Bonded By Lies

Chapter Four

“Dada, who is she?” the little girl pointed at me.

“Keisha, say hi to your new nanny,” Xavier said, carrying his daughter closer to him.

His voice was a warm, velvet baritone. His tone was smooth and rich, carrying a lot of warmth, very soothing and pleasing to the ear. One of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard.

What was I thinking? I felt so embarrassed that I could feel the heat burning on my cheek. I could dig a hole so small and hide inside, never to come out.

“What's your name?” Keisha said in a sassy voice, breaking me from my thoughts.

She had her father's green eyes and long silky hair. She was fair and smooth as the snow, and she really was beautiful even at a young age. Looking at her, she wouldn't pass the age of two or three.

Where is her mum? I wondered.

“So-phi-a,” I replied slowly so that she could pronounce the name correctly. What I don't want is for a kid to murder my name.

“So-pha,” she said. What did I expect?

“So-phi-a,” I corrected, saying a bit more slowly this time.

“So-pha,” she repeated.

Is she doing this on purpose because it's really not funny? I attempted to correct her again when Xavier interrupted.

“Keisha, go upstairs and prepare for lunch. I will show your nanny around,” Xavier said, mustering the warmest smile I have ever seen. His eyes softened as he ruffled the kids' hair.

He really is beautiful.

“Follow me,” he said, his voice shifting to an authoritative tone.

We passed through a hallway that led to a different section of the house. The hallway has doors on opposite sides.

“Kitchen,” Xavier pointed without entering through the door.

“Resting area”

“Game room”

“Library”. Xavier said

He pointed at so many doors at a time, and it was really a lot to take in.

How will I remember all this? We didn't even take a look inside. His long strides make it even harder to keep up.

Xavier went further through the long line of stairs leading us to where the bedroom area should be.

“Keisha’s room”

“My room,” he pointed at another room very close to Keisha’s room.

“Your room is the one at the far end. You can take your stuff there”. Xavier said before turning to enter the room he said was his.

He didn't even finish showing me all the rooms. There was one facing his room and Kiesha's room, and there was another just after his room.

My room was at the opposite end of the hallway. The house was such a huge house for just two people.

I opened the room, said to be mine, slowly, and pushed my load into it. I looked around the room panting because I was really out of breath having to drag my box down the stairs to the room.

The room alone was ten times bigger than my old apartment. The room was filled with a warm color of beige and white. The bed was a queen-sized bed with neat and soft sheets.

It had a full-length mirror by the side and a big seised vanity very close to it. The curtains were clean and white and everything felt so warm and cozy.

I jumped on the bed, and it was so soft and warm. This was a good life. I smiled as I stared across the room taking everything in. It was probably the tiredness from packing and struggling to carry my box in here that made me so jet-lagged. I felt so sleepy and let myself feel the warmth and softness of the bed. In a few seconds, sleep engulfed me.

I opened my eyes, staring at the strange environment.

“Where am I?” I yawned, rubbing my eyes until it slowly dawned on me.

I stretched my arms and legs, feeling so fulfilled from the long nap I had. This was the warmest and greatest sleep I have ever had. I picked up my phone from the side table and stared at the long line of messages, mainly from Adrian and my mum. I replied to them quickly, feeling my stomach grumble.

I didn't have anything to eat before sleeping. I checked outside and it was still very dark. The clock placed on the wall opposite my bed was reading 2:15 am. Last time I remembered, it was at 7:02. I really did have a long nap.

My stomach grumbled again, and it didn't look like this little tummy would wait till dawn before attacking me again. I put on my comfy slippers and headed downstairs. Everywhere was quiet and dark. There was only a small light at the end of the hallway that dimmed around the house. I carefully closed my room door to avoid noise and made my way down the stairs.

I reached the hallway of the stairs looking around, trying to find which door led to the kitchen. Why are there so many unnecessary doors in this house? I tried pushing the handle of one door, and it was locked. Great! Just my luck.

“What are you doing?” I heard a voice from my back making jumps and screaming so much in fright. What the hell. I turned and saw Xavier staring down at me. His stare pierced through my soul again. He gave me the same look when he first saw me.

“Uhmmm, hungry,” I said, fidgeting with my phone. I tried as much as possible to avoid his gaze after the embarrassment of making him feel like he was dumb.

“Words,” he snapped.

“I'm hungry, and I can't find the way to the kitchen,” I replied, still avoiding his gaze.

He turned back and I followed him quietly. He pushed open a door, and it led to the kitchen. Xavier turned on the lights and stared at me again.

He was wearing black sweatpants and a white fitted Tank Top. His muscles were bulging from his clothes, and his hair was packed into a tiny ponytail with a few strands falling on his eyes.

Why will a man have such long hair? He looked even better than on any other day since I met him. It was like putting no effort into looking good and still managing to pull off a killer look. I stared at him more than usual, and he only stared back.

“If you are done staring, you can get what you want and get out,” Xavier said, then pulling out a bottle of water from the refrigerator and leaving only me in the kitchen. He really was terrifying. His presence left a cold chill.

It was a bit scary standing alone in the kitchen. I opened the shelves which were filled with lots and lots of foodstuffs of different varieties.

I picked up a cracker and a drink and headed back upstairs. It was terrifying standing there all alone.