MINE

ONE

SEVEN YEARS LATER

IRIS'S POV

"Iris?"

I was playing with my paper boat that aunt Jennifer made me in my garden when I heard my daddy's voice and immediately became afraid. Daddy makes me scared. Even though he doesn't talk to me much and doesn't say anything to me, I am still very afraid of him. I don't know why.

"Iris, where are you?" Daddy called out to me again.

"Yes daddy." I replied once daddy came to the garden looking for me. I was hiding behind aunt Jennifer's gown because I was afraid of facing daddy alone, by myself.

"I have to take you somewhere with me, so, get ready." Daddy said and looked at Aunt Jenny in his angry gaze.

"Don't worry Mr Rodriguez, I'll get her ready on time." Aunt Jenny replied.

"I'm taking her to a boss's party so doll her up accordingly." Daddy said and looked at his pond in the garden where he had reared his imported fishes. I only played with my boats there.

"What did I tell you about that pond, Iris?" He asked.

"Never to go there."

"And why did I tell you that?"

"Because there are fishes and I might hurt them." I replied to him with my head bowed.

"Good girl," Daddy said, and then suddenly bent his head down to my level and grabbed onto my hand in which I was holding my paper boat. It was all crumpled in my fist now. "The next time I see you playing with your stupid boats there, I will cut off your hands."

I gulped, looking at daddy's angry face shivering from fear, and he immediately changed his expressions into giving me a creepy smile, "Get dressed. Okay, honey?"

And he walked away.

As soon as he walked away, I hugged Aunt Jenny tightly and started crying loudly.

"Hey, Iris. No. No. Baby nothing happened. I'm here with you baby, don't cry." Aunt Jenny tried to calm me, taking me inside my room, so she could get me dressed for this party daddy was taking me to.

...........................

"Aunt Jenny, where is daddy taking me to? He has never taken me outside this house." I asked Aunt Jenifer while she was combing my hair.

"He is taking you to a very fancy party." Aunt Jenny replied in her cuckoo voice, making me wear my favorite ball gown that daddy brought me.

"What is a party? Are there other people there?"

Aunt Jenny looked at me, pausing for a moment and then laughed, "Yes, sugar. There are a lot of people there. There might even be other kids of your age whom you can play along with."

"Really? Would they talk to me? Do they play with paper boats like me too? Would they come to my house and play with me?"

Aunt Jenny laughed at my excitement and brushed my hair perfectly, she said, "You will get to know that once you go there and talk to those kids, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Oh, look, my little Iris looks so cute tonight. Can I click a picture of my little sugar?" Aunt Jenny asked me, taking out her cellphone, and I laughed, nodding my head in, a yes.

....................

I was ready to go out of this house with my daddy for the first time in my life. I am excited, but I am scared too, because I have never seen the world outside these walls. I have never seen or met anyone else except Daddy and Aunt Jenny. This would be a very new and different experience for me tonight.

_________________________________

JENNIFER'S POV

Rodriguez Mansion: It was a beautiful medium-sized mansion situated at the outskirts of the city of Los Angeles, Hollywood. This entire locality comes under the highest profile politician, Sir William Daniel Martinez, who is still ruling the entire continent and has his reign of terror all across the globe.

All the houses situated in this locality are owned by people working under Sir William Martinez. My boss and Iris's dad, Mr Rhys Rodriguez, is also one of many such people working for Sir Martinez.

I was appointed here, at the Rodriguez mansion, seven years ago after Iris's mother died. Iris was only one and a half years old back then. Since then, Iris has always found comfort in me. She called me aunt Jenny and I have also looked after her like my own child. Everything about this cute little girl was adorable except for the fact that she was extremely scared of her father, Mr Rodriguez.

I have seen most fathers showering lots of love on their daughters, even one having a dangerous connection to the underworld. But Mr Rodriguez preferred to keep Iris in fear. I don't understand where this fear even comes from, because Mr Rodriguez doesn't talk to Iris much. At times, even days or weeks would pass, and he wouldn't come to check on his daughter.

What's even more weird is that he is not educating his little child. He never takes her out, he doesn't allow her to have friends. Iris is a kind of girl nobody knew even existed because she has never stepped out of this house or met people other than me, her father and the five other servants in this house. Even when Mr Rodriguez's friends came over, Iris wasn't allowed to step outside and meet them. Sometimes it even feels like Iris isn't even Mr Rodriguez's daughter. But then, that can't be true or else why would he keep her in his house?

Anyway, tonight, it was the first time Iris stepped outside this house with her daddy. I was worried because she had never met strangers before. Also, she would be alone with the man she was so scared of for the entire night. But since Mr Rodriguez is taking her out to this party, I'm sure there will be other kids at the party too and so, maybe my Iris will finally make new friends. I hope she makes new friends. I feel so bad for the poor kid. No education, no friends. She doesn't even know what childhood feels like.

May God bless my child.

.................................

"Miss Jennifer, Master Rodriguez is asking for Iris Baby to accompany him." The house butler, Romario, came in and bowed his head down to Iris.

"Uncle Romario, do I look nice?" Iris chirped in her cuckoo voice, giving him a spin in her favorite frock before Romario, and he couldn't help but smile, "Of course miss Iris. You look beautiful tonight."

He then bowed to Iris and extended his hand out to her, "Now, if you please, come with me. Sir Rodriguez is waiting for you inside his car."

Iris's face turned pale at the mere thought of being alone with her dad. She grabbed my gown in her tiny fist and looked up at me scared, "Aunt Jenny? Won't you come with me too?"

Romario and I shared a look. All the servants in the house knew Iris was very scared of Mr Rodriguez, to the point that every time he would utter a mere sentence to her, and she would start crying in tears.

"Don't worry, miss Iris, I'll be there at your service until you reach the party. Now please come with me." Romario assured Iris.

She looked up at me and I gave her a nod. She needs to go out and embrace the world. Not because she has to, but because this maybe the last opportunity that she would ever get to go outside and know strange people other than the one's working in her house.

___________________________________

IRIS'S POV

A cold chill ran down my spine as soon as Uncle Romario opened the back door of the car and I saw daddy seated inside with both his legs crossed smoking a cigar. I looked at him scared with my big eyes, but refused to move. Daddy turned his head towards me and spared me his angered glance from head to toe.

"Perfect." He breathed out, complimenting me, and I tried to smile. But my smile was that of a scared one as well, "Now what are you staring at me for? Get inside!" Daddy shouted at me and my breath hitched. I wanted to go back into the arms of Aunt Jenny and cry.

"Miss Iris, please sit down." Uncle Romario tried to comfort me by holding me up in his arms and then placing me inside the car, making me sit right beside daddy. He then closed the door and circled back to sit in the driving seat.

"Miss Iris, there is a box of chocolates for you at the back of the car." Uncle Romario told me and I jumped in excitement, "Wow, chocolates!?"

Uncle Romario smiled at my reaction and started the engine and I stood up on the seat and started to look at the back for the chocolates. But then, my eyes met with daddy's, and he was glaring at me. My face immediately turned pale in horror and I took back my seat.

"I don't want to eat chocolates." I pouted with a fallen face, after which, I heard my daddy's domineering voice once again, "Don't make me regret my decision of taking you out, Iris!"

Tears pooled into my eyes immediately after hearing him say that. Why am I so weak near daddy? I don't know. But anything he says to me, hurts me.

"Iris, how do you react when I say something to you?" Daddy asked.

"Y-Yes daddy" I immediately replied.

"Master Rodriguez, she is just a little girl. And she is so cute. Why do you keep scolding her?" Uncle Romario said, glancing at my tearful face from his rear-view mirror. Daddy glared at Uncle Romario, and he immediately apologized, "I'm sorry sir."

The fifteen-minute ride to the party venue seemed like a century old to me. Once the car stopped at the venue, I couldn't help but look outside at the beautiful palace we were at.

"Whoa! Is it Christmas in this house?" I asked, to which daddy rolled his eyes and Uncle Romario informed me, "Miss Iris, parties are like this only. They decorate the house beautifully, so the guests would enjoy the decorations."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't know that." I said, looking at daddy with my head bowed at him.

"Behave like a good girl that you are at the party. Am I clear?" Said daddy.

"Yes daddy." I replied promptly, and he smiled at me for the very first time. My heart skipped a beat looking at my daddy smiling at me for the first time in the last seven years I have known him.

"Come, hold my hand so you don't get lost." Daddy said, and I gladly jumped down the car holding onto his thick masculine fingers.

"Yes daddy."

As I was walking away with daddy heading inside this beautiful house, Uncle Romario drove the car away, perhaps taking it to the parking lot.