me from the strange experiences I had at the Morgan residence. While Ella ate breakfast, I sought Edrick out and found him in his study. Taking a deep breath, I quietly knocked on the door. He glanced up and gestured for me to come in before promptly looking back down at his work again. “Did you need something?” he asked. “Yes,” I replied, still feeling somewhat uncomfortable around the Alpha billionaire’s cold demeanor even though I thought I should be used to it by now. “Well, spit it out.” I swallowed. The last time I had done anything like I was about to ask permission for, it had ended horribly and completely stunted both Edrick’s and the servants’ confidence in me. “I would like to take some time today to visit the orphanage while Ella is at her training session,” I said. Edrick paused and slowly set his pen
MoanaEthan dropped Ella and I off at the penthouse. As I stood on the sidewalk, I had just promised Ethan that I would go to his art exhibit… But now, as I looked over my shoulder to see Edrick standing in the doorway, I wished that I hadn’t.Edrick stormed toward us and took Ella by the hand, shooting me an angry look before stooping down to glare at Ethan through the car window.“How many times do I have to tell you to stop coming to my home?” Edrick growled. Before Ethan could respond, Edrick turned on his heel and stormed inside with Ella jogging behind him to keep up on her tiny legs.“Edrick, what’s the matter?” I called, running after him. “The usual driver got stuck in traffic. You can’t seriously be that angry--”The elevator doors open. Edrick stepped in with Ella, and I followed. I could feel him avoiding my gaze as he pushed the button that would take us back up to the penthouse.“What were you doing with him to begin with?” Edrick snarled, quietly so as not to frighten E
MoanaMy trance with the TV was broken by the sound of Selina’s voice coming from beside me.“Interesting,” she said, wiping her hands on her apron. “That’s more than I expected.”I turned to face her, still surprised by Edrick’s sudden act of generosity. “He doesn’t do things like this often, does he?” I asked.Selina shrugged. “Every so often. It’s usually once a year or so these past few years, but it’s never made public, and it’s rarely this much. I wonder what changed to make him donate such a large amount and for him to allow it to be televised.”“And to an orphanage, no less,” Lily chimed in from behind me.Shrugging again, Selina turned around and started to head back to the kitchen. I followed her, still curious about the situation. “You said it’s been happening just for the past few years?” I asked.“Listen, I don’t know all of the specifics,” Selina replied curtly. She had her back turned to me as she scrubbed so hard at the stovetop with a damp sponge that it was making th
MoanaI couldn’t help but laugh as I thought back on the beginning of our relationship.To think that, just a year prior, I was just Edrick’s one night stand who also became his nanny… And now, here I was, standing in front of the mirror in my wedding dress.The dress that I picked out was beautiful. We planned to have a late summer wedding to commemorate our meeting,six months after little Daisy was born. My dress was a blush pink color. It was soft and flowy with a beautiful floral embroidered pattern, and sleeves that fluttered in the breeze. It hugged my waist in all of the right places and made me feel more beautiful than ever.Daisy was six months old now, and Ella often mentioned how she no longer looked like a squished little grape. Ella had just turned nine, and thought that she was a grown-up, although she still liked to
MoanaAfter ten hours of intense and grueling labor, little Daisy was born.“She’s so tiny,” I whispered as I held the little crying bundle in my arms. The doctor weighed her at just six pounds and twelve ounces, but she was as healthy as an ox.Edrick, who hadn’t left my side throughout the entire delivery, leaned over my shoulder with a wide grin on his face and held his hand out to touch her cheek. Almost instantly, Daisy’s little hand shot out and gripped his index finger with a relentless force for such a little thing.Her eyes were squeezed shut, and yet she still had an instinct to keep her father’s finger in a vice grip.I couldn’t help but laugh, but I also wanted to cry.When I was on the cliff with Michael, I saw my parents at my birth. I did the same thing to my father, and I also wouldn&
MoanaThe time between Michael going to prison and Daisy’s birth were such a whirlwind of activity that the months practically flew by.Ethan and Kelly wound up being transferred to a mental health facility. I think that was better for them in the long run, as the things that they did were ultimately the result of Michael’s brainwashing. I didn’t hold any grudges against them; in fact, Edrick and I visited them on a monthly basis, and the medication and therapy that they went through seemed to be helping a bit.Of course, Kelly could never get over her obsession with Edrick. Nor could Ethan get over his obsession with me. It was very likely that they would spend years in that place, but at least we could have somewhat normal conversations with them when we went to visit.Michael, however, had no visitors and I didn’t feel the least bit bad about it. Verona ev
MoanaThe months in between Michael going to prison and Daisy’s birth were a whirlwind of emotions and unexpected turns. After the incident with Michael, where he was sentenced to prison for his attempt on my life, my world took another astonishing twist.The news outlets revealed a shocking revelation: Moana, the seemingly ordinary girl who was raised in an orphanage, was, in fact, the legendary Golden Wolf.I never imagined my life could become so entangled in a web of fame and attention.Suddenly, everyone wanted a piece of me. All sorts of brands and non-governmental organizations bombarded me with invitations and tempting monetary offers. It was overwhelming, to say the least. My inbox was flooded with messages from high-profile companies and influential figures, all hoping to capitalize on my newfound fame.It felt like the world had changed overnigh
EdrickWithin an hour, Moana and I were nervously walking up the front steps to my parents’ mansion.We left Ella with Selina just in case we walked in on anything sinister. The house was mostly dark, which was out of the ordinary. As I slowly opened the front door, I felt my heart catch in my throat.“Hello?” I called out, holding Moana’s hand as I stepped into the large foyer. “Mom?”There was no answer. Moana and I exchanged nervous glances and walked in a little further.“Verona?” Moana called, cupping her hands around her mouth to make her voice travel further. “Are you there?!”Still no answer. We decided to head into the sitting room, where my mother often liked to be during her free time, but it was dark and empty. At this point, I was starting to get even more nervous.
MoanaA little while later, Edrick and I were standing in the front doorway of the mansion and looking out at the scene before us.The security guards were leading Michael, who was cuffed, over to the car. His nose was still clotted with blood from Edrick’s punch, but something about it was satisfying to see. I enjoyed seeing Michael finally face some consequences for his actions, and I especially enjoyed watching Selina scold him like a child.What was even more satisfying, though, was seeing him being shoved into the back of the car to be driven down to the police station.Kat was found by the guards, too. Not long after Edrick punched Michael in the face, Kat was found hiding in the woods. As it turned out, Michael paid her a pretty penny to get close to me and lead me off into the forest to get lost so that he could kill me. She looked ashamed as the guards cuffed her, and
EdrickI hated to say it, but Moana looked more beautiful than ever as she practically assaulted my evil father on the back lawn.“He’s no threat,” she said as she released her grip on his shirt and let him fall back to the ground, then turned and walked back to meet me. “The knife is gone. He’s just an angry old man now and nothing more.”Moana was right; the knife was indeed gone. It shattered when Michael tried to stab her with it.During those moments when the knife was plunged into her belly, it felt as though my heart stopped. I watched in horror as the knife disappeared into her belly. When my father pulled it out, it was covered in blood and he had a maniacal grin on his face.But something happened then. She became enveloped in that golden light again, only this time it was even brighter and more blinding than before.
MoanaEveryone froze and stared at each other with wide eyes as the sound of the groaning and shuffling came closer.“Daddy?” Ella whimpered. “Who is there?”Edrick slowly sat Ella down, then walked toward the door. He gestured to the security guards, but before anything could be done, the last person we expected walked into the doorway.“Thought you could kill me, huh?”Michael stood in the doorway with an evil smirk on his face. Selina, the maids and I all let out a collective gasp. Selina suddenly grabbed Ella by the arm and shoved her behind us to keep her protected.“Michael,” I said, taking a step forward, “you were dead.”Michael just laughed. “I was indeed,” he said. “But not for long. I guess you didn’t realize that I was waking
Moana“Can you trust me to take care of him?” I asked.Ella began to sob, but I somehow knew exactly what to do. It all felt so natural now… I didn’t even really need to think about it. I just knew to wrap my arms around Ella and comfort her, although whether it was my abilities or simply my nurturing instincts, I couldn’t be entirely sure.Suddenly, Ella stopped crying.“Okay,” she whimpered after a moment, stepping back and wiping her tears out of her eyes. “I trust you. Please take good care of my daddy.”I managed a weak smile and nodded at Ella, taking her little hands in mine. “I will take good care of him,” I whispered as I looked into her eyes, still using my pacifying ability to keep her calm. “Don’t you worry.”Ella nodded and stepped away, allowin