Chapter 6 (SIX)
1506 Words
"You can't call her mommy, honey." As he approached his daughter, Liam said.
"Why? I like her."
"Um, I don't think being your mother is a good idea." Zhanarah responded to Audrey by placing a pin in her hair. She is madly in love with children. Audrey smiled broadly when she was given a pin.
"Oh, is that so? It's a shame, but it's all right. I guess I'll have to call to you as nanny then"
"Yes, because I'm your nanny," she said with a smile to the little girl.
Audrey turned to face his father, and Zhanarah remembered something. She did some research on the man and discovered that he had been celibate for five years. She was initially taken aback by what she had discovered.
Her heart ached just thinking about it.
"Audrey must have struggled when her mother abandoned them," she reasoned.
She is beginning to suspect that the man has no ulterior motive, but then again, who would hire a w***e as his daughter's nanny, and he is not just anybody or an ordinary man. For Pete's sake, he's a billionaire.
A multibillionaire!
Billionaires always want and receive the best for themselves and their families. They don't settle for second best, and she is well aware that she is far from the best. She lacks even the necessary experience. So, what is the reason? That was the question she wanted to ask because it was the one that bothered her the most.
"You nearly got on my father's nerves." Audrey interjected Zhanarah's thought.
"Huh? What exactly do you mean?" She raised her brow and looked at Liam, whose expression was unreadable.
"Please try not to get on his nerves; you won't find it funny when he becomes enraged."
"Oh... Okay?" Zhanarah said, amazed by the little girls smartness.
"So, I'm Audrey Davis and you're Zhanarah Miller right?"Audrey ask a question, trying to attempt an introduction.
The little girl then turned to face his father and smiled knowingly as he winked at her.
Zhanarah's heart warmed as she observed the father and daughter's exchange of expressions, and she admired both of them.
She remembered the days when she was also very close to her father; they would stay up all night thinking about doing her homework, and most of the time when she'd sleep off without finishing it, her father would answer and complete it and show it to her the next morning. Some days, they'll both laugh at their wretched drawings.
Knowing how emotional she could be, Zhanarah put an end to the memories. She took a deep breath and finally responded to the little girl.
"My name is Zhanarah Miller. I'm your new nanny."
"You look beautiful and..... natural," she said with a smile.
"Thank you very much. You, too, are stunning."
"But I hoped you weren't like Lucy," Audrey said worriedly, her face sad."Lucy?" she inquired, perplexed.
"I'll get back to you on that later." Liam responded.
"Oh...okay?" She replied, puzzled as to who Lucy was and why the little girl was wearing such a worried and sad expression while mentioning her name.
"Audrey, you are free to go back to your library." Liam said to her daughter, kissing her on the cheeks.
"With Zhanarah, correct?" Audrey inquired, her face tense.
"No. She is scheduled to return to work the following day."
"Huh?" Zhanarah and Audrey both responded in chorus.
"Yeah," Liam said, nodding.
"However, why?" Audrey sighed.
"You know she has to go through your rules booklet first, darling."
The little girl sighed and persisted once more. "However, she can do that now.""No. And I haven't even talked to her yet."
Audrey agreed with her father and nodded. "Goodbye, Nanny Zhanarah. I hope you don't come back after reading my rules." She said this before disappearing in front of her, leaving her perplexed.
Liam cleared his throat as he noticed Zhanarah's confusion.
"What exactly does she mean?" She inquired.
"Come with me," Liam said, but then noticed her hesitation. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna kill you." He added, a little pissed.
"I never said anything."
He didn't respond, but instead rolled his eyes and walked away, leaving her to follow. He's so enraged that she hasn't the foggiest idea what he's up to. Maybe he shouldn't have just extended a helping hand to her, but he can't just abandon her after learning such a thing.
Zhanarah, who had been staring at his broad back, quickly switched her gaze to her feet as he turned to see if she was following him.
Liam led her to the garden, where they could have a quiet conversation. And Zhanarah's expression reflects her awe of her surroundings. It was teeming with butterflies and flowers. It's as if she's died and gone to heaven.
When they arrived, they sat down and began the conversation.
"Audrey has her own rules booklet and you'll receive it before you leave." He started.
"Okay." She stated plainly.
"And Audrey's rules are a little.... You'll find out after you receive her booklet. Most applicants find her rules to be too difficult to follow, so they drop out before they even begin." He was a little hesitant when he said it.
"Really? She imposed the rules on herself?"
"Of course, it's a must-follow, which is why I want you to read it before you begin tomorrow. And I don't want it to end like Lucy's."
Hearing the name, Zhanarah's expression then became curious again. Who the hell is Lucy?
"Who is she exactly?" She asked, a little confused about the woman name."Audrey's nanny before you, of course," He said as his expression went blank. "I fired her recently."
"Why?"
"Because she was cruel to my daughter. When I'm around, she's all nice and pleasant, and I never suspect she's doing something to my daughter. She repeatedly made her cry, scolded her, and hit her. She even pushed my daughter to the ground and repeatedly robbed her. Audrey hasn't told me anything because she's afraid of what I've done to her. Thank God, the other maid noticed what she had done." He said this while clenching his teeth in rage.
"Really?" She asks incredulously. Wow! That woman has guts. How could she have harmed a child? " She must be insane to do something like that.
" I've already placed her behind bars. I just can't let her go so easily after what she did. Not with my daughter in the picture."
"Oh my goodness! She is entitled to more than that after what she has done." With a frown, Zhanarah stated.
"But it's all my fault. I should have paid more attention. I was always preoccupied with work. Thank goodness one of our maids witnessed everything and even took notes for proof."
"But why did you hire me to be her nanny after what happened to her? You should have someone in whom you can put your daughter's trust."
"I'm not sure. All I know is that I can put my trust in you."
She burst out laughing and looked at him in disbelief. "You've gone insane. What if I turn out to be worse than Lucy? Remember that I'm a s*x worker, a p********e?"
"I know you won't. That's how I trust you." Liam said still insisting that he trust her.
She looked at him, stunned. I'm still perplexed as to why he chose her to be his daughter's nanny.
"So now, let's talk about your salary," he said, ignoring Zhanarah's puzzled expression. "You'll be paid half a million dollars per week."
"WHAT?!" Zhanarah was taken aback by what she had heard.
HALF A MILLION DOLLARS? ONE WEEK! That's insane for a nanny position.
"What? Is it insufficient?" He stated it simply. However, he had anticipated her reaction.
"Are you serious? A half-million? One week. Are you serious? That's a lot of money." She was still taken aback and surprised by the salary she would receive.
That's half of her stepmother's surgery bill.
"Because that is how I feel about my daughter. When it comes to my daughter, I refuse to accept less."
She wanted to ask how he could handle such a large sum of money, but then she remembered he's a freaking billionaire and philanthropist.
Damn! Half a million dollars would be worthless to him. What a moron she is for forgetting that.
"So, I guess that concludes our discussion. You're supposed to return tomorrow, and the booklet will be handed to you in the living room."
Zhanarah wasted no time and rose to her feet. "Okay."
"I suppose you'll be able to find your way back to the living room then,"
"Of course," she says. Zhanarah shrugged and turned away from the man. She took one last admiring look at the view of the garden before departing.
When she entered the living room, a woman approached her and handed her the booklet. She took a quick glance at it, threw it in her bag, and went home.
"I guess I'll go then."
- Writer
