CHAPTER 5: I'M DOOMED

"Woah."

I couldn't help but be in awe as we stopped in front of Greyson's school, Ridley Academy. The tall silver gate stands proudly in front of us. Even from the outside, anyone can attest that only the opulent can afford to study here.

I've already seen numerous huge buildings before, but this is the first time I saw such an enormous university. The school where I used to study may appear like a dot compared to this.

"Close your mouth, Cleo. A bug might fly inside it," Greyson teased me, giggling.

I laughed. "You can't blame me. Your school is really huge."

After Uncle Oliver parked the car, we headed inside, blending among the throng of students.

I held Greyson's hands tightly, afraid that I might lose him. I will surely not see the sun tomorrow if something bad happens to him under my care. Garren will open the gates of hell and wreak havoc.

"Greyson!"

Someone called his name; it's a girl smiling brightly at him.

I looked at Greyson, and my eyebrows arched when I saw a faint taint of red on his cheeks.

"Hi, Sophie!" He waved a hand at her.

Her smile widened. "Hello!" She looks at me. "Is she your new nanny?"

Greyson nods his head. "She is! Her name is Cleo."

She waved and flashed a sweet smile at me. "Good morning, Aunt Cleo! I hope Greyson is not giving you a hard time."

He pouted.

I laughed cordially and patted her head. "Don't worry, your friend right here is a good kid. You look so pretty, baby!"

She blushed. "Thank you very much. You are beautiful too!"

Someone called her name, and it was a woman dressed in a velvet maxi dress.

"My mom's calling me already! Bye, Aunt Cleo! Bye, Greyson! Let's just see each other in class!"

We watched her as she rushed to her mother. I glanced at Greyson, and I smiled when I saw the dreamy look on his face.

"You like Sophie, don't you?"

His eyes widened. "N-No!" He denied it, furiously shaking his head.

I giggled and pinched his cheeks. "If you say so."

We walked through the long hallway until we stopped in front of a huge, green building.

"Do well in your class but do not pressure yourself, alright?" I patted his head. "I'll wait for you here outside."

He flashed a bright smile before he walked towards their classroom. I peaked through the window and saw him talking to his seatmate.

Since it's still an hour before their recess, I decided to stroll around the campus. This school is insanely huge, and I don't think an entire day will be enough to visit all the places and stops.

My feet brought me to a garden. I stayed there for a couple of hours before I decided to go back to Greyson's classroom. They were going out of their rooms one by one when I arrived.

My eyebrows furrowed when I saw the frustration on his face as I walked towards him.

"You look so stressed out," I stated and handed him his snacks.

He sighed heavily. "I failed my math test."

"Why? What happened? Was your exam really that hard?"

He pouted and took a bite of the egg sandwich. "Well, that's the thing. The exam was easy, but I still failed."

I feel bad for him. He really looks sad and distressed.

I ruffled his hair. "Hey, stop lamenting over your score. You can just do better next time," I consoled him.

He didn't say anything and continued staring at the empty space in front of him while eating the sandwich.

He's always in high spirits, and it's making me sad to see him in this state.

"What's your score anyway? Maybe the number of your correct answers is still greater than the wrong ones. You know what? Sometimes we just need to look on the brighter side."

He breathed deeply. "I wasn't able to get one answer right and only got nineteen out of twenty."

My mouth went agape. I stopped ruffling his hair. I feel like the words of encouragement that I said are all useless and futile.

 

I waited for him to laugh and tell me that he was merely joking, but that didn't happen.

This is really grievous, huh?

I cleared my throat. "You actually did great! Getting only one mistake on a test is really remarkable, and I think you should be proud of yourself, like how I'm proud of you."

He shook his head and looked at me. "You don't understand, Cleo."

I threw him a questioning glance.

"I always want to ace my exams, not because of me... but because that is the only way I can think of for my father to appreciate me."

I was stunned for a couple of seconds. I looked at Greyson, bewildered.

"I'm pretty sure your dad is proud of you." I assured him.

He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Perhaps." He stood up. "I'm full now. The sandwich tastes so good!"

He's back to being the vivacious and buoyant Greyson, as if he wasn't on the verge of breaking down a while ago. What's happening to him?

He turned his back and rushed back to their room, even though he hadn't finished his snacks.

I looked at him from a distance. Even when their class started, I didn't leave my spot and continued watching him.

He often raised his hand whenever the teacher asked a question. He's participative and engaged in their class discussion.

However, despite that, I couldn't erase from my head the conversation that we had a while ago.

I sighed. "What really is your story, Greyson? What are you hiding?"

••••

A week passed like a mile a minute. I could say that my life, in a fortuitous way, has changed.

It wasn't that dreadful, but it wasn't particularly a piece of cake either. I had a lot of adjustments. There were times that I felt strange about my settings.

Nonetheless, I managed to adapt.

"Are you sure you still have money left with you, Cleo? If I learn that you are starving yourself, I won't hesitate to fly there and to flick your ears."

I chuckled at my mother's stern remarks. We're having a video call right now.

"Ma, how many times do I have to tell you to stop worrying about me? I am fine here. It's your health that you should be focusing on."

I sent them all the last salary that I received from Obsidian more than a week ago, and my mom has been fussing over it. She kept on telling me that I should have lefr something for myself.

"I really can't win over you. Anyway, where are you right now? That room is not familiar to me," she asked, looking at the walls behind me.

I smiled. "Well, that was actually the reason why I called."

"What do you mean?" She gave me a confused look.

"I retired from my previous job and found a new one."

An expression of surprise passed through her eyes.

"What kind of job is that? How long have you been working there? Who's your boss? Do they treat you well?"

I laughed heartily. "Ma, calm down. I'm working as a personal nanny right now, and I'm fine. In fact, I can say that my current work is better than my previous one."

"You're not only saying that to keep me at ease, aren't you?"

"I'm telling the truth, Ma, so you should stop worrying about me."

She lets out a sigh. "Fine. I trust your decision."

We talked for a while before I decided to hang up the call. It's Saturday, and that means Greyson has no school, but I still have a job to do.

I stood up from the bed and fixed myself before I headed out of my room.

I checked on Greyson first, but he's still asleep in his room. So, I decided to come back downstairs and went to the kitchen.

"What are you cooking, Aunt Cora?"

Aunt Cora is the one who cooks in this household most of the time. I really admire her skills. She and my mother will surely get along well because of their enthusiasm for the kitchen.

"Beef brisket. Greyson requested this last night," she replied with a smile.

"May I help, aunt?"

"Sure, you can cut those green pepper."

I gladly obliged. However, I was just about to get the knife when someone rang the doorbell.

"Can you please attend to that, Cleo?"

"Sure thing."

I dried my hands and ran towards the main door. However, I was taken by surprise when I saw who was ringing the doorbell.

I wasn't informed of his arrival.

Wearing his pilot uniform, Garren is standing in the doorway with all his glory. His towering height demands attention. The same stern expression is plastered on his face.

"Move, lady."

Two words... two commanding words managed to make me feel like a cat on hot bricks. It was enough to make my blood run cold.

I swallowed the lump obstructing my throat and moved aside.

"Apologies, Sir Garren. Good morning."

A huge boulder seemed to get lifted off my chest when he just walked past me.

Aunt Esther, who was carrying a basket of laundry, greeted him, but Garren just nodded. It doesn't seem like an issue for the former, though.

I scrunched up my nose. "He's really rude. Greeting us back won't hurt."

I shrugged my shoulders and went back to the kitchen.

That day went like usual. Although Garren is here, nothing strange and foreign happened, because he didn't come out of his room either.

He didn't even eat breakfast or lunch with us, just like the first day I worked here. But I guess I was the only one who was confused because none of them looked for him... not even Greyson, his own son.

This household is weird... or perhaps it's just him.

When the night falls, just like what I always do, I tuck Greyson to sleep.

"Are you sure you want to turn the lights off?"

He smiled. "I'm a grown up now. The darkness doesn't scare me anymore."

"How about the monsters under your bed?" I teased him.

He sneered. "I’m not terrified of them either!"

I chuckled. "Well, that's good to know."

I pulled the blanket over his body and turned the lights off. The lampshade beside his bed is now the only source of illumination.

"Sweet dreams, Greyson."

"Goodnight too, Cleo."

I gave him one last glance before I left his room and climbed downstairs.

The entire house is already veiled in a cacophony of eerie silence. I'm supposed to go to my room when I see that the lights in the kitchen are still on.

"Did Aunt Esther forget to turn them off?"

I walked in that direction, but I didn't expect to see Garren making coffee, its strong aroma pervading my nose.

I was planning to leave stealthily, but it was too late because he had already seen me. I have no choice but to greet him to not appear rude. Great.

I cleared my throat. "Good evening, Sir Garren. I'm sorry for disturbing your peace. I thought—"

"I wasn't asking for an explanation."

My lips pursed together. Damn, that was embarrassing.

I was lost for words, so I just bowed my head and turned my back. However, before I could even take a step, he spoke.

"Wait."

I heaved out a sigh and looked back at him. "Yes, sir?"

He took a sip of the coffee. "Why are you so anxious around me?"

My eyes widened. He notices it?

"Perhaps we have already met?"

The color on my face vanished as a rush of apprehension washed over me. I'm doomed.