A nanny for Mia

Zoe was sitting on a sofa in the luxury furnished sitting room, waiting for her new employer. Suddenly a girl, of about five to six years of age ran in and stood behind a long couch in the room. She hid behind the couch and peeped from a short distance. The little girl had dark eyes, just like the mighty Audrey Morrison, the founder and CEO of WAVETECH - one of the biggest technology companies in Europe. Zoe already heard so much about Audrey Morrison, the great computer wizard as people fondly called him. The greatest mystery about Audrey was his personal life. Nobody knew whether he was married, single or separated. All they knew was that he had a five-year-old daughter, whose mother remained a mystery. Zoe never gave a damn about those pieces of information; she only saw them as unnecessary. It was a fey moment for Zoe. She had long prayed for the job and now she had it. She thought about the salary which was thrice the amount her former employers had offered to pay. She felt like squealing for joy, but on second thought she comported herself. However, the little girl was still peeping at Zoe from a short distance. She had this lonely aura all over her. "Hey, princess," Zoe said as she moved closer to touch the little girl's shoulders. The little girl shrugged off Zoe's touch. "Hi, I'm Zoe," Zoe said. But, the little girl seemed not to be interested in Zoe's exordium. Quickly, Zoe searched her head for a subject that would entice the five-year-old girl. She realised the little girl had a Barbie doll in her hand. Zoe smiled at the doll and said. " Beautiful doll. Is that your favourite Disney Princess?" "Yeah." The little girl replied, with a shy nod. Her head was still bowed and her gaze was steadied on her doll. " I love Barbie too, but my favourite is Pocahontas." Said Zoe. The little girl raised her head and looked at Zoe. It was obvious she never heard of Pocahontas before. For the first time, the little girl showed interest in having a conversation with Zoe. "Is she a princess too?" The little girl asked quizzically. "Yes, she's a Disney Princess," Zoe answered "Is she prettier than Barbie?" The little girl asked again, this time, in a more lively tone. Her eyes widened in enthusiasm, as she waited in anticipation for Zoe's response. "Yes, she is as pretty as Barbie." The little girl seemed satisfied with Zoe's response. "Will you live here with me and my daddy… watch cartoons and play games with me? " She asked again. Zoe stooped to her height, she held her in reassurance. " I don't know about That for now… But, one thing I can assure you is that we will always have fun, anytime I'm here." Zoe watched the little girl's spirit lighten up. " Yessss! We will have fun playing together!" The little girl chorused in excitement. " And, you will be my mum too!" She added. At this point, Zoe was thrown off balance. She never expected to hear that. She paused for a moment, while she placed her thoughts together. She needed to say something fast to the little girl. She needed to let her know, she wasn't there to replace her mum. She was just a nanny for goodness sake. Words failed Zoe to express her thoughts, but eventually, she started talking. " noo, no…no, I won't be your mum. I'm your nanny and…" she stammered. "She's not going to be your mum, Mia." Audrey's baritone voice interrupted from the doorway. He had been standing there for the last minute. Zoe quietly muttered her thanks for Audrey's intervention. "Dadddyyyy!" The little girl shouted as she rushed off to embrace her father. He lifted her into his arms for a warm embrace. "Daddy, is Miss Zoe my new nanny?" " That's right, darling, She's your new nanny. " " Would she live here with us, play games and watch cartoons with me?" He carried her down and pointed at the small shopping bag in his hand. " Daddy got you a gift, do you mind opening it, and showing us what's inside?" He handed the small shopping bag to her. She opened it and found another Barbie doll. She wasn't thrilled by the gift. She seemed to be used to such stereotypical kinds of gifts. Zoe watched and wondered how many of those dolls Mia had stored up in her toy space. All Zoe saw was a father struggling to build a bond with his little girl, who seemed to have outgrown his timid parenting skills. Mia had no choice but to show appreciation for her gift. "Thank you Daddy…" she said, with her face void of expressions. "Hope you liked your gift?" Audrey asked anxiously. Mia nodded quietly and a warm smile formed on her face. "Now go upstairs, I would love to have a private conversation with Miss Zoe. " It was at this point that Zoe understood the reason behind the little girl's loneliness - She had no one to play with, and to the best of Audrey's knowledge, getting her Barbie dolls was all it took to make a girl her age happy. Mia turned around and started heading towards the stairs, following her father's instruction. "Miss Zoe!" She called out from the stairs. "Yes…" Zoe answered and looked towards her direction. "Will I see you again?" Zoe nodded. "Of course…" "Darling go upstairs, Miss Zoe will be staying here with us… So, you have nothing to worry about." Audrey's reassured. A smile formed on Mia's face once again. She ran back and gave Audrey a tight hug, before joyfully running upstairs. After Mia disappeared through the stairs, Zoe and Audrey watched, in amazement. "She's such a sweet girl." Zoe broke the silence, still staring at the space, which Mia disappeared through. " Yes, she is…" Audrey answered, almost uninterested." I'm glad she likes you. You two will get along so well, that makes it easier… You will be moving in with us, Miss Zoe. Hope you went through your contract?" Audrey asked. Zoe nodded her yes, and he continued. " I hope you don't do hard drugs?" This time he didn't wait for her response but continued after using his left hand to undo his tie. "You will be tested regularly for drugs... And remember, none of your visitors are allowed here... All these are stated in your contract, which I assume you have gone through… You will be granted access to every part of the house, aside from my personal spaces… Wait here for the butler, he will be here soon to show you to your room." Audrey paused indefinitely and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "One more thing… Stay out of my boundaries and don't forget… Mia is not your daughter." Zoe stood there perplexed, as she watched him walk away. Her high spirits were crushed into dust in one moment. The next minute a middle-aged man in a uniform walked in. It was obvious he was the butler. " Miss, can you please join me?" He invited. Zoe followed him into an extension building behind the main mansion. The building looked more like staff quarters. The butler stopped in front of a door by the hallway. Zoe watched him pull out keys from his pants pocket and fit them into the keyhole, till he found the right key. He unlocked the door and they both walked into a sizable bedroom with basic furnishing. "This is your room, Miss… and here is your key." He handed her the key. " Feel free to ask, if you need anything." "Thank you…" Zoe said as she strained to read the name on the butler's name tag."... Mr. Richard." She completed it