My mafia Daddy

3. THE LONG LOST DAUGHTER _______________

SISTER TERESA POV

•

17 June, Saint Amara’s orphanage, Long Island New York

•

The morning sun filters through the tall, arched windows of Saint Amara’s Orphanage, catching dust motes in golden halos. Outside, the bells ring for chores. Inside, my patience thins by the second.

„Girls, be swift.” I snap as they scatter down the hall with mops, laundry baskets, and whispered complaints.

„And keep your voices down. This is not a barn.” God grant me strength. These girls… they test me more than most. Once they’re out of earshot, I retreat to my office and shut the heavy door behind me. Silence. Blessed silence. I slide into the wooden chair and pull the adoption file from my desk drawer.

Ninath Black.

The request came in yesterday. Unusual. Not the paperwork itself, but how it arrived. Priority courier. Official seal. A letter from an adoption liaison I’ve never spoken to. My instincts bristled. I’d barely started reviewing the file when the phone rang.

„Saint Amara’s, this is Sister Teresa speaking.” I picked up the phone and said calmly.

„Ah, good morning, Sister.” A chipper male voice replied.

„Mr Perkins here, calling from the New York State Adoption Liaison Office, regarding a pending matter of one of your girls, Ninath Black.” I stiffened slightly, though I kept my voice composed.

„Yes? I was reviewing the documentation.” I said, flipping through the pages.

„Though I must admit, I am startled by your call. This request is sudden, and you know well we follow a strict policy. Vetting, background checks, family interviews, psychological evaluations…” He interrupted me, almost too quickly.

„Yes, of course, but this is a… unique situation.” I don’t like unique situations.

„You see…” He continued, and I stayed silent.

„Mr Black, the applicant, is not just a prospective guardian, he’s Ninath’s biological father. Who recently discovered this fact.” The words struck like cold water down my spine.

„I beg your pardon?” I asked, blinking down at the file in front of me.

„That can’t be…”

„I’ve sent you all the supporting documentation.” Mr Perkins said smoothly.

„DNA confirmation, legal testimony, and a notarised excerpt from the grandfather’s will that confirms both paternity and Mr Black’s legal right to claim guardianship.” My breath stilled.

„Mr Black, her grandfather is also the one who placed Ninath under your care for unknown reasons, and he was the one who supported your orphanage for all those years from the shadows.” His words were like a wake-up call and yet my denial of this unfortunate situation ran deep. Fourteen years. That poor child has been here… with us… thinking she had no one. When her blood, her father was alive the entire time? I swallowed.

„I see.” I murmured.

„Yes, I see it now. It all…matches.” A long pause hung between us before I added…

„Then… I suppose, it has no meaning to keep Ninath here for any longer.” I asked, because from his demanding yet calm tone of voice, I could tell his client Mr. Black was more than eager to quicken the process.

„Exactly.” He replied, his tone brightening.

„And that’s why Mr Black is hoping for an expedited handover. He fully respects your orphanage’s policies, but… he’s waited long enough in darkness unaware he even has a daughter. We believe the transition should happen immediately. Mr Black would like to pick up his daughter in person, if that's acceptable for you? Maybe, tomorrow morning, if possible?” I stared down at the crisp black ink spelling her name across the file.

Ninath Black.

The child with the strange hair and stranger eyes. The one they all whisper about behind their hands. The girl who has always seemed… misplaced, even within these walls.

“Tomorrow morning?” I repeated.

„Yes, if it's not a problem?” He confirmed.

„That should give her the evening to pack and… emotionally prepare. Naturally, we understand this will be difficult for her.” I nodded slowly.

„Of course. We will respect the arrangement. Is 8.30 am, good for you?” I said and continued.

„Girls have breakfast at 7.30 am, which should be right on time after it.” It's all happening quite quickly for my liking, but the papers all match and Mr Perkins’s voice has something in it which forces me to agree with him for some strange reason.

„That is wonderful sister Teresa. Mr Black will be deeply delighted with this arrangement.” He replied joyfully, but proceeded...

“Ah, one more thing, Sister Teresa.” He added, tone shifting. I braced myself.

„Mr Black has requested, that the full nature of their biological connection not be revealed just yet. He’d like to speak to his daughter himself, once they’ve had time to build some mutual trust and form a connection. We feel it’s in the child’s best emotional interest to not be overwhelmed all at once.” My lips pressed thin. I didn’t like secrets, but I understood the logic.

„…Very well. We’ll have the necessary documents prepared along with Ninath herself, by morning.” I flowed with little uncertainty in my voice. As much as bulletproof all those documents were, it was still a little too quick and sudden for my liking, but I kept repeating myself, that it's for the best…

„Splendid. Thank you for your understanding, Sister Teresa. May God bless you.” The line went dead. What a strange conversation.

•

I didn’t move. Not for a long time. Just sat there, staring at the file, while somewhere down the hall, Ninath Black, the girl with devil’s curls and stardust freckles was probably sweeping dust off the chapel floor, completely unaware that her entire life was about to change. Tomorrow, she’d be gone. And something told me… she would never be the same again.

•

SISTER LUISA POV

•

I know I shouldn’t have favourites. We are all daughters of God, all equal in His eyes. That’s what they teach us, what we vow to believe when we take the cloth.

But Ninath…

She is mine. Not by blood, no. But by something deeper. By bond. By the thousands of quiet moments we’ve shared since she was placed into my arms at just two days old. I taught her to walk. I soothed her when the others mocked her curls. I held her through fevers and nightmares and the kind of questions no girl should ask so young. So, God forgive me if loving her as my own is a sin. Because I’d rather burn for that love than deny it.

•

„Girls, it’s time to return to the dorms for dinner!” Sister Annabeth calls, clapping her hands as the group files into rows, but something’s off.

„Wait…” I murmur, scanning the faces.

„We’re one short.” Annabeth arches a brow.

„Which one?”

„Ninath.” My chest tightens.

„She’s not here.” Annabeth sighs. „Probably wandered off again.” I give her a quick nod.

„Wait here. I’ll find her.”

•

Of course, I find her exactly where I expect, under her favourite tree on the far end of the courtyard, curled into a patch of shade like a leaf folded in on itself. Her bare feet peek from beneath her skirt, toes twitching in sleep.

„Ninath, sweetheart?” I whisper, crouching beside her.

„Wake up, little dove. It’s time for dinner.” I say petting her shoulder gently.

•

„Good evening, Sister Teresa. Everything went smoothly today. The girls were…” She cuts me off rather quickly for my liking, but I lower my head and step back in respect.

„Come with me.” She says, voice clipped and quiet.

„To my office. We need to speak. Privately.” A chill prickles down my spine, but I nod and follow.

•

„Please, sit.” The door shuts with a weight I feel in my chest. She gestures to the chair across from her. I obey, hands folded tightly in my lap.

„Sister Luisa…” She begins, her tone gentler now.

„What I’m about to tell you… I know it will affect you more than anyone else here. If I could’ve stopped it, if I had any choice, I would’ve.” My throat tightens. My fingers curl.

„Have I… done something wrong?” I ask softly.

„No, no.” She reaches across the desk as if to calm me.

„You’ve done nothing wrong. On the contrary, your devotion to the girls is beyond question.” My relief is immediate, but it’s short-lived. The unease in her face lingers like smoke.

„This is about… about Ninath.” The name hits like a slap.

„Wh…what about her? She’s… is she alright?”

„She’s fine Luisa, calm down please.” Teresa says quickly.

„…But everything’s about to change.” She opens a file. My eyes fall on the name printed in bold at the top…

NINATH BLACK

Adoption Request.

„I received this request yesterday…” She continues.

„…but I didn’t get to read it in full until this morning. I assumed it was another inquiry, we get a few each year for our girls, you know that, but this one was different. It came through official channels, but with high-level clearance. Then, just a few hours ago, I received a call.” She pauses. My heart is racing now.

„It was from Mr Perkins. He’s a representative from the State Adoption Office, on behalf of…” She stopped and took a deep breath.

„Yes?” I whisper.

„On behalf of…well, he informed me… that the man requesting Ninath's adoption isn’t just some stranger. He’s her biological father.” The room tilts. Her father? All these years?

„I’m sorry Luisa. As it seems, he only just found out about her through his father's will.” Teresa says gently.

„Apparently the truth was kept from him until now. His father passed away. He was the one who placed Ninath into our care and he was the secret anonymous caregiver she had all those years. The papers are verified. The DNA’s confirmed. It’s all… very real and very true. I'm sorry, I know you raised her since she was a newborn and grew very close to her.” I try to speak. I can’t. The tears come before I can stop them.

„She’s leaving…” I say hoarsely.

„Sadly, yes. She’s being picked up tomorrow at 8:30 am.” I press a hand to my mouth.

„I’m so sorry, Luisa. Truly. I know what she means to you.”

„She’s… she’s my little girl, she is so innocent and untouched by the outside world.” I whisper.

„She doesn’t even know what’s waiting for her. She thinks she’ll wake up tomorrow, sweep the chapel floor and run barefoot in the garden like she always does. It's so sudden and surreal…” I whisper again with a shaking voice.

“I know.” Sister Teresa sighs, then leans forward, folding her hands on the desk.

„You still can say your goodbye.” I blink.

„What difference would it make?” I whisper tears falling from my eyes.

„A big one Luisa. She needs to be told about it tonight and along with that you can say your goodbyes. You can tell her what's on your heart and also try to prepare her for the cruelty of the outside world. It will be truly hard for her to be out there, all alone and unaware of all the world's traps. You can ease her pain or hurt with what you choose to say to her.” She says gently.

„She’ll have to pack her things and be ready by morning. This… this can’t wait.” My heart clenches.

„She deserves at least that much Luisa.” Teresa adds.

„A chance to say her own goodbye and so do you.” I nod slowly, even though my throat is tight and my body feels too heavy to move. I stand, already turning toward the door, but Teresa stops me with a soft voice.

„Luisa.” I pause.

„This is a good thing.” She says softly, but I don't turn around. „Painful, but good. She’s not just being adopted… she’s going home, to her family, to her father and to a life we could never give her here.” I look down at my hands clenched together.

„She’s yours, I know that. You raised her like your own, but she deserves more than these walls. She deserves to live a life.” A breath catches in my chest.

„You gave her all the love she needed and the best guidance to survive here. Now, it’s time to let her have a life outside of this place.” I nod again, slower this time.

„I know…” My voice barely escapes and yet, as I walk down the hall, one thought still follows me like a shadow…